A data center is a centralized location where networking and computing equipment is stored for purposes like storing, collecting, distributing, processing and giving access to large amount of data. Since the time computers were invented, data centers have existed in various forms.
In other words, a data center is a facility which centralizes the shared IT equipments and operations of an organization.
As they house a company’s most crucial assets, data centers happen to be pivotal for the smooth operation of a company. At the same time, the reliability and security of data centers and their information are also the top priorities of a company.
Previously, data centers were heavily controlled but since the introduction of cloud, things have gone through a major overhaul. With their evolution, it is vital to think of the bigger picture about how to best maintain their security and reliability.
Table of Contents
Data Center – What is it?
Most often, data centers are referred to as a single thing but actually it comprises of several technical elements. Data centers can be broken down to 3 sections.
- Compute: This is the power of processing memory and running all applications. This is offered by the high-end servers.
- Storage: Data centers are home to vital company data and these are stored in media forms like solid-state drives with several backups.
- Networking: Data centers also provide interconnections between components of the data center and the outside world. Connections are done with the help of switches, routers, application-delivery controllers and many more.
So, the above mentioned are the three components that IT needs to manage and store the most confidential operations of a company. This is why the efficiency, reliability and security of the data centers are one of the biggest priorities. Both hardware and software measures are a prerequisite.
A Data Center – How does it work?
A data center is a premise where the IT operations and equipments of a company are centralized. This is where it analyzes, stores and distributes huge amount of data and hence given the name of a Data Center.
Previously, the data processing requirements were never too demanding but now these needs have grown manifold. For daily operation of a company, data centers are a must. They keep the data of an organization safe at all times.
The Data Center site, is called a Server Farm and it is interconnected with a communication network so that all details can be accessed remotely and easily. There are nearly thousands of powerful servers running inside a data center and that can be harboured in a room.
Data Center and its Role
Data centers happen to be a vital part of the enterprise and they are designed to support all sorts of business applications and offer services like.
- Data storage, backup, management and recovery.
- High-volume e-commerce transactions.
- Productivity application like mail.
- Big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Powering online gaming communities.
Currently, there are more than 7 million data centers all over the world. At the current moment, every government entity either maintains and builds its own data center or gets access to someone else’s data center.
Core Elements of a Data Center
The architectures and requirements of a data center differ invariably. Nevertheless, irrespective of classification, an effective data center is achieved via a balanced investment in the equipment and facility that it houses. The main elements of a data center are as follows.
- FACILITY: This is the usable space that is available for IT equipment. Data centers are hence the most energy-consuming facilities of the world.
- CORE COMPONENTS: Data centers store equipments for IT operations. Equipments may even include storage systems, servers, network infrastructure like routers and switches and other security elements like firewalls.
- SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: There are four tiers that comprise a data center and they are Uninterruptible Power Sources (UPS), Environmental Control, Physical Security Systems and Operations Staff.
So, a data center not only does all the above mentioned tasks for a company but it also needs to be maintained for optimum performance and reliability. An enterprise has to take precautionary measures to reduce avoidable failures and downtime.
