Mastering Partnership with a Remote Data Center

When we talk about technology, it tends to be the shiny new gadgets that make headlines. But in my experience managing IT operations for Michigan’s largest health maintenance organization, one of the most crucial elements is the technology data center.

Empathy has to go both ways. Not only does the data center provider need to understand your organization intimately, but your organization also must understand the data center provider.

A good, reliable, and well-managed data center is foundational. Without it, IT leaders can’t deliver value to the business or earn the trust of employees and leaders throughout the organization.

When systems are down or unstable due to hardware failures, networking issues, or poor change management, calls to the IT help desk spike. This leads to tough conversations between business and IT executives about lost productivity and IT’s negative impact on the bottom line—not exactly the recipe for a strong partnership.

According to Gartner, the number of remote data center clients in North America grew by 15 percent in 2014. This growth is expected to continue as businesses look to cut infrastructure costs by opting for remote or cloud offerings over in-house options. Building and maintaining a strong partnership with the data center becomes more challenging in these models, but it remains critical.

So, how can IT leaders build and maintain a strong partnership with a remote data center, especially when it’s located hundreds or thousands of miles away?

Taking a page from my personal life, my wonderful husband was deployed twice during his years of service with the Army National Guard. So, I know a thing or two about long-distance partnerships! For those of us who’ve survived long-distance relationships and kept them strong, there are key lessons that can be applied to partnering with a data center provider.

The first crucial element for a strong partnership with the data center is setting clear expectations. Before my husband’s first deployment overseas, we sat down and laid out clear expectations. We talked about who would handle which responsibilities and how we’d manage finances.

Similarly, the start (or reset) of any remote data center partnership should begin with setting clear expectations. A contract usually covers all the legal language around obligations, notifications, and penalties. However, before getting legal involved (note, I didn’t say ‘instead of’), sit down with the data center provider and key business stakeholders for an open and honest conversation about expectations.

Discuss what will change once the business starts operating out of the remote data center. Go over service level agreements (SLAs). Often, SLAs are buried deep within contract language, and key stakeholders are unfamiliar with them. This can create a huge gap in expectations, leading to dissatisfaction. Keep in mind, how the data center operates impacts the business as much as it does IT. So, involve the business in this expectation-setting discussion.

Ongoing communication is the next critical element for a successful partnership. Once expectations are set and contracts are in place, establishing a comprehensive and predictable communication plan between the remote data center and the hosted client is key. Understanding the regular schedule and distribution of operational reporting, protocols for problem and issue alerts, and regularly scheduled tactical and strategic discussions are necessary to maintain a strong connection.

My husband’s communications during deployment weren’t always regularly scheduled. Based on what was happening, he did his best to email, call, or Skype. However, we established a good communication plan ahead of time and adjusted as needed. As a result, we stayed connected. We exchanged enough information to remain in sync.

The final critical element of partnership with the remote data center is empathy. I know it sounds odd when talking about a technology partner, but it’s important. Empathy in a partnership means trying to put yourself in the other party’s shoes and appreciate their situation.

Lack of understanding your data center partner’s situation or perspective can lead to incorrect assumptions, inappropriate reactions, and loss of trust—all bad things in a partnership. Make sure the data center provider understands the business imperatives, organizational culture, and internal politics. This will help them successfully structure the appropriate customer engagement model, escalation process, and capability roadmap to support your organization over time.

Empathy has to go both ways. Not only does the data center provider need to understand your organization, but your organization also must understand the data center provider. How is their business structured? What is their organizational culture? What types of customers have been most successful with them?

As a paying customer, you might expect your business’ needs are always top priority, but it’s unrealistic to think your company will always be the center of the universe for your data center provider. They must balance the priorities of multiple clients. Seeing things from their perspective (at least sometimes) will make the partnership more tenable.

Key stakeholders should participate in onsite visits during the initiation of the partnership, as well as throughout. Members of the data center team should meet face-to-face with IT and business stakeholders, alternating between the data center site and the business location. Sometimes cost is a deterrent, but it’s worth considering. It’s difficult to express empathy via WebEx and conference calls.

Reflecting on my husband’s deployments, there were highs and lows. But through it all, our partnership remained strong and still does today. Setting expectations, maintaining communication, and showing empathy helped us bridge the miles and weather the storms. The same holds true for partnering with a remote data center provider.