Insights and Advice from our Experts

INAP was fortunate to be a sponsor at Gartner’s annual IT Infrastructure, Operations Management & Data Center Conference 2017 in Las Vegas.

In addition to exhibiting our high-performance managed hosting and service solutions, our team of experts had the opportunity to attend some of the popular keynotes and sessions throughout the four-day event.

The conference included more than 150 sessions, so naturally we weren’t able to attend every one. We would have liked to, but since time travel is still unreliable at best, our experts picked the sessions they knew would be most relevant to the future of our business and our ever-evolving industry.

And they weren’t disappointed.

Here are five key industry insights and trends our experts brought home with them from the Gartner IO Conference.

1. Make Way for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

You probably already use some form of automation in your business. Chatbots and virtual assistants are increasing in popularity, but are you doing enough to improve the efficiency of your infrastructure?

During their opening keynote address, Gartner’s Milind Govekar and Dave Russell predicted that if you don’t effectively adapt artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into your environment and workloads by 2020, your infrastructure may not be operationally and economically viable.

As a result, they expect an increase in software-centric or programmable infrastructure to support advanced platform thinking and integration with minimal human intervention. If utilized correctly, this technology will enable your environment to process more data faster with less cost.

Stay tuned.

2. Living on the Edge

It was just a few years ago that the internet of things (IoT) took off as the next big advancement in digital technology.

Businesses now need to embrace the edge by blending physical and digital resources to create an experience that provides value and makes a difference.

It’s not about rolling out technology for the sake of doing it. In a session about top trends in 2018 and their impact on infrastructure and operations, Gartner VP David Cappuccio pointed out the necessity of creating an intelligent edge. This focuses on utilizing connected devices that provide a real-time reaction and allow for interaction between things and people to solve a critical business need.

3. Data is More Valuable Than Ever

In a digital world of AI, connected devices and intelligent edges, data is becoming even more important.

Machine learning and automated systems will require additional data to analyze trends and behaviors to make logical decisions to improve efficiency, especially when connected with multiple devices. To manage the influx of digital information, a greater priority will be placed on data storage and backup. (Shameless self-promotion: INAP launched a new managed storage offering during this conference.)

More data also means more opportunities for hackers, and businesses are being forced to take additional steps to combat this risk. In a session about the state of business continuity management, we learned that average disaster recovery budgets were expected to increase in 2017.

4. Cloud Reaches New Heights

One of the overwhelming themes that kept coming up during sessions and keynotes was a focus on the cloud.

You’re probably already familiar with some of the stats that predict massive increases in cloud computing over the next few years. Gartner’s Govekar and Russell doubled down on those forecasts, claiming that by 2021, 80 percent of organizations using DevOps will deploy new services in the public cloud.

It appears we can expect more businesses to transition to a cloud-only model, where before it was just cloud first. The impact remains to be seen.

5. Mind the Skills Gap

With technical innovation and the transition to a more cloud-focused infrastructure, IT teams are being driven to master additional skills.

Some employees may be fast learners, but the reality for most businesses is that they’ll likely experience disruptions due to infrastructure and operational skills gaps.

Rather than being specialists or generalists, IT talent should strive to become versatilists – meaning they are a specialist for a certain discipline, but can easily switch to another role. In the meantime, companies need to consider the experience level of their existing teams when rushing to adapt new technology.

Implementing New Trends

Your business may already be in the process of implementing changes based on these trends. Or perhaps you’re aware that you need to get the ball rolling, but you’re not ready just yet.

Regardless of where you currently sit, you should consider how these trends will impact your industry and business model or you risk being left in your competitors’ dust.

It may seem like a daunting task, but you don’t have to do it alone. Consider a trusted partner who will be there every step of the way to provide guidance, support and the necessary services to help you achieve your business goals. That’s where INAP comes in. Our team of experts will assist you in preparing your organization and infrastructure for the technology of tomorrow. Contact us to learn how we can help you build a better IT infrastructure for today and the future.

