• What Makes Data Visibility Vital for Businesses?
• What Is the Difference between Data Visibility and Data Observability?
• How Does Data Observability Enhance System Monitoring?
• What Is the Role of Data Centers in Data Visibility?
• How Do Security, Observability, Visibility, and Monitoring Complement Each Other?
• Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, businesses generate and rely on vast amounts of data daily. If correctly managed, this data, scattered across diverse sources, becomes a treasure trove of actionable insights. This article looks into two critical facets of data management: data visibility and data observability.

What Makes Data Visibility Vital for Businesses?

Data visibility refers to accessing and viewing data in real-time. This capability is indispensable for businesses. It allows real-time decision-making, seamless tracking of operations, early identification of security risks, and optimization of data performance. As a result, the data generated transforms into an actionable asset, bolstering informed decisions and enhancing operational efficiency.

However, data visibility isn’t without its challenges. Businesses face difficulty managing large volumes of data, especially when this data is scattered across multiple locations. When handling sensitive personal data, the importance of data protection becomes vital, necessitating rigorous security measures.

Improving data visibility involves a multi-pronged approach. Businesses can leverage robust data management systems and enact clear data access policies to organize and store data securely. They can further streamline data management using tools for data visualization, data analytics, and data classification. The ultimate goal is end-to-end data visibility, which provides a comprehensive data map, fostering transparency, enabling regulatory compliance, and facilitating smoother digital transitions. Regularly mistaken for being the same, let’s look at the differences and connections between data visibility and observability.

What Is the Difference between Data Visibility and Data Observability?

Although often used interchangeably, data visibility and data observability are fundamentally different, although interconnected, concepts. Understanding their unique characteristics and how they complement each other is vital for businesses seeking to boost their data management capabilities.

Data visibility focuses on accessing and viewing specific system metrics in real time. It essentially pertains to the level of transparency an organization has in its data, considering both quantity and quality. This visibility is critical for troubleshooting, where the ability to access and analyze data quickly can speed up issue resolution.

On the other hand, data observability goes beyond viewing specific metrics to analyze the entire network system. It gives businesses a holistic view of their data landscape, delivering deeper insights based on raw, contextual data. Observability is proactive, enabling businesses to foresee potential challenges before they escalate, potentially improving network performance and security.

The Marriott International and British Airways data breaches highlight the importance of data observability. Observability grants a deeper understanding of system behavior, permitting prompt detection of unusual activities. This could entail identifying a sudden spike in network traffic or irregular access requests indicative of a potential breach.

Data observability is essential for making robust system access decisions. Businesses can establish more secure and efficient access protocols by offering a broader view of the network environment. These decisions about data access can be critical in preventing potentially significant financial and reputational damage from data breaches.

It’s important to remember that while data visibility and data observability serve different purposes, both are critical components of a comprehensive data management strategy. Data visibility enables effective business operations, while data observability provides the insights needed to anticipate and mitigate potential risks.

How Does Data Observability Enhance System Monitoring?

Data observability is a concept separate from DevOps, another tech term that refers to a set of practices combining software development and IT operations. Observability focuses on monitoring and analyzing the performance of systems post-deployment. It offers real-time visibility into system performance and health, leading to early detection of potential issues, root cause identification, and assistance in capacity planning and forecasting. Tools such as AppDynamics, Datadog, and Grafana can significantly enhance an organization’s data operations.

However, data observability also presents challenges, including potential information overload, false alarms, high implementation costs, and privacy concerns. Therefore, while it can offer valuable insights and help prevent downtime, it’s vital to balance these benefits with potential drawbacks and implement proper controls to ensure data security and privacy.

What Is the Role of Data Centers in Data Visibility?

The ever-increasing significance of data visibility in today’s business landscape necessitates implementing robust data management systems. Data centers, the powerhouse behind an organization’s IT operations and equipment, form the backbone of these systems.

Data centers are responsible for storing, managing, and distributing the vast volumes of data that organizations generate. They handle a myriad of information types—from transactional to operational data—processing and transmitting it through their advanced systems. Through these centers, businesses can ensure optimal data visibility, a strategic necessity in the present digital age.

Data centers deploy sophisticated data management and storage systems to handle data in real time. This functionality allows businesses to monitor crucial operational metrics, identify potential areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions. Furthermore, data centers play an instrumental role in identifying and mitigating potential security threats, by providing real-time access to data.

However, given the sheer volume of data processed and stored, maintaining data visibility within these centers can be challenging. Robust security measures and strong data governance practices become essential to safeguard against unauthorized access and potential data breaches. However, hiring a professional data center to help manage your data can aid in this management.

Outsourcing data center operations to third-party providers, such as colocation facilities, is becoming an increasingly popular solution. This approach can offer numerous benefits, from reducing the financial burden associated with maintaining an in-house data center to providing access to cutting-edge technology that enhances data visibility and ensures efficient data management. Specifically, the Los Angeles colocation data center, Colocation America, offers robust infrastructure, dedicated bandwidth, and advanced security features, optimizing the benefits of colocation for data visibility.

