Data Centers: The Engine Behind India’s Digital Revolution

In today’s tech-driven world, companies rely on digital systems, making data center services crucial. These centers form the backbone of our digital economy, letting businesses across sectors store, process, and handle data and information without a hitch. From top-notch security to cutting-edge management tools, data center providers in India are changing their approach to keep up with new needs.

Going digital doesn’t just boost economic growth in all industries. It also paves the way for better public services more social and financial inclusion higher productivity, and a more connected society. Experts predict India’s digital economy will hit about $1 trillion by 2025. The government has helped improve the business environment for data center operators and developers. They’ve done this by giving data centers infrastructure status and introducing the Draft Data Centre Policy in 2020.

Let’s take a closer look at what data center services involve, check out the top providers in India, and see how they play a key role in the digital world.

What Are Data Center Services?

Data center services cover a wide range of solutions to ensure smooth operation, protection, and oversight of data center infrastructure. These services include:

1. Colocation:

  • Allows companies to lease physical space in a data center for their IT equipment.
  • Provides flexibility and lets businesses control their hardware and software.
  • Makes sense for organizations that need critical hardware or have high-security needs

2. Managed Services:

  • It involves hiring outside help to take care of IT infrastructure upkeep.
  • Covers things like looking after servers, managing networks, and keeping an eye on security.
  • It helps cut down on running costs and frees up other resources within a company.

3. Cloud Services:

  • Provide computing resources like storage and processing power through the internet
  • Scalable and flexible to adapt dynamic needs.
  • Includes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

4. Cybersecurity Solutions:

• Protection against cyber threats – hacking, malware, ransomware
• Firewall protection, intrusion detection, and data encryption features
• Play a key role in keeping sensitive information safe and businesses running

5. Network Connectivity:

• Ensure the transferring of data without failure at all times waste. High-speed network connections.
• Dedicated internet access, MPLS network, and SD-WAN solutions.
• Essentially, it is necessary for businesses with remote offices or global operations.

In India, adopting technologies like IoT, AI, and big data analytics has increased the demand for these services. Businesses require robust and scalable infrastructure. In such a situation, the role of companies involved in data center management is a must.

Data Center Services in India: An Overview

Data centers are booming worldwide, even with some challenges. India stands out in the APAC region, with the biggest data center capacity of about 950 MW. This beats major countries like Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore, and Korea, as a CBRE report shows.

India’s set to grow the most in the region, adding around 850 MW from 2024 to 2026. This boom highlights India’s strong points in the data center field. For instance, low-cost land, skilled workers, good transport, and a steady power supply are drawing big investments from tech leaders. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are building massive data centers in the country. India has become a global hotspot for data center services. Many companies are putting money into top-notch infrastructure. The country’s helpful policies, which allow more people to use the internet, and a growing digital economy are pushing this sector forward.

Key Features of Data Center Services in India:

  1. Cost Efficiency: Affordable solutions tailored to meet diverse business needs.
  2. Strategic Locations: Data centers located in regions with low latency and high connectivity.
  3. Green Initiatives: energy-efficient technology adoption to reduce carbon footprint.
  4. Compliance and Standards: Observance of international standards such as ISO 27001 and GDPR.

Top Data Center Management Companies in India

There are numerous data center management companies in India offering top-notch services. The companies ensure the facilities are operational, minimize downtime, and deliver maximized performance. 

The best among them is:

  1. ESDS: A Pioneer in the Indian Data Centre Industry, ESDS offers a one-stop-shop solution for cloud, IT security, and managed services. With security and reliability as top priorities, ESDS enables businesses to undergo digital transformation.
  2. CtrlS: CtrlS stands for world-class data centers at global standards and offers excellent colocation and managed services. 
  3. Sify Technologies: Sify is also an Indian provider of data center and network services that offer cloud computing, cybersecurity, and disaster recovery, among several other solutions.
  4. Yotta: Yotta is India’s leading data center and cloud services provider that offers managed services, cybersecurity, and disaster recovery.
  5. Web Werks: One of the most influential players in the Indian data center market, offering reliable and scalable colocation and cloud services.

Importance of Data Center Security

With the rise in cyber threats, ensuring the security of data centers has become paramount. Data breaches can lead to severe financial and reputational damage, making security a top priority for service providers.

Key Components of Data Center Security:

  • Physical Security: biometric access controls, surveillance cameras, and secure perimeters.
  • Cybersecurity Measures: firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular vulnerability assessments.
  • Data encryption: protecting data both in transit and at rest.
  • Disaster Recovery Plans: Ensuring business continuity in case of disruptions.

Data center security involves protecting physical assets, safeguarding critical business information, and ensuring compliance with regulations.

