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The evolution of Digital Transformation drives the production and use of data in businesses of all sizes and segments. Therefore, more and more businesses are looking for a Data Center provider.

The point is that the market is full of these providers and choosing the ideal partner can be a major challenge. With that in mind, we have prepared this content to help you make a secure and advantageous decision.

Below, you can learn which aspects should not be ignored before signing an agreement and choosing your Data Center. Check it out!

What is the importance of Data Center providers?

Never before has so much data been produced as today, and according to the IDC, the world will have a total of 175 Zettabytes of data by 2025. This is a reflection of the digitalization of companies, the increase in internet searches, social networks and various other common activities in the Digital Age.

With so much information available, organizations have the opportunity to turn numbers into intelligence to grow and captivate their clients. But to get there, they need the support of Data Center providers.

These partners are responsible for the secure storage, availability and connectivity of information. Without them, your business fails to take advantage of this sea of valuable data and risks falling behind the competition.

Therefore, it goes without saying that a good provider can drive business growth. After all, it provides the necessary infrastructure to implement truly strategic management, with agility and cost savings.

Checklist for choosing a Data Center provider

The Data Center is the “brain” of the company. There, you will find state-of-the-art equipment to receive, store, process and distribute the information your business needs to grow.

From storage to data processing to obtaining value and answers, everything goes through its robust IT infrastructure. In such a competitive market, you can’t really ignore its role, can you?

It is important to note that data centers have evolved with technology. That is, the companies providing these services are betting on new features to provide more agility, security and quality to their services.

But the truth is that Data Centers are not all the same! You need to make the right choice to take advantage of the best the market has to offer. Here’s what to review before choosing a Data Center!

1. Infrastructure and scalability

Data Center providers need to have a strong infrastructure, capable of scaling with business growth and offering the necessary technological support throughout the transformation journey. After all, the desire and objective of every company is to grow.

A “brain” that cannot expand is more of a hindrance than a help. Therefore, it is important to research and select a provider with the best and largest infrastructure.

These characteristics will ensure scalability to operations, with right sized resources, considering both present and especially future demands.

2. Connectivity

A Data Center without connectivity is like an island. The provider you choose needs to understand and actively work to ensure that your data is always available and can be shared in real time, wherever you are.

With today’s highly dynamic and decentralized operations, data needs to flow from one point to another. Even more so, it must be available to a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring a fast and intelligent decision-making process.

In this context, latency is also an important point, since information must be delivered in the shortest possible time.

As you are well aware, critical processes (such as financial ones) cannot suffer from bottlenecks and slowdowns. Information needs to be updated and transmitted in real time, saving you from errors and misinterpretation.

3. Credibility

The credibility of the Data Center provider is an indication of its level of quality and reliability. A growing demand has led many companies to enter the data center market, but quantity is not synonymous with quality.

Therefore, before making any decision, your company needs to take a careful look at your partner’s background, seeking someone with more experience and greater credibility. Remember that your success will depend on the efficiency and commitment of this business.

The safest decision is to team up with serious companies that possess the know-how and broad market recognition to navigate the challenges of the Digital Age.

4. Client satisfaction level

Satisfied (or dissatisfied) clients cannot be ignored. This is one of the biggest indications that the company is serious, efficient, secure and committed to the development of its clients.

Therefore, before signing an agreement, look at how the Data Center provider handles its clients and their needs. Are there complaints? Failures? How can they impact your routine?

Remember that a good partner should be accessible and interconnected with the companies that hire them. In addition, it needs to be involved with the client’s projects, assisting and seeking new solutions to optimize their processes and results.

5. Quality of support and service

The quality and agility of support and service should also be evaluated. Have you ever considered the impact of not getting an answer when you need it most?

The offer of a consultative service and focus on the client are key benefits that make the difference in the daily routine of any company. Similarly, the use of automated tools that report failures in operations to the partner is very valuable.

This not only reduces response time, but assists everyone involved in optimizing the processes, making them more stable, secure and reliable.

6. Security

Finally, you should evaluate the level of security offered by the Data Center provider. This is a critical point of Digital Transformation, as many cyber threats can affect data privacy and business continuity.

In this context, the choice of a partner should be based on a careful analysis of the technological infrastructure of the data environment. Key aspects include the availability of protection tools, as well as the application of security policies and good practices focused on infrastructure and people.

Remember that good partners put security first because they know the financial and reputational damage that intrusions and data leaks can entail.

The ideal Data Center provider drives your business to grow!

The evaluation of Data Center providers is one of the most important steps for the success of a business in the Digital Age. The time invested with these analyses will represent a fluid, safe operation based on the strategic use of data.

By joining forces with specialized partners, your company is much more likely to grow efficiently, overcoming the different challenges that may arise.

In addition, this is a more economical and strategic way to gain access to cutting-edge resources and policies, which would be more difficult if acting on your own and without the help of Data Center providers.

Did you like this content? Make sure to check out our post on connectivity issues and learn more!

