Data center design is the process of modeling and laying out the, in a systematic way, the data center’s ressources, including IT resources, architectural layout, and other infrastructure. Designing data center facilities is one of the most fundamental things that can be done to ensure that a data center will be operating at peak efficiency, but it is often overlooked and therefore poorly planned. By using data center design software and data center design standards, a facility is much more likely to construct and be able to maintain a data center that can withstand all of the pressures being placed upon it.
Don’t make the mistake that data center design is something as simple as looking at a floorplan and figuring out where everything goes. That’s definitely part of it, but the broad term of data center design encompasses much more, including the processes and techniques that must be implemented in terms of paperwork and documentation, as well as modelled diagrams, and the synergistic combination of the two.
A data center is designed chiefly by a system architect who will create both the documentation and the layout diagrams in a way that gives an understandable and cohesive understanding of the systems and structure of the data center. This process is a deeply involved one that takes a lot of time to work through and cannot be done (effectively) in haste or on a shoestring budget. To have a functioning data center that is able to process all of the information with which it is burdened, corners shouldn’t be cut in this process. They may be streamlined for efficiency, but they are essential to the ultimate creation of a functioning data center facility.
This work will include the most basic level of figuring out the number and type of servers required, to the calculations needed for developing layout and understanding what further equipment will be needed, to top-down looks at things like enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, data center management, and other related software that must be built into the data center system.
On top of that are the non-computer items that appear in data center layout, which include the actual facility in which the data center is housed, including its strengths and weaknesses such as cooling, power systems, and ventilation. There also must be work put into managing a disaster: what will happen to the data center if there is a natural disaster like a flood, a fire, or a power outage?
All of these things must be taken into account when designing a data center facility and a data center system.
To learn more about how Cache Valley Electric can help with data center design: Work with Cache Valley Electric today!
