Data centers should host servers in room with a core temperature of between Fahrenheit. Cooling is usually about of operating a data center. But facilities often kept temperatures too low, thinking it was better to be safe than sorry. Contemporary data centers should have IT integrated with the building's cooling system and use remote control temperature monitoring and sensors to keep temperatures safe and costs down.

5. What Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan?

Although you probably never want to have it happen, your data center should have a disaster recovery plan in place to make you and your business feel safe. In 2007, 365 Main's San Francisco data center that affected 40 percent of its customers, a veritable who's who of Bay Area technology.

According to the company, 365 Main's 10 back-up diesel generators should have immediately started--the company needed eight to power the center--but three didn't start because of what was later deemed to be a faulty electronic controller. The data center was down for approximately 45 minutes, and taught companies to find out how a data center plans to notify customers in an immediate emergency, keeping them apprised of latest developments and the status of their company data or services.

If you ask most of these questions, there will be few surprises in an emergency or a security breach. Like any business offering services, it's up to the customer to do research and find a reputable company, but entrusting another business with your data and information needs an additional layer of investigation. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions--and if the data center representatives sound offended or defensive, you probably need to shop around.