Data is at the center of corporate decisions, and this requires leaders to be knowledgeable about the types of Data Centers available. After all, the market is evolving and the infrastructure used must be able to meet the demands of the business.

In the past, file location determined where the work was to be done. Today, this reality has shifted and the existence of several teams operating remotely and at the same time makes it clear that data must always be available and accessible.

The good news is that the Data Center is no longer constrained to the perimeters of your company. More flexible, cost-effective, and highly efficient models already exist – for all sizes, demands, and types of business. Would you like to learn more? Just keep on reading!

The role of the Data Center in the evolution of companies

A Data Center is designed to handle a large volume of data. In an increasingly competitive and strategic market, it becomes clear how vital and decisive it is for business development.

Thanks to this structure, your business can operate efficiently and collaboratively, regardless of where employees are located. After all, fast and secure data traffic supports decision making and various digital capabilities that depend on this information.

Therefore, the Data Center is not only useful, it is an essential element in the daily routine of companies in the Digital Age, performing different functions, such as:

• Hosting software and applications, such as CRM and ERP;
• Leveraging Big Data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence;
• Securing high-volume e-commerce transactions;
• Ensuring secure and efficient data storage;
• Running backup routines;
• Ensuring easy connectivity to the main carriers and internet exchanges in the market.

That said, it is no exaggeration to say that practically all sectors, in one way or another, depend on the resources provided by Data Centers.

Data Center architecture: what do you find there?

When we talk about the architecture of a Data Center, we focus on how this environment is organized and on the elements that comprise it. It is a curious subject, since many people are actually unaware of how it all works.

In practice, a Data Center gathers everything needed to store and process data with security, agility and high availability, such as:

• Physical servers;
• Hard drives;
• Network and connection equipment;
• Expert staff; and
• Complex power supply and cooling systems.

In addition to all this, companies have access to modern backup systems, which ensures that stored data is secure and readily available. After all, that is where valuable information for organizations is stored.

Therefore, the environment needs to be monitored 24/7. Because in the end, if it stops, so do the businesses.

This scenario shows that maintaining a Data Center infrastructure is not a simple task. And this is exactly the reason that many businesses are opting for decentralized models provided by specialized companies.

Learn about the 5 types of Data Centers and their characteristics

A survey conducted by Dell’Oro Group predicts that global Data Center spending will grow 10% over the next 5 years, totaling USD 350 billion. Given the exponential growth in demand, it is normal for new technologies to be implemented and others to be improved.

To make a smart investment, you need to know more about the different types of Data Centers available on the market. We have highlighted 5 of them for you here. Check it out!

1. Enterprise

The Enterprise model is one of the most common on the market. Its main characteristic is that the entire Data Center infrastructure is located within company premises, making it exclusive.

Although it involves high assembly and maintenance costs, several organizations opt for this format. This is because it allows greater control over security-related operations and processes.

2. Colocation

Colocation, unlike Enterprise, is based on decentralized management. In this format, the physical infrastructure is not inside the company, but in an external environment that is run by a provider.

Therefore, the business can contract space, hardware, bandwidth, and various Data Center solutions, according to its demand. This means that even without a large budget for your own infrastructure, you can enjoy all the advantages of having a data center.

You pay for what you use, and the vendor is responsible for keeping your data secure and accessible at all times. And the best part is: if the company grows, you just expand the storage space, simply and economically.

3. Internet

This type of data center is cloud-based and classified as virtual. This also means that there is no need to build your own infrastructure, since the information will be hosted and processed on a provider’s servers.

It is an interesting model, especially due to its flexibility and scalability. In addition, it democratizes access to computing resources remotely, as a service.

It is important to understand that the infrastructure is owned by the provider and will be shared with different companies. Thus, the information is accessed over the Internet.

4. Hyperscale

Hyperscale is a type of Data Center designed to serve large-scale operations. As such, it relies on a robust infrastructure, capable of supporting activities that demand large storage volumes and high processing power.

Because it is vital for important activities, the model needs to have reinforced mechanisms to ensure the continuity of operations. In other words, it has a state-of-the-art infrastructure with redundancy, backup, and complex communication and power supply networks.

5. Edge

Among the different types of Data Centers, the Edge model has become more and more common in the market. It is geared toward operations that demand faster communication between users and servers, solving the issue of latency.

The name itself explains how this model works. In this format, the Data Centers are smaller and more numerous in order to cover a larger area of territory and be as close as possible to the end users of the services.

It is worth noting that this is the format used by major streaming providers such as Netflix and YouTube. This is because it offers a more agile, low-latency connection, ideal for delivering media and services in real time.

Your Data Center is no longer constrained to the perimeter of your company!

As we have seen, the Data Center is no longer constrained to the perimeter of your company. Advances in technology and data storage are driving new models, ensuring more flexibility, security, and agility for business management.

In this context, businesses of all sizes can fully exploit the power of data and invest in the digitalization of their operations. There are Data Center types for all needs – and now you know a little about them.

