What are Data Center Operations?

In some way, shape, or form, most modern organizations must deal with infrastructure management.

Data centers are made up of vital infrastructure equipment that allows a company to maintain three of the following:

• Online presence
• Execute applications
• Process data

Data centers are at the heart of corporate operations in the twenty-first century, from local servers and IT personnel to cloud computing solutions.

From basic equipment configurations to data center infrastructure management, the information below provides a more in-depth look at data centers.

Related: 8 Data Center Trends Changing the Industry in 2023

What is a Data Center?

A data center is a centralized place that houses the computing and networking equipment needed to gather, store, process, and distribute vast data.

Employees handling everyday operations, applications, and other procedures in a cloud computing environment require access to the vast volumes of data housed in data center facilities.

How Do They Work?

Modern data centers are made up of a range of infrastructure components, such as servers and network connectivity equipment, that allow for Internet access to server storage.

Users access data and applications held on data center equipment through the Internet to accomplish daily operations, utilizing private or shared data centers.

Data centers share computational and storage resources with many users in a public cloud environment. In contrast, private cloud settings limit access to data center architecture to a single user.

Trying to ignite your data center business? Go ahead and book a call with us today to discuss possible challenges and solutions!

Components of a Physical Data Center

When it comes to managing highly reliant data center operations, physical design is crucial.

Many of the most efficient data centers are found in colder climates. They are safe from natural and man-made disasters and have easy access to utilities and emergency services.

All data centers have four primary (physical) characteristics in common. Let’s go over each one individually.

The Building 

The area of the building has easy access to utilities and emergency services. Because data centers are among the most energy-intensive facilities, the architecture is designed to maximize space and control environmental conditions.

Natural cooling in a specific humidity and low-temperature location is used to offset the energy consumption required for data center component cooling. 

That’s why it’s important to have a guide that can help you manage your power usage more effectively. 

Around 1% of worldwide electricity demand, or about 250 TWh, is accounted for by data centers. 

Related: Immersion Cooling: Development & Implementation Guide 

Elemental Components 

This covers the typical IT hardware and software required to provide computer services to many customers.

Servers, networking devices, racks, HVAC and electrical systems, and other computing infrastructure resources.

Support of the Infrastructure 

This comprises the space’s physical security, HVAC cooling, UPS systems such as generators and battery banks, and utility services infrastructure. 

Also, there needs to be easy access to emergency services for operations to continue smoothly and with peace of mind.

Related: Data Center Fire Suppression: Overview & Protection Guide

Reliable Staff

The staff is the one that maintains the data center, which can comprise both on-site and off-site teams that work to manage and maintain data center operations to fulfill set performance, security, and compliance criteria.

Cloud Computing in Data Center Operations

The modern data center relies heavily on a network of interconnected devices to send information on various vital data center functions. 

These factors include not only computing performance and network security but also the facility’s overall performance in terms of:

• Cooling
• Energy consumption
• Airflows
• Reliability
• Costs

A Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution connects a network of IoT sensors to collect essential data logs from across the facility and data center. 

These technologies make use of advanced algorithms and analytics to:

• Have an updated report on the performance of the center.
• Manage changes to the network traffic and software programs running on the servers at the physical layer of the IT network.
• Make educated decisions to optimize various aspects of data center operations.

As a result, computer resource supply is tailored to shifting demands and network traffic patterns.

To fulfill these objectives, the DCIM physically records every RFID-tagged component of the IT environment. As a result, the DCIM provides engineers with a comprehensive dashboard view of the current condition of all features, allowing them to better manage process workflows.

Process Workflows and Standards

The logical level accounts for a large amount of data center optimization. The effectiveness of the data center facility is governed by operational workflows that control information flow, system design, engineering and business practices, and end-to-end data center lifecycle procedures.

Data center operations are governed by industry standards and organizations such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, The Green Grid, Open Compute Project, ITI, and the TBM Council.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes standards on information systems and the IT environment’s architectural architecture.

How Do You Keep a Data Center Running?

Like any type of software or hard machinery in the world, maintenance is key to the performance of any data center, from a private cloud data center to a corporate data center.

This covers the facility and its systems and the physical infrastructure that makes up the data center.

Understanding how cloud providers maintain data centers is critical as more organizations resort to colocation facilities for data center infrastructure.

A few of the categories that data center equipment maintenance falls into are:

• Regular inspections
• Continuous testing
• Predictive maintenance
• Preventive maintenance
• Corrective maintenance 

To prevent network outages, it’s essential to have constant maintenance to replace servers and other data center architecture parts at regular intervals.

Corrective maintenance is a last-ditch alternative that entails swiftly repairing any systems that have failed unexpectedly despite following the above maintenance plans.

Grow Client Value by Optimizing Data Center Operations

The IT services offered to end-users are the final component of cloud-based data center operations. ITIL 4 can be used by data center enterprises to unify several service management operating models and assist them in optimizing IT operations for optimum business value.

Conclusion

While there are numerous advantages to having a private data center on-site, the cost is generally prohibitive for most companies. Even the most affluent enterprises may not want to cope with the continuing costs of maintenance, testing, security, and updates.

Building a data center costs roughly $200 per square foot, just the construction cost. That doesn’t include the fees for power, cooling, and regular data center operation.

There are solutions available that provide companies with data center capabilities without building an independent data center. You can head over to our website at C&C Technology and see the solutions we can offer you to get started on your data center. 

Looking for an easy approach to get started in the data center industry? Our staff at C&C Technology has the expertise to assist you in determining the optimal management practices for your data center!

Last Updated on January 21, 2023 by Josh Mahan