Finding good help is tough. In the hosting space, it can be downright painful. I’ve seen a wide array of hosting operations: the worst was a small (10×10) operation in an area prone to flooding. The server room was cooled by a standard air-conditioner. Top notch facilities offer the highest levels of redundancy and security. One facility in upstate New York (the Frontier Cybercenter) has fantastic security: two factor authentication, thick walls and slick pin-controlled cabinets.
Facilities and security aside, unless the building is down the street, or you have a person on-site 24-7, you need to rely on the local staff. I detest ticketing systems and nameless engineers. Far worse are operations that rely on one or two individuals. That is a business-level vunerability, but that’s a topic for another day.
Now, on to one of my favorite vendors: Another 9 (http://another9.com/) . Located 45 minutes north of NYC, it’s a convenient drive and not the first place to go up in smoke in the event of a catastrophic incident. The building itself is unassuming, in fact a bit too suburban-corporate for me, but therein is the secret. As a relic of the cold war, it was built to withstand an attack. Not quite as slick as an elevator into a mountain, but I like that a flood or a tornado couldn’t pose a threat. Diverse power grids, multiple fiber lines (both underground and aerial) and a big backup generator round out the place. Security is decent… no biometric scanners, tho.
Where Another 9 shines is the staff. I know the CEO, the data center VP and a number of the engineers. I have put them through major fire drills and each time I came out with my own clients happy. While there can be some lag with an email response from the NOC, it shows they’re out on the floor — and they actually pick up a phone. I recently signed up for additional monitoring services, and oddly enough, they actually called me to talk about the servers.
When I’ve had my back against the wall, these guys have been responsive and accountable. Pricing has always been fair to all and since becoming a customer, I have one less thing to worry about. In short: if you need colo or other significant hosting, make the call.
