Data center or data center has become a major business requirement. Especially, those who run their business online or work in the information technology industry.
The reason is, a data center contains servers and other IT infrastructure that is useful for making websites, applications, or other IT equipment for businesses always accessible online and supporting company productivity in general.
So, what is a data center? Why can’t you just choose a data center? What are the recommended specifications?
Relax, you will learn everything in detail in this article!
What is a Data Center and Its Functions?
Data center is a facility containing IT infrastructure to store and process data. Many parties are already using data centers, including government agencies, organizations, and companies.
In the past, each agency generally owned and built its own data center. The agency must also determine what technology will be used and its management strategy.
However, now there are many data center service providers (which are also called colocation), so that each agency does not need to build and manage its own data center.
The colocation manager will provide the best infrastructure and the latest technology according to the needs of each agency to ensure optimal data storage services.
You also don’t need to worry about the security of your data. Even though the data center is managed by a colocation service provider, each user gets data protection software to avoid various security threats that may occur.
So, what is the function of the data center? The data center can be used for various functions depending on the user, which includes:
– Storing and processing company data
– Internal communication and collaboration using email and file sharing applications
– Running customer relationship management (CRM) applications
– Accommodate website or web application traffic
– Running online games
– Big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning
How Data Centers Work
How the data center works depends on its use. There are those who use servers and other facilities for various purposes at once. However, there are also those who only use it for data storage.
Data center management also varies. The data center owned by a company will be managed independently.
The leased data center usually specifies that the agency that rents it is responsible for providing and managing its IT infrastructure. However, electricity, security, and site maintenance are managed by the data center owner.
Then, what is in the data center?
Generally, there are three main components in a data center, namely:
– Computing infrastructure — A collection of units that function to support the various applications needed, such as the RAM and processor in your PC.
– Data storage infrastructure — A collection of data storage facilities and their backups. On your PC, its job is the same as a hard disk drive or solid state drive.
– Network infrastructure — the collection of means that connects the data center to the outside world, including switches, routers, and firewalls.
In addition to these three main components, the data center must also be equipped with supporting infrastructure which includes:
– Backup power source — uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and generator to ensure power is on at all times.
– Room conditioning — cooling and heating, ventilation, and fire suppression systems to maintain conditions within the data center.
– Security infrastructure — access controls such as biometric security systems and surveillance cameras.
A good data center will have all of the above components and infrastructure. Especially if it is supported by a backup infrastructure so that the data center can operate smoothly even if there are problems or maintenance.
However, there is an easier way to find a good data center, namely by checking the data center tier.
Data Center Type
The data center tier signifies the quality of the data center. According to the Uptime Institute, there are four data center tiers. Tier 4 has the best quality, while tier 1 is the lowest quality.
Here’s the full explanation:
1. Data Center Tier 1
If you want quality, a tier 1 data center should be the last choice. What is the reason?
Major tier 1 data center components, such as compute, storage, and networking devices, are not backed up. This means that even one problematic component will cause downtime (unusable).
Not only that, maintenance of facilities in the Tier 1 data center also requires all components to be turned off.
Another drawback is the absence of a backup power supply and cooling system. However, some tier 1 data centers have the supporting infrastructure.
If forced to use a Tier 1 data center, at least choose a location that is free from flooding.
2. Data Centers Tier 2
Tier 2 is a data center that already provides backup for some of its infrastructure, including main components and power sources. In addition, this data center is equipped with a cooling system, but without a backup.
Tier 2 data center servers are also safer than tier 1 because the floor has been raised to prevent water from entering if there is a puddle.
Even though it offers many advantages that are not available in tier 1, downtime still often occurs in tier 2. The reason is that the processor component must be turned off every time maintenance takes place.
3. Data Center Tier 3
Tier 3 data center has N+1 status, which means all main and supporting infrastructure is available and has backups.
That is the reason the downtime of the tier 3 data center is much smaller.
