Data centers are among the most critical systems in a company. It’s where vital processes run. In the 1940s, data centers consisted of large computers and hence occupied lots of space. Today’s data centers have evolved and have systems that occupy minimal space while boosting efficiency, increasing uptime and performance. Only critical hardware is used to run the most complex IT systems. These systems are now housed in well-equipped rooms.
Who needs a data center?
Not every private or public organization needs to invest in complex data center. In most cases, this type of environment is only required in large companies and government agencies. With so many cloud service solutions available today, many businesses avoid the expense of building and maintaining server rooms. Regardless of the size of the data center, the construction and maintenance costs can quickly skyrocket making it hard for a small organization to manage it.
The Characteristics of a basic data center
Server rooms typically contain the same components. They consist of servers, storage devices, cables and internet connection. Since businesses depend on smooth software operations to continue running, server rooms have to be properly safeguarded. The main component of data centers Toronto, of course, are the computers. Computers need electricity to run. For this reason, these centers require sufficient cooling. Bear in mind that when there is a lot of powerful hardware in a room, there’s a risk of temperature issues. Extremely high temperatures in server rooms can result in system failure which minimizes uptime. The center will also have complex equipment in place to supply power and cooling. Most centers also have fire extinguishing systems to protect against fire emergencies.
Securing data centers
One of the most important considerations in data center construction is ensuring there are periodic backups to prevent data loss. All resources need to be optimally protected from all forms of damages and threats. Any manipulation of hardware or software needs to be avoided at all costs. With complex and extensive hardware and software components in the server room, organizations may be required to spend more money on data center solutions in order to ensure optimal protection. To determine how secure a data center is, you can check its “tier rating”.
The Data Center Tier Rating
A data center’s tier rating can tell how reliable the center is in terms of availability, downtime per year and redundancy. There are Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 data centers. Tier 1 data centers have an availability of 99.671% whereas Tier 4 data centers have 99.995% availability. However, the actual availability of each service will depend on the kind of software used and how well it is maintained. Tier 4 data centers are considered to have a downtime per year of 0.4hours. This is much lower than the downtime per year of 28.8 hours of Tier 1 data centers. What makes Tier 4 data centers powerful is their redundancy levels. These centers consist of components that are fully fault-tolerant. Everything including the uplinks and servers, is dual-powered.