To help you on this journey and in choosing the ideal model, we would like to suggest reading another post on our blog: Understand why your company should not maintain an Internal Data Center!

The Internet is an essential service in the corporate world. However, few people really know how its structure works. Unlike what many people imagine, the web is not a single network that works centrally, for example. The Internet is a set of networks that interconnect autonomously. Thus, one of the solutions used to make this connection is IXP/IX. 

From IXP to IX: the naming change 

Recently, the term Internet eXchange Point (IXP) has been replaced by IX (Internet Exchange). This change aimed to standardize the Brazilian nomenclature so that it would conform to international standards.

In Brazil, IX coordination is carried out by CGIbr, while the operation is carried out by technically qualified non-profit organizations, which establish the necessary requirements for architectures and management of interconnections.

IX: What is it?

In short, an Internet Exchange, or simply IX, is a physical location through which Internet infrastructure companies, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and companies with AS (Autonomous System), connect with each other. 

IXs are at the “edge” of different networks and allow internet service providers to share traffic outside their own network, for example. 

That is, by having a presence inside IX, companies can shorten their path to traffic from other networks participating in this solution, thus reducing latency, improving data transfer times and potentially reducing operational costs.

How does an IX work?

As we saw earlier, the Internet works as an interconnection of several networks, with IX playing the role of connecting providers. That is, in addition to being located in a physical environment, it is an interesting resource to make interconnection more effective.

IX also works as a kind of HUB, in which internet service providers connect their environments. In the end, with it, all data traffic is carried out faster and with lower internet costs.

The more well-structured the IX, the greater the speed and amount of data transferred within the network. This is great for the efficiency of the connection of the devices connected to it.

On IX, the connection can range from a few Megabits per second to many Terabits per second. Regardless of size, the primary purpose of IX is to ensure that several network routers are connected quickly and efficiently.

Why is IX important? 

Providers that use the IX solution have numerous benefits, including cost savings, bandwidth savings and higher traffic speed, for example.

In addition to these advantages, providers have the opportunity to offer connections to other access providers, facilitating the connection of companies located far from the IX. Thus, IX works as an excellent resource to increase internet connection performance across the country, as well as increase the ROI of ISPs.

Please note that to be able to access IX, Internet providers need a company that offers a PIX (point of interconnection) Data Center, as is the case with Ascenty. Ascenty’s PIX has the advantage of optimizing the path through which data flows within the network.

PIX: Ascenty’s IX solution 

Ascenty’s PIX connection provides a direct link between the networks of major ISPs and AS companies, facilitating the exchange of information and traffic between them. The Ascenty connection to the IX delivers connectivity services with more than 4,500 km of its own optical fiber throughout the São Paulo Metropolitan Area and Fortaleza. 

This feature provides key competitive edges for your company, such as higher connection speed between providers and lower bandwidth use. This results in even faster access and much lower costs for the business. 

Are you interested in these benefits or do you want to learn more about IX? Contact us and talk to one of our consultants to learn how this solution can improve your traffic! We are ready to help you. 

At a time when the demand for quality connectivity is one of the main burdens in the market, and especially for the financial sector, understanding Network Interconnection can save the day of companies within the segment.

Financial institutions such as banks, brokerages and, more recently, fintechs. In addition to being part of a large and crucial ecosystem, providing services to society, they need to pay close attention to IT infrastructure issues.  After all, the services provided by these institutions are extremely delicate, requiring high security and data availability.

At the center of everything is the technological assets of this sector.

Today, customer experience is one of the pillars of Digital Transformation. Thus, the real challenges of the financial sector start to take shape. For companies in this area, in addition to dodging the widely known bureaucracy, the mission is to develop solutions and products in line with their new consumer.

Currently, consumers are connected 24 hours a day. That is, they can be active in banking applications at any time. that’s why his information needs to be available whenever the consumer wants it. This is the customer profile that causes concern for companies in the financial sector.

But… What is Network Interconnection and what does it have to do with all this? How can it be a solution for the connectivity of companies in the financial sector? That’s the question we intend to answer.

Keep reading to learn more!

What is Network Interconnection?

The exchange of information online is usually done by a complex decentralized and, for all intents and purposes, shared data network. That is, this type of communication is carried out indirectly.

For example, think of an online transaction: sending an image from computer A to computer B. In the conventional mode, the file does not necessarily travel a “straight line” between the two points.

In fact, it is broken down into several parts that follow different paths, often with a third point of exchange between the sender and receiver.

This process, combined with the geographical distance of these exchange points, makes this type of connection not ideal for companies seeking maximum performance.

Why? There are several reasons, but it can be said that the fact that it is decentralized increases latency, which directly impacts the speed of operations and harms customer experience.

As a result, the performance of your applications and systems suffers, as does the accessibility of customers, partners and suppliers to your data. Thus, without connection flexibility, you lose out when making quality deliveries to customers, as well as facilitating security breaches.

Network Interconnection is a strategy that seeks to fix all this, ensuring a private connectivity ecosystem that allows the exchange of information directly between companies, customers, partners and suppliers.