As digital evolution accelerates, the role of data centers in ensuring data visibility becomes even more critical. As such, it’s imperative for organizations to either invest in advanced data center technologies or opt for outsourcing solutions like colocation, to promote efficient and secure data management while enhancing data visibility.

How Do Security, Observability, Visibility, and Monitoring Complement Each Other?

Understanding the differences between security, observability, visibility, and monitoring is crucial in today’s complex IT environments. While these terms are related, they each play a unique role in strengthening your security.

Security monitoring uses tools that notify IT staff when certain levels are reached, acting like an alarm system. However, monitoring can become a heavy task as data volumes rise, causing alert fatigue. This is where observability steps in. Observability smartens up the process by using technologies like artificial intelligence. It helps make sense of the numerous alerts, allowing for quicker problem-solving.

Visibility is about the extent of detail that the monitoring tools and observability systems can provide. It’s like a telescope, enabling you to see further and deeper into your security setup and making more informed decisions.

Data observability, visibility, and monitoring are distinct yet complementary pieces of an effective security framework. Together, they help detect threats, reduce risks, and respond quickly to security incidents, reinforcing your overall IT security strategy.

Conclusion

Data visibility and data observability are crucial facets of data management in the digital era. They arm businesses with the tools to navigate the vast sea of data, harnessing it for operational efficiency and informed decision-making. A balanced approach, leveraging the strengths of both concepts, can help organizations maximize their business value while mitigating risks.

The post What Is Data Visibility? appeared first on Colocation America.

• What Is Deep Technology?
• What Are Examples of Deep Tech?
• What Are the Benefits of Deep Tech?
• What Are the Challenges of Deep Tech?
• What Is the Future of Deep Tech?

Deep Tech is an innovative, science-driven technology that has the potential to create a significant impact on society. Unlike traditional technologies that focus on improving existing products or processes, Deep Tech can potentially create entirely new industries or fields by pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Deep tech happens when science meets technology. This article explores the characteristics, examples, benefits, challenges, and future potential of Deep Technology.

What Is Deep Technology?

Deep Technology or Deep Tech, refers to technological innovations that are founded on scientific discoveries or engineering breakthroughs and have the potential to create significant societal impact. Traditional technologies often focus on improving existing products or processes—Deep Tech looks to push the boundaries of what is possible and create entirely new industries and fields. Deep Tech can include AI and machine learning, robotics and automation, blockchain and cryptography, quantum computing, biotechnology, and more.

One of the main characteristics that set deep tech apart from other types of technology is Deep Tech is often based on new scientific discoveries or engineering breakthroughs. This means it can be expensive and time-consuming to develop and refine. Deep tech often has long development cycles, as it may take years or even decades to bring Deep Tech innovations from the lab to the market. But deep tech also combines many of these new innovative technologies, potentially making development cycles faster in the future.

What Are Examples of Deep Tech?

There are several different examples of Deep Tech. AI and Machine Learning are among the most promising areas of Deep Tech because it has the potential to transform the way the world lives and works. Analyzing a tremendous amount of data and identifying patterns and insights, AI and Machine Learning can help organizations make more informed decisions, enhance efficiency, and even improve customer experiences.

Another example of Deep Tech is Robotics and Automation. These technologies are changing manufacturing, logistics, and construction industries by allowing faster and more precise assembly and production processes. From self-driving cars and drones to warehouse robots and 3D printing, Robotics and Automation are creating new possibilities for businesses and consumers alike.

The next example of Deep Tech is Blockchain. Blockchain Technology is disrupting various industries ranging from finance and real estate to healthcare and energy by creating secure, decentralized networks that enable trust and transparency. Cryptography, the science of secure communication, is also essential to blockchain technology and is used to protect data and transactions from hackers and other malicious actors.

Quantum Computing is still in its early stages of development, but it also has the potential to solve various problems currently unsolvable by traditional computers. With the ability to process large datasets and perform complex calculations at lightning-fast speeds, Quantum Computing could transform fields such as finance, drug discovery, and climate modeling.

Another example of Deep Tech is Biotechnology. Biotechnology is a field that uses living organisms and biological systems to create new products and solutions. From gene editing and personalized medicine to biofuels and sustainable agriculture, Biotechnology is driving breakthroughs that have the potential to transform the way we live and work.

These are just some examples of technology that are important in Deep Tech. Because Deep Tech is based on the latest scientific discoveries and technological discoveries, the examples of Deep Tech will continue to grow rapidly.

What Are the Benefits of Deep Tech?

There are numerous benefits to leveraging Deep Tech. Deep Tech can be used to address some of the most pressing global challenges facing society today, such as climate change, healthcare, and poverty. Blockchain is being used to create secure decentralized networks. Quantum computing can potentially help scientists find vaccines and medicine for various diseases. And biotechnology can help with environmental protection and preservation.