However, tier 3 data centers are not yet completely free from constraints. Emergency infrastructure repairs can affect the performance of its components.
4. Data Center Tier 4
Tier 4 data center is the best choice whether you want quality. This data center level has 2N status, which means that the number of main and supporting infrastructure units is doubled.
Because of the two advantages above, it can be said that a level 4 data center will almost never die. Downtime that occurs due to maintenance will hardly feel the impact.
However, the benefits of a tier 4 data center don’t stop there. This data center has a dedicated line to maintain connection stability with the available bandwidth.
Not to forget, tier 4 has the ability to block DDoS attacks. Even more sophisticated, some of them, such as DCI Indonesia, use WanGuard which can block in temporary mode, so not all servers are affected by the blockade.
Good Data Center Criteria
In addition to the four tiers above, the criteria below can also help you identify a quality data center:
1. Location
The location of the data center must be considered to maintain its efficiency. First, the data center must be in a safe location from various natural disasters. This is important to maintain the existing infrastructure in it.
As well as being safe from natural disasters, a good data center also has raised floors, especially in the server area. That way, the equipment will avoid standing water in the event of a leak in the facility.
Second, the location of the data center must be accessible to various internet network providers. If one provider experiences an interruption, the other serves as a backup so that connections with the outside world are always maintained.
Do not forget, the data center must easily get water supply so that the cooling system can work optimally.
2. Scalability
Business development must be balanced with adequate IT resources. For example, an e-commerce website that is increasingly crowded with visitors needs to increase its server resources so that they are not slow or down.
So, to meet these needs, the data center you use should facilitate scalability. That is, resources can be added according to development needs in a short time.
3. Data Processing Speed
As a facility to support the smooth running of the business, it is appropriate for the data center to provide fast data processing. Moreover, the data center is used by many agencies at once.
For that, you need to choose a data center that already uses multi-core processors. This processor is able to increase the speed of processing data. That way, access to each data can be served quickly.
4. Power Supply
The data center should have a good power supply and some backup means. At least, there must be a power saver such as a UPS so that the electricity stays on before the generator works.
Why must Choose Right Data Center?
Choosing the right data center is very important. If not done properly, you can experience the following four losses:
1. Reduced Productivity
Downtime in the data center can interfere with productivity. For example, the case of Microsoft data center downtime in the United States in 2018 that affected Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service.
The downtime that lasted for eleven hours made many Azure service users unable to access data and tools to support their productivity.
2. Tarnished Business Reputation
Downtime can not only reduce productivity, but also impact business reputation. One example is Slack downtime, a virtual workspace application that has been used by 600 thousand companies.
On June 27, 2018, the app experienced approximately four hours of downtime due to a drastic increase in its network usage. Automatically, business communications that were supposed to use Slack stopped.
Although there are several communication alternatives that can be used, many users are still dissatisfied with these obstacles.
3. Lost Transactions
Online product or service transactions are now commonplace. You can imagine if the data center suddenly went down so it couldn’t be accessed. You can lose up to IDR 128 million per minute
If the problem lasts too long, it’s not impossible that consumers will switch to competitors, right?
Therefore, websites and web applications for e-commerce, banking and other services must be supported by a data center that has minimal constraints.
4. Lost or Stolen Data
Let’s say you are using a tier 1 data center, and suddenly there is a flood in the data center. What happened? Your stored data may be lost because the storage facility used is damaged due to the natural disaster.
Not only from physical disturbances, data centers can also become targets of cyber attacks or cyber attacks.
If the server is successfully infiltrated by ransomware, your data can be controlled by hackers. The data may never come back or you will have to pay a large amount of money to get it again.
Conclusion
The data center is an important factor for the smooth running of your business. A good data center can be utilized for communication, data storage, and running websites or web applications optimally.
The wrong choice of data center will result in risks such as slow websites, data theft, and loss of consumers. The best recommendation is to use a Tier 4 data center.
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