Data Center Service can be defined as a business intelligence value chain in which valuable corporate information is collected, processed, and distributed. This value chain includes many different links from data center physical infrastructure to implementation and business intelligence. Each of these links must be carefully configured and operated to ensure that a modern company maintains its existence. This configuration is agile and continuously redundant in terms of sustainability.
The data center facility and the critical physical infrastructure are located at the bottom of this layered structure and affects all the tasks performed and values created in the higher layers.
The data center physical infrastructure can be compared to a specific hardware hotel that collocates Information Technology hardware (server, storage, network equipment, ect.) at high business continuity, high performance, and high security. Consider a hotel where the customers collocate their thousands of IT hardware items in cabins located in white spaces:
- Hardware items (IT equipment) operate 24/7 in the data center during their product lifecycle. They check-in at the hotel and the expired ones are disposed of.
- They are connected to an uninterruptible power supply and suck conditioned cool air (18-27°C) from the front. 24/7 uninterrupted and low operation range power and cooling control is performed.
- Each 700-1000 m² of white space approximately consumes the same power as a medium-sized mall and the power is converted into heat in white spaces.
- The power consumed inside is dense enough to cause a large fire if “Critical Cooling” is interrupted. And this level of power tends to increase with incoming hardware.
- Intensive fire detection systems and fire protection and extinguishing systems.
- All the rooms and areas are camera, access and environment controlled. Nothing goes unnoticed.
- Each critical power and cooling system have at least one backup. Each room has at least two air conditioning systems, two power distribution systems and redundant units.
- It is not possible to perform maintenance by shutting down the facility during winter. All maintenance has to be conducted live as the data center is providing uninterrupted service.
- Large and noisy generators may work for weeks or even months during power outages.
- This results in a level of noise that harms people in the white space, and even in the building roof and outdoors. The cooling units are noisy all the time.
- There is an experienced team that performs 24/7 monitoring and nearly one thousand operational activities in a year. Any unfortunate error by anyone in the team can thus result in an interruption in all the applications of the organization and customers and inflict high losses.
- Unauthorized access to the facility is not permitted, entry is allowed only with special controls and the person in question has an escort during the time they carry out the specific task.