This solution works by providing a direct connection (physical over cable or virtual over a VLAN) between two (or more) IT environments hosted in a carrier neutral data center.

In this way, the user of one of the networks accesses data or services of the other without any trouble, facilitating operations and transactions.

How does network interconnection help the financial sector?

By understanding Network Interconnection, it is possible to see it applied in various market segments. This is true – it is no wonder that more and more companies are adopting this strategy.

However, in the case of the financial sector, it may be an action that is more than essential for business continuity.

More and more banks and financial institutions are improving their customer service. The goal is to be available at the physical branch – but also to take the branch services and place them on the palm of your hand.

That’s why these apps are so complete, true ecosystems that allow consumers to control every aspect of their financial life. 

However, this evolution, is the result of a whole chain of development. Today, more fintechs are teaming up with traditional financial institutions to create consumer-tailored services and solutions. With the operations area in the hands of these developers, the bank starts to focus on the consumer, which is a very positive point.

However, as innovations are added to this ecosystem of services, other players are added to the equation (fintechs, suppliers, partners), increasing competitiveness.

At the same time, consumer demand increases: more transactions are carried out every day, new requests are made.

That is, it creates a snowball effect of operations, data and information. And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg, as the financial sector moves much more data along its entire chain of operations.

With the latency of conventional connections, in addition to their inflexibility, this whole process could happen in a very long time.

With Network Interconnection being applied efficiently, this time can be much shorter.

A centralized environment of data exchange enables all third parties involved with the bank or financial institution to do so with maximum connective performance.

Understanding Network Interconnection also means understanding that its adoption makes all online processes safer and faster.

How can Ascenty help?

Okay, now you know what Network Interconnection is and how it can help the financial sector. What does Ascenty have to do with all this?

Ascenty has the best Network Interconnection solutions in the entire market. In fact, it is leader of the ISG quadrant of Colocation in Brazil.

With a robust data center infrastructure (the largest in Latin America) and carrier neutral, it can provide the interconnectivity your company has always dreamed of.

Its ecosystem of data centers and connectivity are spread across strategic points of the country and the continent, with a 4500 km fiber optic network and more than 100 Telecommunications operators and integrated providers.

To meet this market need, Ascenty offers the solution

In other words, an infrastructure capable of providing the best network interconnectivity between your company and your customers, suppliers and partners.

In addition, Ascenty provides extra services that can supplement your deliveries. An example is Cross Connect, as it connects your company with different service providers within the Data Center, bringing your business closer to the technological solution capable of transforming it. 

With this content, you have learned about Network Interconnection and how it can help the financial sector. Now, how about taking action and making this transformation happen? 

Contact Ascenty now and schedule your meeting!

Digital transformation has turned IT into a strategic sector for any company. In this context, nowadays, technological infrastructure is a source capable of generating value for the business. However, some precautions are essential in order to take full advantage of the virtual environment.

Data Center redundancy is a great example. Without it, instability and the risk of outage can compromise the company’s activities. With it, if a failure occurs in one of the components of the infrastructure, a second component will be available to take over the function until the processes are restored.

However, not everyone takes this into account when searching for a colocation partner to migrate their data — a mistake that can be costly (literally). With that in mind, we created this special content on redundancy to show you everything you need to know about redundancy. Check it out!

Types of redundancy

The IT infrastructure includes both physical (hardware) and digital (software) assets. A common mistake is to think of redundancy as something that corresponds to the second aspect of the system. So, to start off with a clear understanding, take a look at the types of redundancy your company can establish.

Redundancy in the electrical system

If a failure in the electrical supply directly affects the IT infrastructure, it is crucial to have redundancy in this supply. As the service is usually provided by a utility company – which limits the company’s means to predict failures -, the strategy is usually carried out with the use of two pieces of equipment.

The first is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The second is the traditional generator, which can be scaled exclusively for critical IT services.

Redundancy in the HVAC system

Temperature is also an essential factor in the operation of Data Centers, as a heat spike can affect or even interrupt the performance of certain pieces of equipment. Of course, all a/c units are also subject to failure. Therefore, it is important to have two systems, so that one is always available.

Data Redundancy

An environment hosted in a Data Center and without backup is simply unthinkable for a company whose operation depends on a digital environment. Redundancy protects not only against system instability, but also against possible power outages or other failures that corrupt or make the data unavailable.

Please note that this is also a fundamental measure for the organization’s cybersecurity. Remember the billion-dollar loss due to data hijackings through WannaCry ransomware in 2017, which affected several institutions (public and private) worldwide.

Network Redundancy

If data needs to be protected, this caution also applies to the channels to access such data. Whether it’s an internet connection or an internal network, all links need a second access route to prevent the Data Center from being isolated during a failure.

Some companies choose to hire services that offer a duplicated network, while others prefer to rely on two different providers.

Data Center redundancy levels

In addition to the different types of redundancy, it is also important to establish the most appropriate level for your infrastructure. In general, this depends on the characteristics of each company. Understand the difference between levels.