Data Center Servers and Their Role

Servers form the core of any data center. They process data  , store applications , and manage the network traffic.

Advanced, high-powered data centers deploy advanced servers with cutting-edge processors, large amounts of storage, and efficient cooling to handle growing workloads.

Benefits of Advanced Data Center Servers:

  1. High Performance: Faster data processing and reduced latency.
  2. Scalability: ability to handle growing data volumes.
  3. Energy Efficiency: Reduced operational costs through optimized power usage.
  4. Reliability: minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous operations.

The Future of Data Center Services in India

With the help of future technologies combined with more digital adoption, the prospects of the data center service in India seem bright.  The key trends influencing the data center industry are:

  • Edge Computing: Processing data closer to the source to reduce latency.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Leveraging AI and ML to optimize data center operations.
  • Sustainability: Pursuing green practices to minimize environmental footprint.
  • 5G and IoT: supporting the growth of connected devices and real-time applications.

Conclusion

While data centers will remain a concentrated industry in tier-I locations, the market has observed a significant move, with most colocation and edge computing facilities entering tier-II and tier-3 cities. The understanding behind this expansion is to be closer to their customers, provide faster response times, lower latency for applications requiring it, and decentralize DC infrastructure to effectively cover a distributed user base in India.
Cities such as Kochi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, and Vishakhapatnam are emerging due to their strategic positioning and better infrastructure, particularly in power supply and improvements in fiber and cable connectivity. 

The Indian data center sector is likely to witness significant growth over the next couple of years, with increasing stakeholder focus on Tier II and III cities, sustained occupier interest, a growing talent base, and the strengths of the country as a hub for technology, R&D, and shared service platforms.  This will help boost capacity expansion in the country and increase India’s standing as one of the world’s premier global hubs for data centers, a place for innovation, and a potential source of huge international investment.
The rise of the digital economy has made the role of the data center even more crucial. 

Data centers’ task at hand is to ensure safe security and innovative management solutions, and Indian service providers have been on the leading edge of this change. Companies like ESDS are first in line with advanced infrastructure, a customer-centric approach, and a sustainable commitment.
Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, you should take your success with reliable data center services in today’s digital-first world. You can, therefore, be sure that your data management needs are in good hands with ESDS as your partner.

Datacenter Security in the Age of Cyber War

Data centers are essential to the global economy’s future.

Certainly, as more people and organizations migrate to the digital realm, the demand for efficient information processing grows. Data centers serve as communication networks even remotely, enabling end users to access information quickly.

Data centers are more important than ever at a time when remote working environments are expanding and becoming more common.

Data centers are much more than they appear. They are central to a digital transformation movement.

The global data center market is expected to reach $105.6 billion by 2026.

The expansion of data centers shows no signs of reducing. On the contrary, there is an increasing demand for greater digital data access, processing, and storage.

Global Data Center Market

Understandably, the combination of remote working trends and a tech-savvy culture indicates that the data center market size will continue to grow indefinitely.

Growth, however, has its challenges.

One of the most significant barriers facing data center expansion is how the sector can comprehend to manage its security issues.

Data security concerns 76% of business data centers.

Data security is the company’s first worry, as it can expose enterprises to unintended data loss, corruption, and exposure. However, security solutions can be time- and money-consuming for data centers that handle vast amounts of data.

Simply put, assume you have million dollars & you are responsible for safeguarding them. Would you leave it open for criminals to steal or lock it away?

This parallel applies to your data center, a virtual goldmine of information. Still, many businesses prefer to do the bare minimum regarding data center security. The data center of your organization, which consists of connected computers, servers, and devices that process, distribute, and store valuable information, is an integral part of its digital infrastructure. The mix of policies, methods, procedures, and technology that protect data centers from cyber attacks and other virtual dangers is known as data center security.

So, what data security standards should you be aware of to meet and maintain compliance?

Let’s talk about it.

Firstly what data can be found in the data center, and how can the data be exposed?

It should be no surprise that data security is critical for any business. It’s priceless information that can make or extinguish your business. Examples of data contained in a data center include proprietary information like intellectual property and trade secrets, as well as personal and financial information from clients.

  • Customer trust and reputational harm: Why should your customers trust you if they know you aren’t protecting their data (or even your intellectual property)?
  • Noncompliance fines from industry rules: PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, SAE 18 (previously SAE 16), and ISO 27001: 2013 are among the regulations that have data center security standards.
  • Financial losses and revenue loss: Organizations are concerned about downtime because it could result in large revenue losses.