UPDATE (4/30/18): Our Dallas data center expansion is complete! We’re proud to say our facility now includes over 30,000 square feet of Dallas data center white space and increased power capacity, exceeding 6 MW in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan market. Our Dallas Colocation site is designed with Tier 3 attributes, SOC 2 compliance and 100 percent uptime. Plus, we’ve added a second Meet Me Room to provide carrier and network redundancy for providers and customers.

Don’t just take our word for it, come and see our impact on the Dallas data center market for yourself! Join us on May 23 for our data center in Dallas expansion grand opening. RSVP today for your free ticket. The list of Data Centers in Dallas is expansive, but once you see what INAP has to offer, you’ll understand what makes us different. 

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

If you haven’t heard by now, INAP recently began construction to expand our main Dallas data center.

In fact, our CEO Pete Aquino even laid the first floor tile in what will be the newest data hall in our data center in Dallas facility.

The expansion officially begins! CEO Pete Aquino lays the first tile in the new space inside INAP’s Dallas data center. #INAPDallas pic.twitter.com/fM09rtspMJ

— INAP (@PoweredbyINAP) November 28, 2017

While we are excited about our expansion in the Dallas data center market, our new space also provides some big advantages for your infrastructure needs.

How Our Dallas Data Center Expansion Impacts You

INAP’s premier Dallas data center is already one of our top facilities, offering a full range of services and solutions with 100 percent uptime SLA, enhanced connectivity and 24x7x365 support and security. And now it’s going to be even bigger and better and should top your list when evaluating the Dallas data center market.

Here are three ways our Dallas data center expansion will benefit your business and IT infrastructure.

1. More Space

By adding more space to our data center in Dallas facility, we’ll have more room to accommodate your growing needs. When establishing your data center footprint, it’s important to think about the future. What’s the sense in investing your time and money in a solution that doesn’t align with your growth strategy?

The biggest benefit of adding more space means you’ll have more room to grow. The existing space in our North Dallas data center had already reached more than 75 percent capacity, so by expanding, you’ll have the ability to plan ahead and utilize available cabinets as your business needs evolve.

Of course, with INAP you also have the option of adding to your density without increasing your physical footprint. So, regardless of the type of growth you require, if you find yourself in a position where you need to scale up quickly, we will provide personalized solutions for your unique business environment to have you up and running quickly.

2. More Power

You’re probably wondering how all that extra space will impact the availability of power. After all, an abundant supply of power is essential for businesses looking for reliable and high-performing solutions for their websites and applications.

Our Dallas data center already features state-of-the-art technology and power density up to 20 kW per cabinet. But, if we learned anything from the 90’s sitcom Home Improvement, we could always use more power.

This expansion will add at least an additional two megawatts of critical power to our overall facility, which gives you peace of mind knowing you won’t run out of juice when you scale up your footprint and power consumption. Plus, our fully redundant system ensures your network is always powered and you’re never left in the dark.

The bottom line: You’ll always have the power you need when you need it in our expanded Dallas data center.

3. Location, Location, Location

Nothing is changing about the physical location of our Dallas facility. It’s staying in the same building.

But by expanding, you have more opportunities to house your environment in our prime location and take advantage of one of the best IT infrastructure markets in the country.

The region offers lower costs on power and has a wealth of tech-savvy workers. Plus, the city is positioned in the middle of the country with easy access to both coasts and the Midwest states, giving your business a strategic advantage and providing direct connections to other sites across the country via INAP’s backbone.

Expansion Without Compromise

INAP remains committed to providing the best data center services to power your business. Our new space allows us to expand without compromising the high-quality solutions and Tier III-type infrastructure with 2N redundancy and 99.999% guaranteed uptime that you’ve come to expect.

To learn more about how your business applications and infrastructure would benefit from the services at our expanded Dallas data center, request a call from us. An INAP representative will reach out to discuss your specific needs.