Level N

Level N is the most basic level. Data Center redundancy practically does not exist, as the infrastructure is always under ideal conditions. It’s easy to see how risky this is, but it’s a very common scenario among small businesses.

N+1 Redundancy

An N+1 redundancy Data Center has at least one extra equipment available. A good example is a server cooled by a single air conditioner, but with a second device to cover any failures.

N+2 Redundancy

As its name suggests, this level of redundancy has two spare pieces of equipment. The strategy of having a backup of the backup, for example, characterizes an N+2 Data Center.

Level 2N Redundancy

In the 2N model, the entire infrastructure is duplicated. That means two pieces of hardware, emergency power supply, a second access path, data backups, etc.

Level 2 (N+1) Redundancy

The highest level of redundancy is extra cautious with critical systems, which now have twice the amount of equipment and an extra module for each N.

For example: If you need to buy lunch for 2 kids, you buy each meal at two different restaurants, plus an extra meal at each location, as a precaution.

TIER classification and its relationship to Data Center redundancy

TIER classification is a certification of server performance and reliability. Developed over 25 years ago by Uptime, the system is used globally to demonstrate the efficiency of any institution’s Data Center.

As you can imagine, it takes redundancy levels into account. The classification levels are detailed below.

TIER I

The first level attests to the basic criteria of compliance with the TIER reference standards (NBR 5410, NBR 15247, NBR 11515, NBR 27002, among others). That means having air conditioning and electrical distribution subsystems, but not a redundancy strategy.

TIER II

A TIER II infrastructure is partially redundant. This is generally the case for small businesses that do not operate 24/7.

TIER III

In addition to the above requirements, a company classified as TIER III is fully redundant.

TIER IV

A TIER IV company meets TIER III requirements and has robust redundancy. Even if failures occur, its systems are able to keep running. This is the case for multinationals, which generally need to work uninterruptedly and with several platforms under continuous use.

How Ascenty Addresses the issue of Data Center redundancy

Ascenty offers a TIER III colocation service for companies looking for a high level of availability, security and accessibility for their infrastructure. No wonder we are talking about the largest Data Center company in Latin America.

According to the Uptime Institute, the availability level of Data Centers classified as TIER III is 99,982%, but Ascenty is not limited to this indicator and offers an even higher level of availability. This involves significant internal effort to put the best experts to work in robust and reliable infrastructure environments.

As you can see, Data Center redundancy is a strategic issue that cannot be ignored. Anyone looking to optimize the use of their IT resources to generate value should pay close attention to this issue. If you want to migrate your data and have maximum performance, take this into account when making your selection!

Would you like to know how this can be done in your specific IT environment? Contact us to schedule a meeting, and let those who understand the most about the subject answer all your questions!

What do you take into account when hiring a data center service for your business? If TIER Classification is at the top of your list, you can be sure it will be a great investment.

After all, interconnection between resources and digital environments is one of the requirements for companies seeking success. A robust and available data infrastructure which ensures information security and high performance is crucial.

However, the search for a data center provider that delivers that has to look beyond cost. The company must follow rigorous international standards, capable of validating and measuring its quality of service.

And this is exactly what TIER Classification provides, a label that lets your company know exactly what the provider can deliver. So, before investing in a data center, it’s essential to understand more about TIER Classification. This content covers everything on the topic. Ready to learn more?

TIER Classification: what is it?

TIER Classification is a type of certification that aims to validate the performance and reliability of data center infrastructures. It’s a system created more than 25 years ago and still being currently applied by the Uptime Institute.

The set of guidelines (ANSI/TIA/EIA-942) defines mechanical, electrical, architectural, and communication parameters for the optimal performance of data centers.

The TIER classification is independent of size, and rates aspects such as availability and performance to help companies direct their investments. Thus, once you know the TIER classification of providers, you can have a quick idea of what they can deliver — that is, whether or not they are able to meet your demands.

It’s worth mentioning that “tier” is a word with English origins, meaning “layer” or “level.” Thus, the TIER Classification has different levels of certification: TIER I, TIER II, TIER III, and TIER IV.

Uptime Institute lists some of the most critical points to be assessed:

Performance based: the project must meet the requirements of availability, redundancy, and fault tolerance.

Technology Neutral: the TIER Classification does not require or rely upon standard technologies, remaining open to innovation.

Supplier independence: there is no relationship or dependency between the institute and suppliers.

Flexible: the company is free to comply with local guidelines.

Life cycle: certification seeks to validate all data center requirements.

Certification: certification is independent, provided by expert engineers.

Naturally, the higher the TIER, the more robust the data center infrastructure.

How the TIER classification system works

Only the Uptime Institute can be consulted for a TIER Classification, and it is the only institution authorized to issue certificates. Therefore, there are very strict controls in place, based on international guidelines and standards.

There is no specific regulatory standard applicable to TIER Classification in Brazil, but the system is used together with some other regulations (such as NBR 5410, NBR 15247, NBR 27002, and NBR 11515).

