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Datacenter and its Classifications

A datacenter forms the backbone of any IT related service. It is the place where huge number of servers, databases and telecommunication equipment's are housed to process large amounts of electronic data. This ensures faster access to data for a multitude of business services.

 

For example, an investment bank will use the datacenter to store and process financial information for its customers. The very same datacenter can also be shared by search engines to store and access its indexed data. It could also be used by web hosting companies, which allow its customers to host websites and store information.

 

The size of the datacenter can vary from a single room, to an entire floor or to an entire building with various physical and electronic security systems in place, depending upon requirement. Any disruption of uptime for a datacenter can cause thousands if  not millions of dollar in damage for businesses that depend on it. Hence they are heavily protected and carefully monitored.

 

A typical datacenter will have:

  • Networked servers to run complex applications

  • Cooling systems to ensure systems inside the datacenter don’t over heat
  • Ventilation systems to ensure optimal air-flow
  • Security systems (both physical and electronic) to deny unauthorized access to data
  • Power Distribution Units (generators, batteries, etc.) to ensure continuous power supply
  • Redundant Units / Backup systems to ensure continuous uptime
  • The functions within a datacenter can be sub-divided into two categories:
Datacenter Network & Applications

  • Contains all IT network related components (router, switches, firewall, bridges, etc.)

  • Contains Servers to run complex applications and solutions

Datacenter Management

  • Cable management

  • Cooling and ventilation systems
  • Physical Security systems
  • Power Units, etc.
As business needs varies from company to company, the idea of "one size fits all" don’t work here. Hence, the datacenters are classified into four types based on business needs and its availability.

 

 

Datacenter Classification
(Note: HVAC - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems)

 

If you have any questions or comments regarding this blog post, do share it in our comments section.

 

 

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