Our Dallas data centers are conveniently located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex:

• Flagship Dallas Data Center
  1221 Coit Road
  Plano, Texas 75075

• Dallas Data Center
  1950 N Stemmons Fwy
  Dallas, Texas 75207

• Data Center Downtown Dallas POP
  400 S Akard Street
  Dallas, Texas 75202

More About Our Flagship Dallas Data Center

Our flagship Dallas data center is located at 1221 Coit Road, Plano, TX 75075. This Dallas colocation data center connects to Atlanta, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago and Washington, D.C. data centers via our reliable, high-performing backbone. Our carrier-neutral, SOC 2 Type II Dallas data center facilities are concurrently maintainable, energy efficient and support high-power density environments of 20+ kW per rack. If you need colocation Dallas services, or other data center solutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, contact us.

How to Win the Storage Wars

New technology is both a blessing and hindrance in the IT world.

Data is becoming more complex and businesses are demanding faster access to larger amounts of digital information. As a result, new equipment is constantly being developed which can accommodate more speed, storage and performance.

This new technology is great if you’re in the market for all new equipment; but let’s be honest, you’re probably not. And even if you are looking to do a full upgrade of your systems, investing in top-of-the-line equipment is likely a more expensive solution than most businesses are comfortable spending.

The result is a less than optimal solution which may not seamlessly integrate into your existing environment and cause more problems down the road. Plus, you risk untimely disruptions and downtime while deploying your new infrastructure. And we won’t even get into changing SLAs and business priorities.

Fortunately, there is a solution which can provide the options you need with the convenience of passing the grunt work to someone else: Managed storage.

Does Your Business Need Managed Storage

Managed storage is a service that allows all aspects of your data storage – from monitoring to maintenance – to be administrated and supervised within your environment. This reliable and high performing solution combines flexibility and scalability with the speed and efficiency you need to keep your applications running smoothly.

It doesn’t matter which industry your business occupies, you will likely have a need for managed storage. The bigger question isn’t if you need managed storage, rather when you will need it.

[Tweet “The bigger question isn’t if you need managed storage, rather when you will need it. #managedstorage”]

Here are three big signs your business might be ready for a managed storage solution today.

1. Your Current System is Outdated

Just like how a new car loses value the moment you drive it off the lot, your IT infrastructure can quickly become outdated after it’s deployed.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the innovation and speed at which new technology is unveiled. Just look each fall when the major cell phone companies release their latest and greatest devices.

It’s not feasible or practical to replace your storage system with each tech advancement, so some IT departments are getting by with patchwork improvements or continually adding capacity to legacy systems. This may temporarily solve the problem, but with limited flexibility, you will run into more problems when you inevitably need to scale up your storage capacity again.

2. You Are Constantly Playing Catch Up with Your Storage Plan

Did you know the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that enterprise data doubles every 18 months?

If you’re not adequately planning for this surge of digital information, you’ll soon be faced with a situation that involves investing more of your budget to storage instead of spending capital dollars elsewhere, which could negatively impact the overall performance of your business applications.

Even if you have a solution in place, are you proactively managing your storage capacity and performance? For instance, your environment should allow you the flexibility to seamlessly scale out when you reach your capacity limit. If you’re not planning with your current and future needs in mind, you’ll always be playing catch up when it comes to your storage solution.

3. You Don’t Have Time to Properly Manage Your Storage

It’s no secret that running an effective IT infrastructure takes time and hard work. In addition to maintaining the upkeep of your equipment, you are constantly monitoring performance and storage to ensure your website and applications are running optimally to provide the best experience for your end users.

And when you do need to evaluate your storage lifecycle, you may find the process is lengthy and complex ­– providing insufficient data that’s not conducive to making an informed decision.

If you’re looking for a solution that can streamline the storage management process by making proactive decisions using predictive analytics, and allowing you more time to focus on your core business, you might want to consider managed storage.

Why INAP’s Managed Storage Solution Makes Sense for You

INAP offers a storage solution that meets or exceeds all of the standards you’d expect and require from a managed hosting provider. Our service provides performance, reliability (99.9999% availability) and security, with proactive flexible and scalable options so you’re never caught off guard when you are running out of space. Plus, our team of experts provides all the maintenance to keep you operating 24x7x365, so you can focus your time and resources on more important business matters.

Contact us today to learn more about how our managed storage solution can improve your performance and efficiency.