"If a company's business relies on IT information systems it should consider using a high standard datacenter, regardless of its size," said Yeung from JOS.

When to deploy?

"Even one mission-critical application justifies the installation of equipment in a datacenter environment," said Hickerson. "Typically in any environment supporting more than one or two servers, there will be a mission-critical application--even if it is just email."

"The key consideration for an enterprise to acquire datacenter services from an external outsourcing services provider is primarily to allow that enterprise to focus on its core business and expand its marketplace," said Philip Chua, managing director, Atos Origin--whose subsidiary Sema Group was recently awarded the Hong Kong government's first outsourcing contract. "The provision of the datacenter outsourcing services should then reside with an external outsourcing technology specialist which is then able to leverage its scale (both from a people and technology viewpoint) and expertise in ensuring that such services can be delivered seamlessly and efficiently. The other consideration in outsourcing such services is also to reduce its total operational costs."

"Central management of the datacenter is crucial," said Datacraft's Leung. "The key towards maintaining an efficient datacenter is manageability to drive costs down yet maintaining business objectives."