With the world is becoming more data-driven than ever, a good data center will become as important as reliable cell phone towers. Every time you use social media or store your data on the cloud/flash storage you are using a data center. As ICT trends change constantly it is safe to assume that data center technology and their management is also changing at the same pace.
Below is a brief overview of what a data center is and what all things you should consider while designing one.
Data Center
A data center is a building or any structure that houses numerous networked computer servers used by businesses and organizations. They can be used for remote storage, distribution, or processing of a large amount of data and can be said to be integral in today’s world.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind while designing it –
1. Power Availability:
A data center will consume a lot more power than an average building. It can consume an equivalent of 2000 homes per day and needs a constant uninterrupted supply. Smart energy consumption is the need of the hour.
Not only the systems storing data will need energy but the water cooling system will also use a lot of energy. Therefore, a cheap, abundant, and uninterrupted power supply is a must.
2. Disaster free area:
Areas prone to natural disasters like earthquakes, tidal waves and storms should be avoided at all costs. Not only would it be disastrous to the building the data center is in, you will also lose all the data in the tech there too. Such data is very hard to recover once lost.
3. Network
IT roles have only become more important in our lives in the last decade or so. But all this would be brought to a halt if the communication was severed in any way. Make sure the area you choose to have your Datacenter has uninhibited access to the network carrier of your choice. A data center with poor connectivity will be rendered useless in no time.
4. Cost of the property:
Data centers usually are huge facilities that are more often than not located in remote places. This is because in such places the cost of the land is significantly cheaper than their city counterparts.
5. Accessibility
Going to a remote place to save on costs is fine but can your enterprise survive if the cost of transportation is high. It is best that one finds a balance between the cost and how remorse the place is.
6. Skilled Labour:
A data center will need a team of highly skilled operatives to look over its maintenance and day-to-day functioning. It is necessary that you make a data center in an area that either has this kind of professionals or willing to move to one. If the network and infrastructure are up to the industry standards then you will find more people willing to move to your place.
7. Taxes and incentives:
Usually, a remote place will give added tax benefits or subsidies to your company to build a data center. This is because they think that will add to their smart city plan and make it a new tech hub.
8. Climate
Data centers typically need colder temperatures to function at the optimum level. This is why you should look for a place in cold areas with low humidity.
9. Urban planning laws:
You would need to factor in the environmental and urban planning laws pertaining to buildings in the area. It is possible that your design may not be able to follow these regulations.
10. Safety and Security:
Terrorism and crime rate in the city are two vital factors to consider while building your data center. It will have a lot of sensitive information which if leaked can lead to problems in the future.
Data centers are smart solutions for companies to maintain and process their data in real-time. It gives them 24×7 access to it and makes it easy for the employees to review it in the future.