Applying these innovative technologies in new ways will create new industries and markets, and by creating new industries and markets, Deep Tech can also drive economic growth and job creation. Deep Tech also has the potential to improve efficiency and productivity across many different industries, including manufacturing, logistics, finance, energy, and more.

What Are the Challenges of Deep Tech?

Oftentimes, Deep Tech is pushed by smaller startup companies that can potentially challenge larger enterprises by applying and combining these new technologies in innovative ways. Startup companies won’t typically have the budget or backing that large enterprises have. This means that getting access to funding, various regulatory hurdles and ethical considerations are some challenges of developing and deploying Deep Tech. As Deep Tech requires significant investment in research and development, securing funding can be challenging, especially for startups.

Regulatory hurdles can also be one of the challenging aspects of Deep Tech. Getting approvals from governing bodies can be a barrier to adopting new technologies. Ethical considerations are also a crucial factor in the development and deployment of Deep Tech. As these technologies have far-reaching social and environmental implications, ethical considerations must be considered when developing and deploying Deep Tech.

What Is the Future of Deep Tech?

Deep Tech has the potential to drive significant growth and innovation across a wide range of industries and sectors. As mentioned, it also has the potential to create new industries and markets. As with all innovations, the development and deployment of Deep Tech must be done responsibly and ethically, considering the potential risks and implications for society and the environment.

Collaboration and interdisciplinary research will be key to unlocking the full potential of Deep Tech and driving meaningful progress in the years to come. As Deep Tech is often at the intersection of different fields, such as science, engineering, and business, a collaboration between experts from different backgrounds is essential to driving innovation and solving complex problems.

Conclusion

Deep tech has become increasingly important in recent years, as it has the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges society faces. AI and machine learning are used to improve healthcare outcomes by analyzing patient data and identifying potential health risks or treatment options. Blockchain technology is being used to create secure and transparent supply chains. Biotechnology is driving breakthroughs in personalized medicine and gene editing. Leveraging Deep Tech can potentially create more efficient, sustainable, and equitable systems that benefit everyone.

Deep Tech is an innovative, science-driven technology that has the potential to create a significant societal impact. From AI and Machine Learning to Robotics and Automation, Blockchain Technology, Quantum Computing, and Biotechnology, Deep Tech has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. Many of the technologies that fall into the realm of Deep Tech continue to be innovated and advanced daily. Only time will tell how these technologies and the various combinations of these technologies will revolutionize our society, but as various startups continue to work on Deep Tech—the future of the tech industry as a whole will be advanced.

The post What Is Deep Tech? appeared first on Colocation America.

A quick refresher, AI refers to computer systems that can execute tasks that would normally need human intelligence. This can include visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. The other aspect of this combination is hacking, which is the unsanctioned access or control of data or computer systems.

Combining the two aspects creates artificial intelligent hacking, which uses AI techniques to increase the hacking process. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence can make it harder for cybersecurity. Using artificial intelligence algorithms can potentially make hacking faster and more efficient for hackers. AI can be used to automate the detection of systems vulnerabilities, strategize possible attacks, and launch these attacks on a larger scale. This can make managing security more difficult for individuals and organizations.

What Are Various Types of Artificial Intelligent Hacking?

Artificial Intelligence-powered hacking can be divided into three main types. The first type of AI hacking uses Machine Learning to enhance hacking abilities. The AI uses statistical models and algorithms to study large quantities of data to find patterns and connections. This type of AI hacking uses trained machine learning algorithms to pinpoint the weaknesses of a computer system and its network. It can then be automated to attack these weaknesses. Machine learning-based AI hacking can perform larger-scale attacks including DDoS attacks on large organizations. 

The second type of AI hacking uses Deep Learning to increase hacking capabilities. This uses artificial neural networks to mimic how a human brain functions. Deep learning algorithms can be trained to find arrangements and repetitions in data to make projections. Deep learning is a powerful AI tool that can find possible targets for when and where to attack.

The third type of AI hacking uses the power of Natural Language Processing. Hackers use AI to understand human language speech. This type of AI hacking can be used for systems that have natural language interfaces like voice assistants and chatbots. This type can be used for phishing attacks ticking users to reveal sensitive information.

Harnessing the power of AI hacking can be significantly dangerous for many different organizations in various industries. Organizations will need to take exceptional precautions to protect themselves from these types of specialized attacks.

What Methods Does Artificial Intelligence Use for Hacking?

AI-powered hacking uses different techniques to automate the detection and exploitation of vulnerabilities within a computer system and network. The first of these methods is predictive hacking, which uses AI algorithms to examine large quantities of data to pinpoint various patterns. In the same way that AI-powered security systems work, AI predictive hacking examines the patterns so the AI can predict and plan future attacks. This method can be used to focus on particular companies or certain individuals. It can then automate the process by predicting when and where to attack.