TIER I

TIER I is the simplest of the Classification levels.

Here, the company is certified to operate servers that follow basic compliance criteria, with no redundant components. It has an air conditioning system, as well as electrical distribution subsystems.

At TIER I, the infrastructure has availability to process about 99.671% of applications. It faces up to 28.8 hours of downtime per year. In addition, it must be completely shut down annually once a year for preventive and corrective maintenance.

TIER II

TIER II automatically meets the above requirements.

It’s worth mentioning that this is a certificate that validates the presence of a partially redundant infrastructure. It’s more aimed at small businesses, whose infrastructure does not work beyond business hours — and does not need online support.

At TIER II, the annual availability is about 99.749%. Thus, there can be up to 22 hours of downtime each year.

TIER III

In addition to fulfilling all the requirements of the levels above, TIER III is totally redundant.

It’s the ideal choice for modern companies that operate at all times and need constant support for their technological tools and automation solutions. Tolerated downtime is only 1.6 hours each year, because its availability must be at 99.98%.

One detail is that TIER III infrastructures cannot be located beyond a 1-mile radius from airports.

TIER IV

TIER IV is the last classification (which also meets all previous requirements). Its main characteristic is robustness: it continues to operate even if its system or one of its elements fail.

In addition to redundancy, there must be several electrical systems and subsystems operating simultaneously. It’s fitting for multinational companies, with operations that require uninterrupted care.

An example of organizations that would be interested in this Tier are the large credit card operators.

Its availability must be 99.999%, and tolerated downtime is only 26 minutes each year.

Ascenty Data Centers: Tier III classification at your disposal

Throughout Latin America, not only in Brazil, companies are increasingly looking for reliable providers. In order to make sure that your data center investment will pay off, you need robust technology to ensure availability and quality.

That is why Ascenty has worked hard to earn its TIER III classification. That’s right: the infrastructure of Latin America’s largest data center company also meets the leading quality requirements.

According to the Uptime Institute, Ascenty offers 99.982% availability at its data centers.

However, internally, the company guarantees 100% for infrastructure. There are multiple and independent distribution paths to the IT equipment.

In addition, the IT equipment is dual-fed, compatible with the site topology. The construction quality of Ascenty’s data centers is impressive, as the company aims to stand out from its competitors.

The goal is to offer cutting-edge solutions, ensuring high levels of connectivity and interconnection. As a result, your business will grow supported by high-quality resources, tools and infrastructure.

Why not find out how Ascenty can help your company to establish the best data and connection infrastructure? Talk to one of our experts!

Nowadays, protecting data is a must for any company. A necessity that becomes greater every day. In some areas such as the financial sector, this is even more relevant. After all, the data and information are sensitive and extremely important. To ensure this high level of protection is why PCI DSS Certification exists.

Are you familiar with this certification?

For the financial sector, it’s essential on several levels: it involves and aligns all those involved in the transit of banking data. In other words, every company that acts as an intermediary between consumers and their purchases, whether in person or online.

Today, the PCI DSS Certification is uniquely important around the world. How about understanding more about it, its requirements, and its importance? Keep reading!

PCI DSS Certification: what is it?

The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard) Certification is an industry standard for securing credit card use. Thus, PCI DSS Certification is nothing more than an international guideline which aims to establish good practices and standardized rules for card transactions.

It’s a security standard that must be followed and submitted to audits from time to time. The PDI CSS Certification is applicable in both in person and digital payment situations.

This certification was developed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, a kind of association of giant operators (such as Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and other companies).

The aim is to assess security conditions and establish a minimally safe ground for your cards (and therefore your clients’ data) to be used.

What are the requirements for a company to obtain the PCI DSS certification?

The PCI DSS Certification has some predefined requirements to establish the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. There are 12 requirements, divided into 6 objectives. Check the table:

These requirements are applicable on a very broad scale within the financial industry. Thus, all companies involved in the processing of credit card data must follow these standards.

Want to know in which sectors these companies work? Take a look:

• Servers;
• Applications;
• Network components;
• Database managers.

The latter are included because they can be involved in the process of transmitting, processing or storing a credit card number during business transactions. Therefore, for the correct credit card number processing to happen, these requirements must be followed!

The importance of having a PCI DSS certified partner

For e-commerce platforms, identifying a PCI DSS Certification is the first step towards looking for a good payment processor. This set of requirements constitutes a basic (and expected) layer of security that all commerce and stores rely on. It’s the minimum to ensure safe sales and tranquility for consumers.

If your company works in the financial sector, in any of the layers involved in such process, having PCI DSS certified partners is a great guarantee. However, the certification being popular doesn’t mean it’s always followed. And this can lead to a series of problems and suspicions.

In fact, Verizon’s “2020 Payment Security Report” study collected some alarming data. About only 27.8% of companies were able to maintain compliance with PCI DSS Certification guidelines in 2020. That’s a drop of 8.8% when compared to 2019.

