3 Vital Elements of Modern Data Centers

When you hear the term “data center” you likely picture a huge room with rows and rows of towering servers tirelessly ticking and beeping away. While this image isn’t wrong, it is incomplete. Though data centers are a crux in today’s virtual information landscape, key elements of a data center aren’t widely known. They may seem simple, but these important and intricate facilities require specific building design, adherence to standards and regulations, and cutting edge security.

What is a Data Center?

In essence, a data center is a house for storing information. Businesses that collect customer or client information require a safe place to store and keep that information. That image of the towering servers is a part of a data center called a server farm, but the entire center is usually larger and requires many specifications, which is why traditional business offices are inadequate for such a job. Companies looking to open their own should research data center considerations thoroughly to find the right fit. 

Building Design

Just like how normal business offices aren’t viable to be data centers, no ordinary building will do. Building regulations of a data center define the minimum expectancy for features of the building, like entry and exit ways, adequate ventilation, building materials and fire suppression devices. 

Regulations also ensure that the architectural infrastructure of the facility is designed to endure or to recover from potential problems, like failed equipment or power supply interruptions. The main goal is redundancy and consistency. One requirement is that centers receive power from two separate providers so that if one supplier fails, the other is utilized automatically preventing a total outage. 

Standards and Regulations

The regulations don’t stop after the building is created. Standards and regulations have been introduced to make sure the facilities are doing what they are supposed to be doing once in use.

Organizations such as the International Standards Organization (ISO) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) work hard to determine the standards for the set up and use of a data center. These standards relate to capabilities and to the facility, like the Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers and the Information Security Management System Standard. They are in place to make sure the center stores and handles data appropriately. 

Information Security

With anything dealing with virtual information, security is the utmost concern. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) specified requirements for storing data on servers that centers must follow. 

Data centers employ two methods to meet these standards: software security and physical security. Software security refers to efforts and methods used to stave off threats of attack. They are the firewalls and programs employed as cyber defense once the facility is up and running. Physical security deals with protecting tangible items, property and people, from threats like theft, terrorism or natural disaster. Efforts range from building design, such as including only a single entry to prevent theft and employing security guards to monitor the facility for suspicious activity, to choosing a location unlikely to be affected by natural disasters. 

Choosing a Modern Data Center

Though data centers may seem like just a bunch of servers in a row, there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into developing such a facility, and ample regulation once established. With more knowledge about the composition of a data center, their importance can be truly appreciated.