The next method uses AI automation algorithms to automate the process of finding vulnerabilities in a computer network. This type can conduct larger-scale attacks including DDoS attacks that target particular establishments.

The last method is adversarial machine learning, which is a method that aims to trick security systems with deceptive data. This growing threat in AI and machine learning specifically attack AI research and AI-based security systems. Presenting false information and misrepresentative data can be damaging to AI-based security systems.

All of these artificially intelligent powered hacking methods can be a substantial danger to cyber security systems, organizations, and individuals. As hackers harness the power of AI—this can potentially impact companies and individuals alike.

What Are the Potential Impacts of AI-Powered Hacking?

Artificial intelligent hacking can affect many different people, organizations, and the public. The most obvious way that AI hacking will be impactful will be its overall threat to security and cyber security systems. AI can execute hacking tasks quicker and more proficiently than human hackers. AI hacking can easily launch a large-scale attack, which can be harder to defend against.

Another potential impact that Artificial intelligent hacking can have is its effect on the economy. Cyberattacks have fueled the market for AI-based security products to keep up with modern hackers. The global market for AI-based security products is expected to grow from $14.9 billion in 2021 to $133.8 billion by 2030. Keeping the world’s sensitive and personal data safe from modern hackers will not only require the best security, but it will require advancements in cyber security as well.

AI machine learning hacking can also increase ethical and legal concerns about personal data privacy. It can also make accountability regarding compromised data more complicated. Humans and AI machines could potentially share the blame, which will be unprecedented in securing the future. 

The way hackers can harness artificial intelligence highlights the importance for organizations to increase and advance security against these threats. Education in the fields of cyber security and artificial intelligence will be vital to stay ahead of these potential threats.

What Can Be Used to Defend against AI-Powered Hacking?

The first step to defend against any modern threat is to implement cybersecurity best practices. Having strong passwords, ensuring your software is up-to-date, and avoiding suspicious links and attachments are vital.

Safeguarding important data against artificial intelligent hacking will also need advancement in cyber security, which may potentially demand ethical hacking and harnessing the power of AI itself combined with traditional security measures.

This can potentially incorporate similar algorithms hackers use to detect and prevent attacks. Training AI to identify patterns in normal operations can help identify any irregularities within the system to prevent potential attacks.

The seemingly recent fast-paced advancements in AI will soon bring the world of cybersecurity into unparalleled times. AI hacking is extremely powerful and having to harness the same artificial intelligence power to protect important data against itself seems like something straight from science fiction films. Organizations and cyber security experts could also potentially harness the power of quantum computing security to alleviate these issues, but only time will tell what will help protect against AI hacking.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligent hacking is an increasing threat to cyber security, as AI algorithms can automate and improve the way hackers work. The potential impacts of AI-powered hacking include threats to cyber security, the economy, and ethical and legal concerns. Protecting against AI hacking will demand a multi-layered approach combining AI-based and traditional security measures. Organizations and individuals should stay knowledgeable about the latest developments in AI-powered hacking and take steps to defend themselves against these attacks.

The post What Is Artificial Intelligent Hacking? appeared first on Colocation America.

On to the links…

Week of January 9, 2017

A Twitter account associated with WikiLeaks—everyone’s favorite “we swear we’re transparent” information source—claims want to publish the financial and familial ties of all Twitter verified users. Since then, the tweet has been deleted, which is good news, considering it’s pretty much doxing hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom probably don’t want that information disclosed.

The account attempted to cover their tracks by claiming that they wanted to just explore influences based on proximity graphs.

Speaking of WikiLeaks, here’s the full US Intelligence Community report of the Russian meddling in US elections. Remember when WikiLeaks only released information about one side and claimed it wasn’t political in nature, despite there being overwhelming evidence of potential conflicts of interest on the eventual winning party that would kind of help their whole “we don’t choose sides, just transparency” thing? Me too. This is the declassified report that was gathered by the US IC, as the classified report shows all the evidence they have, and revealing that would compromise the ways they were able to obtain it.

Keeping on the US election topic, the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson designated the US election voting infrastructure as critical, saying that recent attempts to influence or manipulate our democratic elections is cause for concern and increased security.

Photo Credit: Linked Above

Here’s a quote:

“Given the vital role elections play in this country, it is clear that certain systems and assets of election infrastructure meet the definition of critical infrastructure, in fact and in law…”

That’s pretty cool, and also kinda concerning that we didn’t consider that as an option before today.

Photo Credit: Linked Above

What is concerning, however, is that the government may have been paying Best Buy Geek Squad employees as informants to search through computers and other devices you may bring in to be repaired or checked. The information came out in a court case, United States of America v. Mark A. Rettenmaier, where a California resident took his computer to Best Buy because it didn’t start, and the Geek Squad technician found child pornography on the device, and alerted his boss, who was also an FBI informant. The evidence was found via a carving tool, which digs through old and deleted files for certain content, which should not be used when attempting to get a computer to start, as per the customer request. Best Buy has denied their involvement with the FBI.