In other words, a clear sign that many companies have yet to align themselves with current required security guidelines. This may express that, among other things, these companies are not following other guidelines, such as LGPD itself.

However, your company knows: with partners who are not committed to the safety of your data, it’s hard to grow and expand. So, when it comes to choosing a company, look for a PCI DSS Certified partner!

Ascenty, the largest data center company in Latin America, is PCI DSS certified!

With its wide infrastructure, it serves the big players of the financial market. The demand level is high and the need for security when each transaction is performed is extremely high. That is why the company invests in shielding, so that its clients can operate peacefully.

Want to know more about how Ascenty can help your company stand out and grow — with maximum security? Talk to one of our experts!

This is an undisputed truth: cloud  computing has taken the market by storm. Its benefits are, besides offering financial relief to companies, a way to boost their business performance. More security and agility in the digital world. However, some providers may deviate from this path and offer a service that the client, i.e. your company, cannot escape — Cloud Vendor Lock In.

Therefore, it’s important that organizations study and prepare to avoid being trapped in a contract.

At times when flexibility – something that Multicloud offers – is key to being competitive, it’s essential that your company understands everything about the subject, avoiding possible great losses in the case of a service migration.

In this content, we will explore a bit more about Cloud Vendor Lock In, its drawbacks, how to avoid it, and also an incredible tip on how to take advantage of an entire cloud infrastructure without the risk of a Cloud Vendor Lock In.

Learn more ahead!

Cloud Vendor Lock In: what is it?

Today, the SaaS (Software as a Service) market is huge. According to a Gartner study, this segment alone is expected to be worth more than US$151 billion by 2022. As Sid Nag, VP of Research at Gartner, states in the study, “at this point, adopting cloud computing is par for the course.”

That means that if any company is not already on the cloud, it must be in a hurry to migrate to it.

The problem is that, in some cases, the promise of freedom and flexibility for your company to grow in a scalable and organic manner is not fulfilled. And so, some providers started to “lock” their clients into contractual clauses and development requirements that prevented them from migrating to another server.

Imagine the following scenario:

Company A hired SaaS from Provider X. Upon reaching a certain period of its journey, Company A identified the need to migrate its operation (or part of it) to Provider Y, which better fits its demands.

However, due to contractual impediments — which make this operation expensive and technically complex — Company A is helpless and unable to migrate its workload.

That is Cloud Vendor Lock In.

Besides SaaS, it can occur when contracting PaaS (Platform as a Service), in which the client develops its own applications — and that can represent another impediment for migration.

For these providers, Cloud Vendor Lock In can be justified as a way to retain clients in their solution environment. However, the practice does not take into account the clients’ own need to make their operations more flexible and improve deliveries. Sometimes, a provider’s capacity does not meet the client’s needs.

Therefore, once a provider has implemented the Cloud Vendor Lock In, performing necessary migrations becomes very costly for the client.

Besides the financial impact, these restrictions also hinder future migrations and integration of applications — due to the development characteristics of each PaaS.

How to avoid Cloud Vendor Lock In 

So, how can this problem be solved? The good news is that Cloud Vendor Lock In is not an industry standard. It can be avoided, even if it requires some commitment to studying certain issues.

To make it easier, we have listed some key considerations. Ready to escape Cloud Vendor Lock In? Check below:

Escape Cloud Vendor Lock In at all costs

Sounds obvious, right? Nevertheless, it’s the first step of the journey.

Check your provider’s flexibility: can you move your app to other clouds, or migrate the service from another provider, if necessary? If not, does the provider set conditions under which this is possible (such as faults)?

Also, if you need to build apps that require complex customization, make sure you have a backup plan. Even better, if you can afford it, is to have an alternative cloud to run your code as a backup.

Get to know the different PaaS

One alternative is to split the risk. That is, use resources from multiple PaaS providers.

If they are not dependent on a single cloud to deliver their applications and businesses, you can set out to explore the options of the PaaS you control.

This requires some genuine interest, so ask your providers questions and try to understand how the PaaS runs and how your risk management is set up (especially in the case of a large centralizing cloud).

Ask questions about redundancy and the system architecture

Try to fully understand your software architecture and system redundancy with the help of your cloud provider. This comprehension will give you more autonomy when negotiating with the provider.

A good look at the architecture diagrams of the cloud environment can provide in-depth information about system reliability — and whether or not it’s possible to escape Cloud Vendor Lock In.

Ascenty ACCX: a powerful ally against Cloud Vendor Lock In

Ascenty’s ACCX, part of Cloud Connect, is a turnkey solution for companies searching for this exact flexibility between service providers and cloud platforms.

Ascenty Cloud Connectivity Exchange is a solution that integrates different distributed data environments in several public clouds (AWS, Oracle Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and IBM Cloud) to a single platform, integrated with your data network (IP/MPLS).

It’s an ecosystem that integrates the environment of multiple layer-3 public clouds into your infrastructure.

