Implementation plan for data center as a service platform

High Level Plan to Implement Data Center as a Service

Developing and launching a Data Center as a Service (DaaS) requires a well-defined plan to mitigate risks, manage the integration of clients' content and data management platforms and applications, in addition to a well-define set of performance metrics to evaluate its performance over time. The intent of this analysis is to provide a plan for implementing a DaaS platform and offering it as a service.

Data Center Implementation Plan

The development of the data center implementation plan needs to begin with reliability, up-time and service availability objectives that tie back directly to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) (Goo, 2010). To the extent a DaaS provider can integrate their SLA requirements into their Data Center key performance indicators (KPIs) and measures of performance is the extent to which the provider will be able to meet and exceed customer expectations (Kant, 2009). The Data Center Implementation Plan needs to define specific configuration objectives that also set the foundation for security levels across all platforms, servers, applications and client-based virtualization areas (Kroeker, 2009). As a result of all these factors that need to be taken into account, the Data Center Implementation Plan needs to define each of these criteria in an evaluation matrix, weighing each one by the value to the customer. Once this matrix is complete each specific data center location or alternative can be weighted and compared to see which the best possible center location is given the unique attributes as defined by this analysis. What is critically important about using a weighted matrix to evaluate each of the possible data center locations is the customer-centric focus it puts on the entire structure and operation of the data center from the beginning.

Using a methodology of ranking the most critical criterion for data center definition and development, and anchoring them in customer-driven metrics ensures that the data center implementation will stay relevant for a longer period of time than if it just based on price for example. The following factors must populate the matrix at a minimum for there to be sufficient functional overlap to the customers' unique requirements and needs. Earth, fire and severe weather-based facilities, fault-redundant power source and fully redundant system architectures, T1 and T3-based speed access to the data center are all minimums that need to be included in the ranking matrix. Additionally the data center will need to provide full hosting, co-location of applications, co-location of blade servers, and facilities for full server integration and consolidation. These latter functional areas are critically important for the client's systems to be easily integrated into the virtualization-based platform that a data center requires to attain its optimal level of performance (Kroeker, 2009).

Security Implementation Plan

The most critical section of any data center's implementation plan is the development of the several layers of security necessary for ensuring both the operating systems, applications, servers and clients' data stays secure. Oftne however this is an area that does not get adequate focus, specifically in the area of role-based logins and security (Desai, McGee, 2010). An effective DaaS Provider Implementation Plan concentrates on the following critical areas. First, there are biometrically defined and configured locks and security systems in state-of-the-art data centers (Jarrett, 2010). This is a best practice in physical security of the data center itself. Additional physical security requirements include locked individual co-location hosting cabinets, administrator access to system logins, 24/7 security onsite, and smart card access to the system room itself. All of these factors are critically important for data and information to be protected as a strategic asset (Ferrara, Foltz, Turisco, 2009).

From a software standpoint the needs are even more critical. The use of firewalls, proxy servers, intrusion detection and traffic monitoring are all baseline requirements for creating a DaaS provider service (Desai, McGee, 2010). In addition, coding standards for applications and systems is also critical, especially when AJAX-based programming is used over XML-based inbound links, as this combination of applications and integration have been shown to be vulnerable to hacking and impersonation over time (Desai, McGee, 2010). Finally a core requirement of any DaaS provider's security plan must include role-based authentication, periodic password resets, definition of server access by login, and restrictions on each information asset based on each clients' individual needs. Finally the security plan must include periodic yet random simulated attacks and audits of security levels to ensure that both the DaaS software platforms and clients' data remains secure over time. All of these areas of the security plan must also be actively monitored within an online scorecard that clients can see on a 24/7 basis over their systems from anywhere in the world there is an Internet connection. A key aspect of any successful data center security plan is accountability for performance and transparency as well.

SLA Implementation Plan

For any DaaS provider to continually meet and exceed the expectations of their clients they need to have the metrics or measures of performance associated with their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) engrained throughout each other area of their implementation plan. The highest performing DaaS providers are able to align all the diverse areas of their plans together to ensure SLA terms and conditions are consistently met and exceeded (Goo, 2010). By focusing on having SLAs that can be met through combined and synchronized efforts over time DaaS providers stand a better chance of being able to keep existing clients and gain new ones.

Conclusion

The core aspects of a DaaS implementation plan center on data center, security, systems and SLA performance over time with all of these components synchronized into delivering consistently high performance to clients. The fact that DaaS providers must concentrate on the coordination of these many areas of the proposed plan structure underscore the need for greater levels of system, process and security integration. DaaS provider best practices also need to concentrate on how to ensure role-based security over time, not just on the largest and most valuable accounts (Goo, 2010).