And finally…

If you use the AutoFill function on your browser to fill out information fields, there’s a chance you’re giving up your personal info unwittingly, as malicious sites will use hidden text boxes to gather than information.

Photo Credit: Linked above

So, you know, change your password and definitely don’t use AutoFill on your browser.

Week of January 16, 2017

If you’ve ever hired a developer for a website or a project, hopefully you did a little bit more vetting than the thousands of people that hired a Dutch developer, as he installed backdoors into nearly all the websites he built for clients.

He used the backdoor to gather customer information and use that info to open gambling accounts and extort victims and their families for money. If I could steal a line from Austin Powers: Goldmember: “There’s only two kinds of people in this world that I hate. People that are intolerant of other people’s cultures, and the Dutch.”

After numerous lawsuits, cases, and denials, a pacemaker vendor admits that maybe—JUST MAYBE—its hardware can be hacked. Here’s a statement from the FDA on the St. Jude Medical pacemaker:

“The FDA has reviewed information concerning potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with St. Jude Medical’s Merlin@home Transmitter and has confirmed that these vulnerabilities, if exploited, could allow an unauthorized user, i.e., someone other than the patient’s physician, to remotely access a patient’s RF-enabled implanted cardiac device by altering the Merlin@home Transmitter. The altered Merlin@home Transmitter could then be used to modify programming commands to the implanted device, which could result in rapid battery depletion and/or administration of inappropriate pacing or shocks.”

If you’ve ever wondered how Google Play is able to vet its apps for malicious content, it’s an algorithm combined with Android’s own Verify Apps program that then checks the app for malicious stuff, as well as how long a user retains an app.

If it drops below a certain score, goodbye app.

Rudy Giuliani was announced as now-President Trump’s cybersecurity adviser.

The only problem is that his website about his security team is unsecure and extremely vulnerable.

Google released a security document that reveals the measures they take to ensure the security of their hardware and products. Unfortunately, in that document, they let slip that they install a custom security silicon on all of their servers, even the ones they colocate. The silicon chip “allow us [Google] to securely identify and authenticate legitimate Google devices at the hardware level.” I don’t know how to feel about this, but I understand where they’re coming from.

And finally…

–The CIA dumped a BOATLOAD of declassified files onto the Internet the other day for your reading enjoyment. Here’s something to note:

“Included in the database are US discussions about assassinating Fidel Castro, details of Nazi war crimes, reports of UFO sightings, and a study into human telepathy dubbed “Project Star Gate.”

YEP I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING WITH MY WEEKEND.

Week of January 23, 2017

Are you using Incognito Mode on your browser, or employing other privacy-hiding protocols to anonymize your actions on the Internet? Turns out, it might not be so private or anonymous. A study shows that even if you go full “anonymous”, sites and services like Google and Facebook are already tracking your actions, even if you set your privacy settings to the max and use anonymous browsers. My favorite part of that article is the author’s use of “de-anonymizationer”, which sounds like a sci-fi weapon designed to shrink you or something.

Speaking of privacy, there’s going to be a new battle in the war of staying out of my sh*t with “always on” devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and more.

Who is that data being sent to? When is it being recorded? Who has access to it? How can we be assured that the microphone isn’t recording at all times, despite the companies saying it isn’t? What happens with this data if law enforcement ever gets involved?

Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, wants to allow cops to have encryption backdoors for devices and platforms. That’s not cool, especially since the federal government can’t even keep their own stuff from getting hacked. By granting agencies a backdoor, you’re opening your customers up to other threats, because now there IS a way in. Asked whether encryption is important to national security and the security and privacy of the American people, Sessions responded:

“Encryption serves many valuable and important purposes. It is also critical, however, that national security and criminal investigators be able to overcome encryption, under lawful authority, when necessary to the furtherance of national-security and criminal investigations.”

Speaking of “ways in”, the open door that is Yahoo is under investigation from the SEC for taking so long to report the massive data breaches that left over a billion users’ info right out in the open. This new investigation doesn’t bode well for the sale of Yahoo to Verizon, who are already looking to renegotiate the $4.8 billion they originally agreed to pay for the former search engine.

That hacker who leaked nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities has been sentenced to jail for nine months. The hacker, Edward Majerczyk of Illinois, had his lawyer argue that while he illegally hacked into their accounts, he was initially doing it for his own personal portfolio and private viewing.

Ahh, he’s like the pervert’s Robin Hood.

And finally…

Symantec has revoked a boatload of security certificates that were mis-issued after a being exposed by Andrew Ayer, a certificate vendor. Symantec responded:

“The listed Symantec certificates were issued by one of our WebTrust audited partners. We have reduced this partner’s privileges to restrict further issuance while we review this matter. We revoked all reported certificates which were still valid that had not previously been revoked within the 24 hour CA/B Forum guideline – these certificates each had “O=test”. Our investigation is continuing.”

