Data Centres are used across the country and world. They are classified as a data centre if it is a dedicated space, usually a building or group of buildings that have computer systems to store and share data. This industry in the UK alone has a value of approximately $8.4 Billion.
These data centres are used as key facilities to house large computers in central locations to give users access to data and resources. These buildings have row after row of computers made to store, process, and disseminate data for companies and organisations. Visit https://beeksgroup.com/network/data-centres/equinix-london-ld4/ for more information about London’s data centres.
What’s the use of Data Centres?
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Datacenters are crucial in the new age of technology as they have become central hubs for large businesses to store vital information securely. They can be used as central locations from where large quantities of information are sent to employees or clients.
Data Centres are not only used for business. Social Media apps use many of these data centers to share data for their users. Facebook has been recorded to have 18 data centers with an approximate value of $20 billion and is planning the installation of another 47.
Data Centers are critical with the use of technology and society’s continued use of the internet and shared data. Data Centres can often be forgotten as you go about your day-to-day schedule but are integral to how people live with the internet from the use of Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok, Gmail, and countless others which all use large data centers to distribute and store data as needed.
Data Centres are now a cornerstone of technology and without their use, there would be a data crisis worldwide.
Size of Data Centres
It is important to note that datacenters can look like normal buildings but often are large warehouses in central locations. These buildings are not all small, some can be as large as 100 000 square feet or 9 290 square meters. For reference, a football field is 7 140 square meters.
Larger data centers are now being placed in places with colder climates to counter the cooler needs of keeping these servers cool. As such newer data centers are being built in Iceland and other cold regions to lower the impact the thousands of aircon might have on the environment.
Components of a Data Centre
Data centers can differ vastly from one another as they are built for different needs. A private data center may have far more security due to its sensitive information. A facility designed for storing data for a streaming platform such as Netflix or Amazon Prime will focus more on its disk space, RAM, and CPU as these will be more important requirements.
Although data centers may differ in their uses all need a balance of components to ensure they are functional. These components are:
Building design and location
This incorporates the architectural need for the space of all Equipment used in the 24/7 usage of data centers. The building’s design and location are optimized to reduce temperature and humidity. These buildings are built to reduce the need for aircon and additional cooling effects on the environment as aircon and synthetic cooling is not environmentally friendly.
Core Components
The vital components to a datacenter are storage systems(large hard drives), servers and network infrastructure made up of switches and routers as well as security software to increase the strength of firewalls(Security defenses for computers).
Support infrastructure
- Uninterruptible Power sources(UPS)
- UPS are designed to keep data centers online in the event of power failure or an overload of the power grid’s supply of electricity to the data center. This includes battery banks and generators.
- Environmental control
- This refers to air conditioners(CRAC), ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and exhaust systems to flow hot air out of the building.
- Physical Security Systems
- Physical security will differ however most use biometric scanners(such as fingerprint scanners), surveillance systems, and security patrols to keep the data centers safe from harm.
Operational Staff
Staff is still required to ensure that the data center systems are operational. They maintain the infrastructure and servers ensuring any bugs or faults are fixed ASAP to prevent any problems or risks to the safety of the data center.
Data Centres are evolving in the capabilities forced by the changing IT needs of the 21st century. In the last 20 years, data centers have become staples of technology and their own industry within the technology industry. Across the world, data centers are being built to support the usage needs of data and internet consumption. In London alone there are 84 data centers built however many more are under construction to support its online usage data storing ability.
