What is a Data Center and Why is it so Needed?

Data center is still a rare concept for a lot of companies around the world. And if his role does not cause questions among IT experts, then from managers to owners of companies in other areas a lot of questions arise. The questions are very different - from what a Data Center is, how the process of its work works and why it is actually needed.

So what is a data center? Of course, you can turn to Wikipedia and read that: A data center (from the English data center), or a center (storage and) data processing (DPC / DPC) is a specialized building for hosting (hosting) server and network equipment ... This is clear for the same it-experts mentioned above. But what about such people who do not belong to the caste of "aliens", how to explain to them?

So let's start in order. The data center is a high-tech secure area where servers of various companies are located. Simply put, a data center is a kind of "home of servers". First of all, it is worth mentioning that the service itself will be useful for companies whose activities directly depend on the uninterrupted provision of fast and efficient processing of large and sometimes colossal flows of information. In the age of information technology, often with the aim of stealing, information is subjected to all kinds of attacks. It is the introduction of special disaster-resistant solutions, the organization of data backup in data centers that will maximally protect data from the risks of loss. It is believed that the services of the Data Center are in demand only by large companies, but in fact, there is a tendency to use services by developing companies.

You should also read: TIA-942-B 2017 Brief for Data Center Telecommunications Cabling Standards

In fact, the purpose of the commercial data center is to provide customers with services related to ensuring the reliability and fault tolerance of storing and processing information (text, graphic, digital and other data), to ensure the operability of large Internet portals, for volumetric computing.

The data center provides special secure channels for international communication. Guaranteed security, reliability of the data center, as well as maximum speed are now commercially demanded in the world market.

Basic data center services

The main services are:

• Rack / cabinet rental in the data center
• Colocation (physical placement of servers in the data center)
• Server on rent
• Rent a VDS / VPS servers
• Shared hosting

Additional services

There are also a number of additional services:

• Backup
• Cloud hosting solutions
• Administered server
• Remote Desktop

Technologies used in data centers

High-tech infrastructure that ensures uninterrupted operation of equipment in a data center is the main characteristic of a modern data center. For this, the data center site is equipped with climate control systems, uninterruptible power supply, security and other life support systems.

So, the main technical characteristics of a reliable and best data center are:

• The presence of a special building designed to accommodate the data center
• Guaranteed power supply and air conditioning system.
• Industrial ventilation system.
• Automatic fire extinguishing system.
• Security and access control.
• The presence of a diesel generator.
• 24/7 access to server equipment for both staff and customers.

Often, data centers are located directly in the vicinity of the point of presence of several telecom operators or a telecom center to provide instant exchange of huge amounts of data and fast data download from anywhere in the world. The key criterion for assessing the reliability of a data center is uptime, i.e. server availability time.

It's simple, isn't it? Now let's move on to the second part of our article.

Why is a Data Center so necessary?

At first glance, the question seems simple, because servers and other equipment for work must be located somewhere, but why build entire buildings for this, if you can get by with a server room. First of all, the answer lies in the economic benefit. Consolidating computing and storage resources in a data center can help reduce the total cost of operating IT resources.

Experts identify the following ways to optimize financial costs, provided that equipment is placed in a commercial data center:

• no need to create your own infrastructure;
• discounts on Internet connection, since the data center has its own connections to the main Internet sites;
• reduction of administration costs due to server maintenance by data center employees;
• reduction in rent due to the lack of space occupied by servers;
• redistribution of loads in order to more efficiently solve business problems.

In other words, placing servers in reliable data centers not only ensures the safety, integrity and protection of data, but also optimizes the financial costs of each individual company.