Security: it’s almost always unsecure!

The post Getting Hacked in 2017 appeared first on Colocation America.

There are various forms of data management solutions, and understanding these solutions can be beneficial for understanding what your company needs. On-premise data center servers, remote data centers, and colocation data centers are some of the options that can be utilized by various companies depending on their needs.

There are various aspects to be deliberated on when choosing a data center solution that works for your business. Companies need to look at their budget requirements for processing, security, and location are all factors to consider when deciding on a data center solution. We will break down these various aspects to make things a bit easier.

What is a Colocation Data Center?

A colocation data center houses data from various businesses within one data center operation. It is a data center that offers space, power, cooling, and security to host multiple computing hardware and servers companies. Colocation data centers provide these aspects, which also include network connectivity. There are several different reasons a colocation service could be beneficial for your business, including being economical, dependability and redundancy, scalability, and various locations.

Colocation Data Centers Are Economical

One of the main reasons many small to medium-sized businesses gravitate towards colocation is affordability. Many small businesses don’t want to pay for installing and upkeeping an on-premises or in-house data center. A dedicated server from a data center provider may also be too expensive for some newer small businesses. Instead, colocation allows users to rent as much storage and processing power as it needs currently.

Another reason businesses are inclined to go with colocation service is it omits the necessity for a staff dedicated to operating and maintaining an in-house data center. All of the necessary infrastructure and maintenance needs could potentially be taken care of by the colocation data center. This can also save time and money by lowering the cost and increasing the staff’s productivity on hand.  

Colocation Data Centers Are Dependable and Offer Redundancy

There are several benefits that colocation data centers offer, including dependability. Data center services are held to a high standard that could be hard for in-house data centers to achieve. Uptime Institute Tier System’s highest tier (Tier IV)  requires data centers to have an availability of 99.995% and just 25 minutes of downtime every year. The lowest tier (Tier I) requires the availability of 99.761% and downtime of only 28.8 a year. This standard of dependability is hard to achieve for small to medium-sized businesses.

Colocation data centers offer reliability and redundancy that would not only be difficult to achieve but expensive to accomplish as well. Backup power supplies, proper maintenance, including replacing components, plus time and human resources could potentially be very costly for companies operating their own in-house on-premises data center.

Colocation Data Centers Have the Benefit of Scalability

Another benefit that colocation data centers have is their capability of being scalable. A business can go through its share of ups and downs. As a business grows, so does its need for data management. An on-premises data center could be difficult to scale up as the business grows. Installations, maintenance, and management will be costly regarding time and money. Scaling an on-premise infrastructure can be next to impossible for some companies.

With a colocation data center, the worry about these different aspects doesn’t come into play. Scaling up the infrastructure is simple and easy. The business needs to let the colocation data center provider know. This alone can save companies a great deal on their budget. This will be an essential consideration for businesses growing quickly or intend to expand soon.

Colocation Data Centers Have the Best Locations

Colocation data centers offer an advantage over in-house data center solutions—various locations. The location of a data center is essential. Certain colocation data center providers allow you to choose a location that is close to your user base. At Colocation America, we have data centers in New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston, New Jersey, Connecticut, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

One of the main reasons to have a data center in Los Angeles is the proximity to your end-users. Being close to the end-users can help counteract the issues regarding latency. Reducing the distance between the data center and the end-users can help establish faster response times. Los Angeles also hosts many thriving industries, including entertainment, technology, biomedical, and aerospace. The flourishing market of Los Angeles is an excellent location for your company’s data center colocation.

Colocation America has five expertly positioned data centers in downtown Los Angeles. These data center locations include Los Angeles DC 1: One Wilshire on Grand Ave, Los Angeles DC 2: AON Center on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles DC 3: Digital Realty on 7th St, and Los Angeles DC 4: Digital Realty on 6th St. These various data centers have their benefits.

LADC1 is highly regarded as one of the most significant connectivity points in the Western United States and throughout the world. It connects to over 240 of the top carriers, enabling connectivity to the Pacific Rim to Central Asia.

LADC2 is the second tallest structure in downtown Los Angeles. It holds as a gateway for the converging needs of international carriers, content providers, large enterprises, and media and entertainment companies.

LADC4 sits across from LADC1, our One Wilshire location. This is our Telecom Center that offers unparalleled connectivity to East Asia. This location also has security measures that include biometric palm scan authentication and 24/7 operated controls to protect mission-critical projects.

Conclusion

Data center colocation is a great option for many small, medium, and large businesses alike. The many benefits include affordability, reliability, redundancy, scalability, and location. Los Angeles is an excellent location for data centers as it is one of the most significant connectivity points for the entire world. Our Los Angeles data centers have everything you need to help your business flourish, which is why choosing Colocation America for your Los Angeles Colocation Data Center is a great option. But if you’re looking for a data center in one of the other metropolitan hubs, we have you covered from coast to coast. Connect with Colocation America for all of your data center service needs.

