Today, it’s no surprise to anyone that a company has its own data center. What is it, only a few employees of this organization know, but in reality, such equipment is required for any business that wants to achieve real stability. In other words, if there is a real need to ensure uninterrupted, scalable and manageable work of the company, when the stability of the business directly depends on the IT infrastructure, a data center is used.
What is it?
Thus, over time and the development of information technology in almost any organization that is somehow connected with information, there is its own data center. What it is? A data center, which in professional specialized literature is often called a data center. From the name it can be understood that in such equipment various operations are carried out that directly relate to the processing of any information, that is, the creation or generation of data, the subsequent archiving and storage of files, as well as their subsequent provision at the request of the user. In this case, special attention should be paid to the fact that in addition to the above functions, there is also safe data destruction, for which the data center is responsible. What it is? Elimination of certain files without harming the rest of the data and, possibly, without the possibility of recovery, if really important information is deleted, which should not fall into third parties.
Where can they be applied?
Today, there are a fairly large number of funds, including land cadastres, the Pension Fund and various libraries that are directly involved in the collection and storage of various information. It is worth noting that there is also such information that in itself generates a business, for example, that which is used by various reference services. There is also information that does not take any part in business processes, but is necessary for their implementation. Such data includes personnel services files, as well as user account databases in various information systems.
Industrial holdings create specialized electronic archives for performing settlement tasks, storing documents, and automating business processes. Thus, different organizations use different types of information, as well as tasks that relate to its processing. It is for solving such problems that the data center is created. What is it, only the system administrator knows, on whose shoulders lies the maintenance of this equipment.
When is a data center used?
The tasks associated with the processing of information were solved at different times using various technical means. In the twentieth century, electronic computing devices became the basis of modern business, since they took over the predominant majority of computing tasks, and the appearance of devices that store information in themselves made it possible to completely get rid of paper archives, replacing them with more compact, and at the same time accessible electronic and tape media. Already in order to accommodate the first electronic computers, it was necessary to allocate specialized machine rooms in which the required climatic conditions were maintained so that the equipment did not overheat during operation and at the same time work stably.
Server rooms and their features
With the beginning of the era of development of personal computers and small servers, the computing equipment of almost any company began to be contained in special server rooms. In the predominant majority of cases, under such a room a certain room is provided in which a household air conditioner is installed, as well as an uninterruptible power supply in order to ensure continuous operation of the equipment in normal condition. However, today this option is suitable only for those enterprises in which business processes are very dependent on the information used and the available computing resources.
What is the difference between a data center and a server?
By and large, the modern data center is an expanded copy of the traditional server room, because in fact they have a lot in common - this is the use of engineering systems that support the continuous operation of the equipment, the need to provide the required microclimate, as well as an appropriate level of security. But at the same time, there are a number of differences that are crucial.
The data center is equipped with a full set of various engineering systems, as well as specialized components that ensure the normal and stable operation of the company's information infrastructure in the mode that is required for the business.
Where is such equipment used?
In Russia, data processing with the help of such centers has become popular since 2000, when various banking structures, government agencies, as well as enterprises in the oil industry began to order such equipment. It is worth noting that the data center first appeared in 1999, when it began to be used to process declarations and statements of income for all residents of Moscow and the region.
Also, one of the first large data centers was equipment that was used in the center of Sberbank. In 2003, with the support of Rostelecom, the first republican data processing center was established in Chuvashia, which is used to organize archived data. Such devices were provided by various local authorities, and in 2006 a center was also opened in which the data processing of the Kurchatov Institute center was carried out. The following year, VTB-24 and Yandex also began to use their own data center. Moscow, therefore, quickly enough came to the use of such equipment, as well as other large cities of Russia.
Where is the data center installed?
Today, its own data center is used by almost every large geographically distributed company, especially if the business is very much dependent on the organization of IT. Examples include telecom operators, retailers, travel and transportation companies, medical facilities, industrial holdings and much more.
The data center can be designed for a particular enterprise or used as multi-user equipment. A multi-user data center provides a wide range of services, including business continuity, as well as hosting, server rental and hosting, and many other elements. Data center services are the most relevant for small and medium-sized businesses, since with its help it is possible to eliminate the need for capital costs for the modernization of IT infrastructure, and ultimately get a guarantee of reliability and the highest quality service.
The key to success of the data center is competent design
Proper design of the data center eliminates the occurrence of serious problems during the operation of the equipment, as well as reduce costs during operation. In general, the structure of such a center is divided into four main elements - this is engineering infrastructure, building, software and specialized equipment. Moreover, the construction of buildings and premises for the installation of such equipment is carried out in a variety of standards, the main purpose of which is to ensure safety and reliability. In Western countries, very serious and sometimes very peculiar requirements for data centers are often set - in particular, it is worth highlighting that the building should be at least 90 meters from the highest point to which water reached during flooding over the past 100 years, which achieving is far from as simple as it might seem at first glance.