One of the ways to is a higher virtual machine to physical host ratio. There needs to be a four-to-one ratio to break even on server costs, but most servers can easily handle more than a dozen. Using efficient virtualization will cut down on expenses on servers, electricity, and space--saving your business money.

3. What Are You Doing For Energy Efficiency?

What you want to hear is that the data center manager is always looking for ways to increase productivity and lower energy costs. You also want to know the data center will be open to new ideas from you or industry analysts. Both eBay and Facebook saved money at their data centers by working with local utilities and implementing their own ideas to make their . Granted, both eBay and Facebook probably have more clout than a small business, but your data center should be listening to all of its customers.

Also, data centers should have the latest, energy-efficient versions of your servers, which can cut energy costs by as much as 40 percent.

4. How Does Your Cooling System Work?