The post Why Choose Colocation America for Your Los Angeles Colocation Data Center? appeared first on Colocation America.

In less than a month, I turn 29 years old. In that short amount of time, I’ve learned everything I need to know about the world. Ok, ok, ok, I just lied.
The truth is, in the wise paraphrasing of Socrates’ words, I know nothing.
For those of you less familiar with Plato’s The Apology of Socrates, let me give you the gist: Socrates is on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens (and some other stuff). His defense? How could he be corrupting the youth with knowledge when, he himself, has none? (Confused? No worries, there is a reason they call it the Socratic Paradox). To get to the point, Socrates understands that his knowledge is limited. Unlike other “wise men” who exert their wisdom onto others, it takes a truly wise man/woman to be aware of their own ignorance.
And to that point, let me rephrase my previous statement: I am a wise woman who admits that she does not know everything.
Now I am going to admit this whole “I don’t know everything” thing is something that does not come easy for me. After all, I am a self-proclaimed arrogant a**hole who believes in her own perfection (jokingly, of course). I have spent my entire adult life consulting others on what to do by way of asserting my confidence in my areas of expertise.
However, as I grow older, I am reminded that my experience and academic achievements do not qualify me to “know it all.” I must continue to reach out to those with more knowledge than me. Then again, in the words of my Mom’s Dad, “you can take all the advice in the world, but it does not help if it goes in one ear and out the other.”

In the case of this year’s STEM Grant, I have heard mountains of advice, I have discussed many solutions, and I can say, in semi-full confidence, that I am moving forward with what I think is best. To sum it up, welcome to the 3rd Funding Cycle of Colocation America’s STEM Grant.
I’m sure the question on some of your minds is, “Why do you need an article to explain this?” The truth is my Mom (for background, check out this article). My Mom, an expert in the nonprofit field, is one of my biggest advocates, supporters, and, let’s go with, coaches, I have. I am proud to be her daughter and have learned a lot from her.
However… (scary Jaws music in the background)…

You can read the rest of the article by clicking here.
You can also view more of Sam’s articles on our Business News Page!

The post Millennial Executive: STEM Grant Edition appeared first on Colocation America.

Now I could provide you with some depressing statistics on time wasting (for example, the average person spends 4 hours a week on preparing for status update meetings), but, well, that would be a waste of time. Instead, let’s focus on easy ways for you to save time (for example, reading this article, duh).
Anyways, here are my top tips for working smarter, not harder.

Tip #1: Figure Out Your S**t

Sure, that sounds a bit aggressive but I do mean it. The biggest time waster is redoing work—let’s just say it kills me! No really, I die a little inside every time I have to repeat work (or, rather, repeat myself). If you are like me and die a little inside, then this one is for you: Get organized. Yeah, it is that easy. However, the trick is getting organized to fit your needs and your work style. Read up on some “best practices” for getting organized and pick and choose the strategies that will work for you (or that you think will work). Oh, and scratch out a good amount of time to do it right the first time; it does not help if you have to “get organized” every week.

Hold up, let’s go backwards a moment. If you noticed, I did not tell you what to organize. Many times, people have different levels of chaos that works for them. Reversely, being “organized” can mean nearly anything. I mean, maybe you need to organize your paper files (maybe you don’t even have paper files any more). Maybe you need to organize a specific excel sheet (maybe you need to create one). The point is, you should now be your type of organized.

Tip #2: Make a To Do List for 1,000 Things

First off, don’t freak out on me. I know, I know, task list with 1,000 tasks is, clearly, intimidating but I have a plan here. All too often we fail to identify everything we need to get accomplished. For example, you may have “End of Year Report” on your list but fail to put “Mail Out Vendor Check.” Each task is important and yet those little tasks tend to get lost in the bigger picture. Each time you forget to do those small tasks, it’s a waste of time.
Think of it this way: you forget to send out that check so the vendor emails you to ask when it will be sent. Then you forget to send it out again, so they follow up and then, maybe, even CC’s another member of your team. Now for a five second task, you have wasted your time, the Vendor’s time, and, now, your team member’s time. Again, dying here.

Needless to say, make a To Do (Task) List for every task you have to accomplish. No matter how small or, potentially, insufficient it may seem, put it on there. If you want to take it a step further, you can organize your list. Depending on your job, you may want to do it by project or by frequency of task. No matter how you do it, spill your life out on paper and make them all into actionable items. At least one thing is for sure to come from the 1,000 Task List, you can now show your boss that you work way too hard for way too little money.

You can find the whole article (including more tips for a successful 2018) by clicking here.
You can also view more of Sam’s articles on our Business News Page!

The post Millennial Executive: Organize Your Life (Finally) in 2018 appeared first on Colocation America.