Tip for Datacenter Security in the Age of Cyber War

Datacenter Security

Tip #1: Data Center Security at Physical Level

When people evaluate the security mechanisms to secure their organization’s data, they often overlook the physical security aspect. Why? They are frequently focused on concerns about data loss hazards caused by cyber assaults and data breaches.

Businesses may need to realize that physical security threats can be among the most damaging.

If you’re building your own data center rather than using a cloud or colocation data center, it’s critical to plan out the physical space of your data center ahead of time. This includes selecting if your data center should be in a remote location or in a more crowded area.

But, in terms of security, what else should you consider when choosing a location for a data center? Keep an eye out for weather-related hazards and low-lying places. Keep an eye out for heated geological zones that are prone to earthquakes.

If you intend to build in a more densely populated region, you can conceal your data center by making it blend in with its surroundings.

Physical Security Measures for Data Centers

Aside from the location, there are numerous other physical security concerns. Datacenter hardening can comprise the following measures:

  1. Walls and structures made of reinforced concrete can defend the facility from external attacks.
  2. Server cabinets and cages that are anchored to the ground and locked.

3. Temperature and humidity variations are monitored and regulated via environmental controls.

Tip #2: Invest in the Right Tools to Protect Your Data and Network

Traditionally a solid data center security plan employed perimeter-based security solutions to monitor and protect your network from both internal and external threats. But, nothing is constant in security, and this is especially true when it comes to the basic approach and model that many firms are adopting.

Zero Trust cybersecurity is a term that isn’t necessarily new but has become increasingly relevant as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Zero Trust solutions are quickly becoming the norm for remote and scattered employees. The concept is that no person or device, whether inside or outside the system, should be automatically trusted.

If you wish to harden your data center’s cyber security even more, you can (and should):

  • Audit your assets, security management processes, and access protocols regularly.
  • You can protect data between endpoints via network encryption and on the server by using server-level encryption.
  • To continuously monitor logs and report on security events and threats, integrate automation and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions (or use a third-party service).

Tip #3:  Monitor and Restrict Physical & Virtual Access

However, more than having door locks and cameras are needed to secure your data. It would help if you also kept an eye on digital access. Why? According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute’s 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, 49% of data breaches were caused by human errors and system malfunctions rather than cyber attacks.

Tip #4: Have Redundant Data Backups and Infrastructure in Place

No matter how often we discuss data backups, more is needed. As you’ve read in the news, ransomware and cyber attacks have impacted major municipalities, hospitals, and companies. However, for some reason, organizations prefer to refrain from taking the necessary safeguards to create redundant data backups.

Is it due to laziness? Perhaps it’s the “it won’t happen to me” mentality. Regardless of the reasons why they shouldn’t, having redundant backups – both data and secondary infrastructure — in place can save you a lot of time, money, and problems. When the crap hits the fan — and it will, inevitably — you’ll wish you’d taken the time to prepare.

Tip #5: Keep Your Servers and Systems Updated

Nobody enjoys taking time out of their day to run tedious updates and patch their systems. After all, you have far more essential things to attend to, don’t you?

Keep your servers and systems updated

When manufacturers offer patches, it is their means of plugging any security holes found in their devices. It’s similar to fixing a hole in your roof to keep rain from spilling or leaking through. It’s their technique of patching the flaw before a lousy man can exploit it and cause problems.

Final Thought

Your network computers, servers, and other critical components are kept in your data center. In a calamity, it serves as a safe refuge for your data.

You have less control over the physical security measures in place if you consider hiring a cloud or managed hosting service provider than you would with an in-house data center. However, you can request compliance reports from the service provider, giving you more confidence in their security capabilities.

Datacenter Providers in India

Top Datacenter

WHAT IS A DATA CENTER?

Modern Data Centers are different than they were just a short time ago. Datacenter architecture has moved from traditional on-premises physical servers to virtual networks that help applications and workloads across pools of physical foundation and into a multi-Cloud condition.

In this time, information exists and is connected across different Data Centers, the edge, and public and private Clouds. The Data Center should have the option to communicate across these multiple sites, both on-premises and in the Cloud. Indeed, even the public Cloud is a collection of the Data Center. At the point when applications are hosted in the Cloud, they are using the Data Center from the Cloud supplier.

What are the core components of a Data Center?

Datacentre design incorporates routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers, and application delivery controllers. Because these segments store and manage business-critical data and applications, Data Center security is critical in Data Center design. Together, they provide

core components of a Data Center

Network Infrastructure

This connects servers (physical and virtualized), Data Center services, storage, and external connectivity to end-user locations.

Storage Infrastructure

Data is the fuel of the advanced Data Center. Capacity systems are used to hold this valuable commodity.

