When we talk about data center many definitions were proposed, but the most commons are:
Quote
“A building (or portion of a building) whose primary purpose is to house a computer room and its support areas” “A facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes redundant backup power supplies, redundant communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression) and various security devices” “Centralized repository, either physical or virtual, for the storage, management and dissemination of data and information organized around a particular body of knowledge or pertaining to a particular business”
All of these definitions are correct, but the most important thing is the concept behind the datacenter.
Definition
A data center is a building whose primary purpose is to house a computer room and its support areas, so that services can run continuously and efficiently.
To create a datacenter, we need a series of components that are necessary to make it work properly. Some of these components are:
- an highly-secure site where the datacenter is located: this aspect is important because the datacenter is the heart of the company, and it is necessary to protect it against any kind of attack (IT or physical attack) or natural disaster
- redundant electrical and power distribution systems: this is important because the datacenter must be always on, and it is necessary to have a backup system in case of failure of the primary system to guarantee the continuity of the services (and so the continuity of the income)
- redundant cooling systems: the datacenter is a place where there are a lot of servers, and it is necessary to keep them cool to avoid overheating
- some kind of fire suppression system
- office spaces for the IT and the management team
- other components like: raised floors, cable management, network-storage-server infrastructure, centralized monitoring and management systems, etc.
Types of Data Centers
There are three main types of data centers:
- Enterprise Data Center: Owned and operated by a single organization, typically for the exclusive use of that organization.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It’s an asset for the company | High initial investment |
| Gives complete controls on the operational activities | Necessary to have a team of experts to design and run the datacenter |
Datacenters are always part of the company business, and businesses exist only if they are profitable. So, it is necessary to have a team of experts to design and run the datacenter, and this is a cost that the company must bear. However, spending all the money to build the datacenter is not a good idea, because the investment must be aligned with the company’s goals. Building our own individual DC is not the only option: there are other options that can be considered, like colocation or managed services.
- Colocation Data Center: A large data center facility where a businesses can rent space for servers and other computing hardware. The data center provides the building, cooling, power, bandwidth and physical security, while the customer provides servers and storage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High control over the IT equipment and operational environment | Data center is no longer an asset |
| No need for design skills | Restrictions on maintenance and upgrades |
| Lower initial investment | Upgrades and new equipment installations may not be possible |
| Lower costs on dedicated staff and shared resources | Less control over operational activities |
The main advantage of colocation is that the company does not have to spend a significant amount of money to build the data center, as it is already built. The company only needs to rent the space and place their servers in it. The main disadvantage is that the company has less control over the operational activities, as the data center is managed by a third party.
NOTE
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- Managed Services Data Center: Owned and operated by a third party, and used by multiple organizations that do not own (or control) the DC and its space. The resources are not shared among multiple users, so it’s a single tenant environment.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No need to have a team of experts to design and run the datacenter | Less control on the operational activities |
| Lower initial investment | Lock-in solution |
| Lower costs on dedicated staff and shared resources | DC is no more an asset |
The main advantage of managed services is that the company does not have to spend a lot of money to build the datacenter, because the datacenter is already built. The company only has to rent the space and put the servers in it. The main disadvantage is that the company has less control on the operational activities, because the datacenter is managed by a third party.
- Cloud based solution: A cloud-based data center is a data center that is built, operated and managed by a cloud service provider. The cloud service provider is responsible for the management and maintenance of the data center, and the customer only needs to rent the space and put the servers in it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No need for design skills | Less control over operational activities |
| Lower initial investment | Upgrades and new equipment installations may not be possible |
| Lower costs on dedicated staff and shared resources | Less control over the IT equipment and operational environment |
The main advantage of a cloud-based data center is that the company does not have to spend a significant amount of money to build the data center, as it is already built. The company only needs to rent the space and place their servers in it. The main disadvantage is that the company has less control over the operational activities, as the data center is managed by a third party.