How to Find Motivation in Doing Nothing

Once upon a time, I tried this dating app. Yep, I just admitted that, moving on. So this one time, I was talking to this dude about nothing important and we got on the topic of work. I made some offhanded comment like “Oh, yeah, we will see if I am motivated enough to work tonight.” To this, the dude responded, “So what do you do to motivate yourself? How do you find motivation?” I then sat down dumbfounded, I didn’t have an answer.

No, really, I have nothing. My mind is blank and I have zero idea how someone is supposed to do that. But, fear not, I asked a random sampling of people that exact question:
“I think how much I love school and if I’m a f*ck UP I’ll be sad and alone at home” – College Student
“Depends on context. Single task or bigger picture?” – Some Guy with a (Supposed) Plan
“Uhhh what’s been motivating me lately is looking at my budget sheet for the wedding / looking at my mortgage bill” – Guy About to Get Married…
“I just have it” – A Workaholic
“Self-Criticism; knowing I can be better for those I love.” – Random Past Fling
“To be as stable as possible for my future husky” – Future Husky Owner (I guess?)
While I waited for their replies, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to Google it. As I read on hoping to find the secret ingredients that I seem to be missing, I noticed one annoying similarity among all the articles—apparently motivation stems from “inside.” As seen above, everyone has a different way to motivate themselves, but one thing is consistent: It is unique for each individual.
With that said, I would love to give you the five tips to getting and staying motivated but it just doesn’t seem right. I mean, sure, I can gather the results from these articles and pick my Top 5 and pretend they are the secret sauce to accomplish your goals but, naw, that just isn’t going to solve your problem.

Instead, I am going to suggest something entirely different—take the day off. Yep, you read that correctly, do the opposite of every single suggestion you have ever heard on motivation by just taking a break. Take a day to stand still and chill (rhyme so intended). Take a minute to breathe. Take a second to realize that life is pretty freaking awesome.
Sounds like a great plan, right? Well it sounds great because it is great. However, there is one catch, you have to leave your house and go outside. This is not a day to sit behind a computer or to stare at a TV screen. This day is a day to realize the sun is out and the world is beautiful.
Ok, there may be one more catch—while you are sitting out and enjoying the outdoors, jot down some notes. Whatever comes to mind, whatever you are thinking, whatever is floating around in your head, jot that s**t down. At the end of the day, you will have some random notes that mean nothing to no one but you and feeling a heck of a lot more relaxed.
But, wait, how does this help with motivation?

You can find the whole article by clicking here.
 
You can also view more of Sam’s articles on our Business News Page!

The post Millennial Executive: Do "Nothing" to Motivate Yourself appeared first on Colocation America.

Communication Is Key

Before I jump in the guide on how to not suck, let’s back up a second and establish something: We do suck. I mean, without a doubt we, as Buyers, all suck. We change our minds. We miss deadlines. We are always “too busy.” And, more importantly, we pretend like we know everything.

I’m sure every salesperson still reading this just chuckled over their coffee. I mean, come on, the irony is there. I, like every other Buyer, believe that I know everything. The only difference between myself and other Buyers is the fact that I loudly proclaim my genius status to everyone I talk to. And by genius status, I mean the vast amount of knowledge I have of my business (but really, I am a genius, but that’s a story for another day).
Considering that I know the ins and outs of my business, I can identify the problems we are having. Once the problem is identified and potential solutions are thought of, the conversations with salespeople begin.
Hey, did you catch that?
I do not jump on a call just to hear the latest and greatest offering a company has. Instead, I engage with companies that have a service/product that I can use within my business. Because, at the end of the day, the worst thing a buyer can do is just jump on a call.
Every call for business should have a purpose. Every email for business should have an action item. Every moment for business should be strategically planned.
Ok, ok, ok I sound a bit crazy now and I get that. Then again, it’s why I have seen success. There is nothing more painful that just hearing someone talk without a clear understanding of, well, why they are talking. When I talk to Salespeople, I have at least one idea of how their service/product will benefit me.
But here is the trick to not sucking: Actually communicate this information to the Salesperson. If you are just talking to them because they reached out, you are wasting everyone’s time. No matter how good the salesperson is, they will never get you to buy something you don’t need (unless they convince you that you need it and, in that case, you have bigger problems than what I’m outlining here).
In order to get the most out of the conversation and, potentially that company, explain the problem your business is facing and how you hope this Salesperson’s service/product can help resolve it. For example, having website tracking issues? Well, explain to the salesperson what exactly the problem is and how you believe the problem can be solved. This way, the salesperson can guide the conversation and give you the information you actually want, not what they think you want.
Remember, salespeople are not mind readers, they need you to help them along the way.

You can find the whole article (including more tips for a successful startup) by clicking here.

You can also view more of Sam’s articles on our Business News Page!

The post Millennial Executive: How to Be a Good Buyer appeared first on Colocation America.

You can find the whole article by clicking here.
You can also view more of Sam’s articles on our Business News Page!

The post Thoughts from a Nonprofit Funder: The Colocation America STEM Grant Journey appeared first on Colocation America.