What is a Data Center

A data center is a facility that houses an organization's IT operations and equipment’s in the most effective and secure manner. Technically speaking, a it is composed of a number of elements such as routers, switches, security devices, storage systems, servers and more. These are the components that IT needs to store and manage the most critical systems that are vital to the continuous operations of a company. Because of this, the reliability, efficiency, security and constant evolution of a data center are typically a top priority. This facility is known in different names based on the years and regions and some of the so called names are as below,

• Technical room
• Data hall
• Data centre
• Server room
• Equipment room
• Bunker
• Operations center

They have existed in one form or another since the advent of computers. The main pillars of a data center facility can be classified as Space, Power, Cooling and Connectivity. The operation of a data center will be related to or depend on these four constraints. Each constrains is larger than you think and more details will be discussed below,

An over view models of data centers building can be as below,

This picture is as simple as possible to show the building structure that a data center consist of. However please note that some of these facilities will differ based on the standard/certifications that each data center follows.

Typically a data center building will have all building facilities as per the local law with the addition of below areas,

Building Area	Function
Computer room/server room	House computer racks and communications equipment
Control room/Network Operations Control(NOC)	All control and monitoring functions are concentrated
General office area	Works space for Computer/Electrical and Mechanical engineers
Entrance facility/meet-me room/point ofdemarcation	Where external communications cabling enter the building
Fire gas suppression storage room	Space depends on the type of gas used
Electrical switch room	Electrical power cables enters the building and forms a demarcation point
UPS in battery room	Recommend: For loads of 100 kVA and above,to have a separate UPS room
Generator room	Houses standby diesel generators
Fuel oil storage	Houses diesel fuel for generators
Storage and build area/staging or provisioningroom	To store and unpack, prepare and build equipment
Delivery and loading area	Adjacent area to allow heavy equipment to beshipped into the building
Planning and meeting room	To hold meetings
Internal staff facilities	Male/female/disabled toilets and showers
Electrical substation	Due to power needs, a separate substationmay be required
Air conditioning condensers	A secure area is required depending onthe air conditioning requirements
External staff facilities	Parking spaces

Also I would like to make your attention to the definition of a data center as below based on certain standards like TIA(Telecommunications Industry Association) and EU(European Union).

TIA 942 states that a DC is “A building or portion of a building whose primary function is to house a computer room and its support areas”

EU Code of Conduct states that “All buildings, facilities and rooms which contain enterprise servers, server communication equipment, cooling equipment and power equipment, and provide some form of data service”.

Data Centre Functional Requirements

Have you ever thought of a requirement for having a data center? What is the function of a data center? Answers are as simple as below,

§  To locate computer, storage and networking devices safely and securely

§  To provide the power needed to maintain these devices

§  To provide a temperature-controlled environment within set parameters needed to run these devices

§  To provide connectivity to other devices both inside and outside of the data centre

§  To provide other services that may be required to support these devices.

    So all the discussions further in this blog would give you a brief idea/concept of a data center and its functions.

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