Computing resources

Applications are the engines of Data Centers. These servers give the processing memory, local storage, and organization network that drive applications.

As per the latest forecast by a source, the end-user spending on Datacenter architecture is expected to reach $200 Billion in 2021, rising 6% over 2020.

Source

Indian population is quickly going computerized. The tremendous number of internet users using active mobile data via connected devices is expected to grow drastically in the coming years. Proceeded with web entrance is furthermore expected with the Government of India supporting public investment in large scale digitalization with its ‘Digital India’ scheme and with the progress of media communication providers to high-speed 4G LTE and the soon to come 5G wireless technologies. This presents an immense demand for Data Center architecture.

Flourishing Cloud adoption is further driving the development in the Indian Data Center market.  Reports recommend that Data Center markets can pull in investments of the order of $4.9 billion in the following five years. Right now, the country has around 375 MW installed power capacity for Data Centers, and according to projections, this may develop multiple times by 2025.

Things being what they are, let’s know the 6 Data Centers of India who are the key players benefiting from the demand?

1. Netmagic (NTT Company)

Netmagic, an entirely claimed subsidiary of NTT Communications, is a main managed hosting and multi-Cloud hybrid IT solution provider serving more than 2500 enterprises internationally. Netmagic, headquartered in Mumbai, likewise gives Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) administrations to different enterprise clients around the world including NTT Communication’s clients across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific district.

Netmagic

Netmagic was the first in India for quite a while to dispatch administrations including distributed computing, overseen security, Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), and Software-Defined Storage. As a worldwide ICT supplier, they employ more than 40,000 individuals in a diverse and dynamic working environment that spans 57 nations, trading in 73 countries, and delivering services in more than 200 countries.

2. SIFY TECHNOLOGIES

Among Fortune 500 India Company, Sify Technologies is India’s most comprehensive ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) service and solution provider. Sify offers a wide range of solutions and products across multiple verticals taking advantage of their unassailable trinity of Data Centers, Networks, and Security. 1600 cities in India have been benefited from the seamless services of Sify. Spreading its business across the globe they have been conducting business internationally in North America, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Having a telecom network currently connects 45 Data Centers across India and 6 concurrently maintainable Data Centers across cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru.

SIFY TECHNOLOGIES

3. ESDS

ESDS acts as a catalyst for digital transformation in the modern edge result based economy by empowering organizations to embrace advanced innovations. Found in 2005, ESDS currently has its footprints in 19 nations across APAC, Europe, Middle East, the Americas, and Africa. ESDS expertise in Managed Data Center services, Cloud Hosting, and Disaster recovery Hosting backed with exuberant technical support. More than 750 organizations have been benefited with 100% exuberant customer support to build the lifetime customer relationship.

ESDS

4. TATA COMMUNICATIONS

The company empowers digital transformation globally including 300 of the Fortune 500. Tata Communications uses its advanced solutions abilities and domain expertise across its global network for conveying managed solutions to global organizations and communications service providers. Its worldwide organization incorporates a high level and largest submarine cable network and a Tier-1 IP network with connectivity to over 200 countries and territories. Tata Communications’ scope in the developing business sectors includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services and global voice communications.

TATA COMMUNICATIONS

5. Webwerks

Web Werks Data Centers, situated in 3 countries with more than six geographically scattered Data Centers, have been among the pioneers in India for recent many years. They offer reliable hosting services on dedicated servers, Cloud, Co-location, virtualization, and disaster recovery alongside 24×7 support and a 99.995% uptime guarantee.  Web Werks Data Centers are Carbon Neutral contributing towards Global Go-Green ideas. It is likewise an SAP-certified provider of infrastructure, hosting, and Cloud operations services.

Webwerks

Their customer list incorporates Microsoft, Google, Godrej, Canon, TATA, Netflix, Facebook, Akamai, and more. They also have Government area clients like Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation, Nabard, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, SIDBI and more.

6. NxtGen

NxtGen empowers its clients to assemble their digital business without contributing and managing complex IT infrastructure, by leveraging its hyper-converged infrastructure. Settled in Singapore, NxtGen, is an arising pioneer giving completely managed datacenter and Cloud services across India and Singapore. NxtGen sends and offers IT framework services from both or a combination of on-premise resources and its own facilities – Infinite DatacenterTM, engaging its clients to adopt the latest hybrid computing model.

NxtGen

*The above mentioned Datacenter are not placed according to their ranking or product range.*

Conclusion

As the Datacenter architecture moves from traditional to physical on-premises, the evolution of Datacenter will help organizations position them in the market and grow according to the transformation. We hope the above mentioned information about the Top Data Center in India is helpful to you.