The data center industry is in the middle of a boom. Data center construction grew at 8% in 2022, more than double the construction industry average as a whole of 3.7% according to Omdia Research. That’s nearly 25 million square feet of new data center capacity, and that growth is expected to continue due to continued adoption of cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI).
As demand for services grows, so do customer expectations, especially when it comes to transparency in operations.
Traditionally, customers have had limited visibility into the inner workings of colocation providers, unable to see real-time updates on their usage, availability, and service level agreement (SLA) compliance. But as more companies migrate from enterprise to cloud based data center solutions, they’re seeking similar access and insights they would expect from keeping services in-house.
Providing transparency doesn’t mean leaving your data center’s door wide open for everyone to walk through any time. It’s about providing customized real-time access to the data that drives the business decisions of your customers.
That requires having the right tools to ensure your data center’s information is up to date in a system that seamlessly integrates with a client-centric portal.
The Demand for Transparency
Customers want instant solutions and 24/7 self-service options in a more connected world. In fact, a customer portal has become an expectation, with 90% of customers expecting access to an online portal for self-service support according to a Microsoft study.
Customers want more insights into their IT environments. Data center operators ensuring optimal equipment efficiency and verifying service level agreements (SLAs) is essential for financial reasons and peace of mind.
Having a customer portal means providing a client-centric approach of sharing only the information relevant to that specific customer. And much of that information should already be available in real-time throughout your data center through a single-pane-of-glass operating system that houses clean, connected data.
What Does It Mean for a Data Center to Be Transparent?
Transparency comes down to quick and simple communication. Customers want updates or to make service requests. Being able to deliver timely responses means happy customers and better business.
While specific information may be different for each, there are some key areas customers are seeking transparency on:
- Key Usage Metrics – How much of their services remain available, times of peak usage, the need to grow, all of these are common items customers focus on with data centers. Being able to evaluate these numbers lets your customers know where they stand and plan for the future.
- Work Orders and Rounds Management – Letting customers know when they should expect routine maintenance or other potential service disruptions or downtime lets them plan around them. Empowering clients to create and then track work requests gives them peace of mind.
- Work Performance Metrics – Customers having real-time access to the information at the core of their SLAs engenders trust, instills confidence in your services, and gives them the tools they need to report internally on-demand.
What does Transparency mean for your Data Center?
While the expectation for real-time customer access to information is growing, it’s still not the norm in the data center industry. Getting ahead of this trend and giving customers more insights into their own investments means having an edge in a very competitive field.
- Better Customer Experience – Providing a platform for easy communications and access to the information they need when they need it means customers are reassured they are getting a world-class experience they wouldn’t get anywhere else.
- Empower Self-Service – Customers being able to create their own tickets and requests customized to collect all the information you need to complete the work efficiently means lower labor costs in responding to phone or email requests or delays as you’re trying to find more information to begin the work.
- Meeting Customer Needs Early – By identifying trends in customer requests, you can make smart business decisions on where to invest resources and efforts to get ahead of customer demands, delivering solutions before customers see the problems.
How to Achieve Data Center Transparency
Like we said earlier, with the right tools you already have much of the information customers are looking for.
- Best-In-Class Operating System – Your customers need data that is clean and accurate. That means having an operating system for your data center infrastructure like MCIM, one that serves as your single source of truth for all of your assets and colocation facilities. When you have this foundation, you’re ready to transform your business.
- Customer Portals – Implementing a customer portal that seamlessly integrates with your operating system allows data and communication to flow between you and your customers. These portals provide a centralized platform where customers can access customized dashboards with real-time data, performance metrics, work order status, and other relevant information.
- Industry Benchmarks – Knowing your data center’s team and assets are performing better than the industry shouldn’t just make you happy – it’ll make your customers happy too. Showing operational efficiency, meeting sustainability requirements, and staying on top of customer SLAs shows customers your commitment to excellence.
Your Data Center’s Differentiator
Customers want the empowerment and transparency of a self-service customer portal. By providing this, colocation data centers can stand out, increase user confidence, highlight efficiencies, and deliver the best value to their customers. With the right tools, a seamless integration means quick and easy access to everything your customers need to know they’re getting the world-class service they deserve.
