Data center design has several considerations that can make or break a data center. These include energy efficiency, adaptability, flexibility, and redundancy. If these considerations are adequately implemented, the result is a data center that maximizes the value of your resources while minimizing energy and water costs.
Adaptability
As technology evolves and business needs change, data centers must continually evolve to meet the needs of modern businesses. This means adding new attributes to data centers, such as flexibility and increased efficiency. These attributes are essential to ensuring an effective data center. In addition, data center design best practices must be flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen changes.
A data center’s physical “shell” is only about ten percent of the total capital cost of building a data center. This does not include the cost of real estate. Most of the price comes from the mechanical and electrical equipment used to run the center. These include air-conditioning systems, UPS systems, and battery backup systems.
Flexibility
Flexibility is an important attribute to consider when designing a data center. With data center operations requiring increasing amounts of energy, data centers need to be able to meet their growing demand. This requires them to adopt attributes like energy efficiency, reliability, and flexibility.
Data centers can be bulky and difficult to move around, so they must be flexible to accommodate varying business requirements. Data center designers should also consider adapting to changes without overhauling the IT infrastructure. To do this, they should incorporate flexibility and easy expansion without causing unnecessary downtime or high costs.
Flexibility can be achieved by building in smaller increments. This will allow organizations to expand capacity without having to make use of the entire facility. It will also enable organizations to match their capital with changing needs and operating costs.
Redundancy
Redundancy is an essential component of data center design and security. Without it, your business could significantly impact your bottom line. Downtime can negatively impact operations, brand image, and customer experience. Even one hour of unscheduled downtime can cost your business thousands of dollars. In addition, it can negatively affect the productivity of your workforce. Therefore, ensuring that the hardware and software used in your data center are redundant and reliable is essential.
Whether your data center uses an on-site or a hosted DC, redundancy is crucial for your company’s data center design. Many hosted DCs have multiple redundant telecommunications lines; network traffic can automatically switch to the other if one fails. However, not all items in a data center are redundant, and you may have to replace damaged cables.
Energy efficiency
Data centers use a great deal of energy. However, the amount of energy consumed depends on several factors. One factor is the design of the space. The proper layout can make a difference in energy efficiency. For example, a data center with a raised floor can cut energy costs by up to 6%. Another factor is airflow. Correctly located vents and tiles can help reduce airflow and energy consumption.
Improving energy efficiency in data centers is essential to reducing your carbon footprint and operating expenses. Industry experts recommend following best practices and installing the proper hardware and software to increase energy efficiency.
Security
Data centers are prime targets for hackers, and bad actors will take advantage of this. While cyber-attacks may be the most common target, physical attacks are also a growing threat, and data centers must have adequate security measures in place to protect their data. One way to prevent data breaches is to ensure the physical design of the data center includes security measures.
The physical security measures of a data center will depend on the size of the center and the amount of IT equipment it contains. For example, a small data center may have equipment in a closet, whereas a large data center may be located inside a warehouse. Physical security measures can include alarms, badge access, and video surveillance. Fire protection is also an important consideration. While sprinklers may be convenient, chemical fire suppression systems are more effective.
