Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Another important consideration is physical security. Because the data center usually
stores data that needs to be secured from third parties, access to the site needs to be well
controlled. In addition, fire suppression and alarm systems should be in place to protect
equipment and data from natural disasters and theft.
Because the data center facilities are limited in capacity, they need to be designed prop-
erly to allow for the best use of employee space for today and into the future.
Most companies must now adhere to regulatory compliance, including environmental re-
quirements, and provide disaster recovery in some form to enable business continuity.
Data centers need to provide an infrastructure that can recover network communications,
data, and applications and provide high availability.
To b u i l d a r e l i a b l e d a t a c e n t e r t h a t m a x i m i z e s t h e i n v e s t m e n t , t h e d e s i g n n e e d s t o b e c o n -
sidered early in the building development process. It is important to include team mem-
bers in several area of expertise, including telecommunications, power, architectural, and
heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC). Each team member needs to work to-
gether to ensure that the designed systems interoperate most effectively. The design of the
data center needs to incorporate current requirements and support future growth.
Careful planning and close attention to design guidelines is crucial for the data center
build out to be successful. Missing critical aspects of the design can cause the data center
to be vulnerable to early obsolescence, which can impact data center availability and lead
to a loss of revenue or increased cost to remediate.
Key
To p i c
Ta ble 4 - 2 describes a number of data center facility considerations.
Ta b l e 4 - 2
Summary of Data Center Facility Considerations
Data Center Facility
Considerations
Description
Architectural and mechanical
specifications
Space available
Load capacity
Power and cooling capacity
Cabling infrastructure
Environmental conditions
Operating temperature
Humidity level
Physical security
Access to the site
Fire suppression
Security Alarms
Capacity limits
Space for employees
Compliance and regulation
Payment Card Industry (PCI), Sarbannes-Oxley (SOX), and
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
