Whether you’re considering a small data center or one of the massive facilities found in major cities, your business data and applications are constantly vulnerable to theft. With the threat of data loss more important than ever, your Data Center Requirements checklist should include a robust security program. Security is not something that can be ignored or neglected, especially if you’re using highly sensitive information to run your business. With security as a top priority and the number of threats constantly rising, here are five critical points to add to your data center requirements checklist when selecting a data center service provider.
Network security is essential for data centers, because every wire that moves into or out of the building is potentially susceptible to someone trying to find a way into the building and causing a problem. All cables should be running through multiple layers of protection, from the outer wall of the building to any racks located in cabinets throughout the facility. Some companies also offer wireless security devices that can be used in place of wired security systems. This is particularly important to protect against wireless-enabled devices such as laptops, smartphones and netbooks, which can be easily stolen.
When selecting an electrical supplier for your data centers, check for both reliability and longevity of their equipment. The failure of a single wire can mean the loss of a complete server, and may mean that your company is unable to continue operations. Check to see that the electrical system you’re considering is adequately protected against fires and power surges, especially as many businesses use computers to do important work, like making customer orders or providing support. You might also want to inquire about the type of insulation the cable provides, including whether or not it is smokeproof and why fireproof coating is necessary. Also ask about frequency detection capabilities.
Many data centers are designed to include closed-coupled cooling systems. These are commonly called “forced air” systems, because of the physical design. Air is forced into a system through a series of boxes or ducts, which force the warm air inside to escape through the remaining open spaces. This means the entire system must remain fairly constant temperature, although some variation is allowed. A major benefit of these types of systems is that they require almost no maintenance, since there is no direct contact with moisture. Unfortunately, this is also a great disadvantage, as constant temperature variations require timely maintenance to keep the equipment in good condition.
Data Center Requirements Checklist
High Density Cooling (HDF) is an alternative to forced air that is widely used in data centers around the world. This cooling technology allows for a much lower cost and allows for a high density of cooling areas, up to ten times more than the most popular form of cooling. However, high density cooling systems require a higher power supply, and they also tend to require a high amount of maintenance. For these reasons, many companies that have a data center requirement cannot afford to invest in this type of technology.
Physical Infrastructure The physical infrastructure of data centers is perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to building a colocation facility. There are four key components that will make up this critical infrastructure. First, there are the power sources, which are usually a gas or oil powered generator. Second, there are the data center cabinets and servers. The third is the actual hardware itself – typically, computers and other computer related hardware.
Data Center Requirements Checklist Items 4 and 5 on the list of critical components are physical security elements. A data center’s physical security includes highly protected equipment such as computers and other sensitive computer components. These physical security elements should include firewalls and the physical security cabinets used to protect sensitive information. Data centers also need high-level physical security controls to prevent unauthorized access to the network. Lastly, there is the so-called break room, which is used to coordinate and maintain communications between the physical security elements and the rest of the network.
Compliance Another essential element of a data center’s checklist is to ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations. The regulations pertaining to data centers generally pertain to facility size, number of users and others. When a company wants to start a data center facility, it must comply with local, state and federal regulations. Therefore, a company that is interested in establishing a data center colocation provider must first research the local, state and federal regulations to ensure that the company’s proposed facility meets all the applicable criteria.
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