This way, you have full integration potential of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions. With ACCX, clients reallocate their workload to the public cloud that best meets their demand according to their strategy, besides creating an easier network integration with their private structure.

The platform enables interconnection between Cloud Providers, guaranteeing simplified migration or simply ensuring that through low latency interconnection there can be interdependencies between applications and clouds, so you have gains in time, in availability and can take advantage of full interoperability of different public clouds at a fair price.

Cloud Vendor Lock In can be an issue for your company. Therefore, it’s ideal to choose a partnership that eliminates these risks, enabling the free use of the cloud resources that your business requires.

So, talk to Ascenty and understand how ACCX can serve your organization today!

Remote work, which seemed distant to some companies before the Covid-19 pandemic, is now part of the daily life of many. What was supposed to be an emergency solution will likely have a lasting impact on how people work. This is what a study by professor André Miceli, ofFundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), points out, concluding that the format should grow about 30% when activities return to normal. In this scenario, in which online operations are increasingly present, one of the actions that should be prioritized is the cybersecurity of systems and applications.

To have an idea of the current dimension of cybercrimes, data from Fortinet Threat Intelligence Latin America show that, in the month of March alone, when the coronavirus pandemic led to social isolation mandates, there were approximately 600 new phishing campaigns per day in most countries. The attacks occur through malicious links, which lead the user to provide personal data on fake pages or download files through illegal software. The goal is to control devices and steal information.

This situation is aggravated by professionals working remotely using their home networks. But that’s not where the problems end. There are several other types of virtual attacks that can compromise operations and cause millions in losses for companies. Therefore, it’s essential to protect yourself.

Cybersecurity: 9 valuable tips for enterprise information security

As mentioned above, organizations can suffer from numerous cyber attacks that are facilitated by remote work, such as spyware, ransomware, hijack, and DDoS. Thinking of helping to ensure the security of their data and applications, we have compiled a list of 9 things you should do to promote cybersecurity both now and in the future :

1. Creating policies and raising employee awareness

The first steps to guarantee that information security measures are successful are to establish clear policies and make employees aware of the importance of following them. In addition, you need to continuously train the teams about the threats that can hinder processes and what precautions to take to protect themselves from each of them, as well as to clearly and directly show how harmful cyber threats can be for employees and company.

2. Investing in cryptography

Cryptography solutions for e-mails and files can significantly help with cybersecurity. The benefit is that their implementation is simplified and does not depend on high investments by companies. For those who don’t know, the practice refers to building and analyzing protocols that prevent malicious users from reading private messages.

3. Installing a VPN

Installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which, as the name implies, creates communication networks between computers and devices with restricted access, is also a good strategy for protecting data during remote work. To do that, you can use the infrastructure that already exists in operating systems or open solutions.

4. Using authentication solutions

The two-factor or two-step authentication consists of the user entering a password, followed by a code provided through SMS, tokens, or other resources. Because the codes change constantly, cybercriminals cannot gain access to systems and data.

5. Installing good antivirus software

While working from home, many employees use their own computer and other devices to work. Therefore, they should be encouraged to install antivirus software as well as monitor antivirus updates and new subscriptions to ensure that their systems are operating properly.

Although these systems do not guarantee absolute protection against cybercrime, they already prevent a good deal of attacks, and may even notify you of the presence of suspicious activities such as malware, trojan viruses, worms, and possible changes to the registry and file system of operating systems, for example.

6. Implementing tracking software

Another situation that can compromise the cybersecurity of organizations is the loss or theft of devices provided to employees. To avoid this type of situation, installing tracking tools that locate each device and delete the data remotely is advisable.

7. Creating backups

Even with remote work, maintaining the backup routine (safety copies) to minimize unforeseen events is important. An interesting alternative for companies is to invest in hiring cloud data centers, which ensure efficiency and protection and facilitate remote access to their data.

8. Keeping systems and software up-to-date

Another action that must be taken to promote cybersecurity in companies is to keep operating systems and software up to date. This is because many updates already bring security improvements, as well as new tools and functionalities that can make the corporate day-to-day easier.

9. Watch out for criminals posing as colleagues

Individuals working at home should be extra careful about cybercriminals who may pose as co-workers. They may take advantage of employees, access the professional network of contacts and thus request details about the operation or confidential data, negatively affecting the company, both in terms of business continuity and financial loss.

It’s also worth noting that, along with the practices that optimize the organization’s cybersecurity, preserving the physical integrity of machines and devices used for work is necessary. To this end, professionals should always keep the equipment stored in safe places, even when indoors.

Even though at this moment the contact between people is restricted, minimizing the movement of strangers at home can avoid damage that could take time or cost the company.

Moreover, it’s important that the IT teams take human error into account when implementing cybersecurity solutions. The reason is that, no matter how much training helps in assertive conduct, one is never completely free from criminal acts.

With these measures, your organization can enjoy all the conveniences of remote work, while at the same time having the necessary protection of data and applications.

So, do you like our tips? Want to know more about how we can help your company to increase the level of cybersecurity? Get in touch with one of our consultants.