Data Center: A Beginner’s Guide

data center
data center

The fourth industrial revolution, driven by digital technology, profoundly changes human production and life. As a physical base for carrying various digital technology applications, data centers are gradually highlighting their value of industrial empowerment. Its value of industrial empowerment is slowly coming to the fore.

Internationally, significant countries are actively leading the development of the data center industry. The data center market is expanding, investment and mergers and acquisitions are active, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Investment mergers and acquisitions and the competition is getting more intense.

What is a Data Center?

A data center is a building that provides an operating environment for centrally placed electronic information equipment, centralized storage, calculation, and data exchange. It is the core infrastructure for cloud computing.

A data center contains I.T. computing power equipment represented by servers and basic support facilities to ensure the regular operation of I.T. equipment, such as power supply and distribution systems, cooling systems, etc.

Internet Data Centres (IDCs) are data centers dedicated to providing essential Internet services. They focus on hosting customers’ network hardware and providing Internet access services.

Why do we need Data Centres?

Centralized Storage and Processing

As the volume of data increases dramatically, the size and number of devices required grow exponentially. Devices distributed across multiple branches and locations are difficult to maintain. Data centers provide a centralized solution for efficiently storing and managing large-scale data.

High Availability Assurance

Data centers are designed with redundant systems, including backup power supplies and multi-path network connections, to ensure continuous operation even during hardware failure or other disruptions. This guarantees business-critical continuity and uninterrupted service availability.

Enhanced Security

Security is one of the core considerations in data center design. They protect data from unauthorized access and other security threats by implementing physical security measures such as biometric access control and network security technologies such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

Economies of Scale

Data centers achieve economies of scale by pooling resources to provide cost-effective services to customers. This centralized approach is more economical than a decentralized I.T. infrastructure, reducing customer maintenance costs and improving resource efficiency.

Cloud Service Foundation

Data centers are the cornerstone for delivering cloud computing services such as SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS. They support various applications and services, enabling enterprises to flexibly scale resources and access computing power on demand, accelerating innovation and responding to market changes.

Stages of Data Centre Development

Early Stage

In the 1990s, with the birth and boom of the Internet, many companies began to implement information technology. They built their websites and many servers for mail, FTP, OA office automation, etc.

Some companies put their servers in their internal server rooms. Some companies, because the server is not much, are also not willing to put it in the office (noise, easy to power outages, low security). so the ‘hosting’ in the operator’s server room, renting the operator’s premises, power, network bandwidth, so that the other party on behalf of the management and maintenance.

Thus, the concept of a data center began to take shape gradually. In 1996, a U.S. company called Exodus (specialising in server room facilities construction and bandwidth services) was the first to put forward the name ‘IDC’. This was the early stage of IDC data center development.

Second Stage

Over time, the hosting services of the first generation of data centers began to be refined, extending from complete server hosting to website hosting and web hosting services. That is to say, on a particular server, through the web hosting software, virtualized N web hosts are leased to N customers.

This is the second stage of the IDC data center, and in addition to websites, diverse services such as data storage space rental are also available.

Cloud Computing Stage

Further on, at the beginning of the 21st century, companies such as Amazon and Google developed cloud computing, thus bringing the data center into the third stage (cloud computing stage), which continues to this day.

The cloud computing stage is an upgraded evolution of the second stage. It completely pools the arithmetic resources of data center servers through virtualization technology and container technology.

More powerful virtualization software manages all resources, such as CPU, memory, hard drives, etc., and then allocates them to users. Physical hardware rental evolved into virtual hardware rental and even software platform rental and service rental. IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS appeared in front of us.

The composition of the data center structure

Servers and Storage Devices

Servers are the core components of a data center and process, store, and transmit data. Storage devices usually include complex disk arrays (RAID) and network-attached storage (NAS).

Network Infrastructure

Network equipment includes routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and other devices that control data transmission and traffic.

Cooling and Power Equipment

Data centers require extensive cooling equipment to maintain the temperature and humidity of servers and other equipment. Power supply equipment includes UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and generators, ensuring a stable data center power supply.

Monitoring and Management Systems

Data centers are usually equipped with various monitoring and management systems to monitor the status of servers and other equipment, faults, security events, etc., and to provide early warning and response.

Applications and Services

Data centers provide various applications and services to support business needs, such as email, web hosting, cloud storage, data backup and recovery, and more.

Main Functions of Data Centre

  • Data Storage: The data center provides ample storage space for data, files, applications, and other digital assets.
  • Data Processing: Data centers have high-performance servers and processors for large-scale data processing and analysis.
  • Data Networking: The data center connects different devices and systems through a network for data transfer and sharing.
  • Data Security: Data centers usually have solid security measures to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
  • Data Backup and Recovery: Data centers perform regular data backup and recovery to ensure reliability and recoverability.

Data Centre Design Criteria

Data center design standards generally refer to the ANSI/TIA-942 standard developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The standard provides detailed specifications covering data center infrastructure, including telecommunications infrastructure, architecture, electrical and mechanical systems, and other critical facility elements.

The ANSI/TIA-942 standard classifies data centers into four tiers based on reliability and redundancy levels:

  • Tier I (Basic Fault Tolerance): Basic data center facilities are available without redundancy. Limited system maintenance can be guaranteed, which is unsuitable for environments with high continuity requirements.
  • Tier II (with redundant components): In addition to the features of Tier I, it includes redundant critical components such as power and cooling equipment that can withstand partial system maintenance or failure.
  • Tier III (Parallel Maintainability): The data center can perform any planned maintenance activities without disrupting IT operations because all equipment is redundant, and system components can be replaced or maintained.
  • Tier IV (Full Fault Tolerance): This provides the highest level of reliability and redundancy. A Tier IV data center can respond to planned or unplanned activity while ensuring continued business-critical operations.

The ANSI/TIA-942 standards cover not only the physical infrastructure but also the location of the data center, environmental controls, power supply, network connectivity, and more, ensuring that the data center meets the needs of business continuity and high reliability from various perspectives.

These level standards help designers, builders, and data center operators clarify the data center’s design and operational objectives and provide customers with a basis for selecting service levels.

Types of Data Centres

Enterprise (Local) Data Center

This data center model hosts alI.T.IT infrastructure and data locally. Many companies choose local data centers because they have more control over information security and can more easily comply with regulations like thE.U.EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Public Cloud Data Centres and Hyperscale Data Centres

Cloud data centers (or computing data centers) store IT infrastructure resources for shared use by multiple customers, from dozens to millions, over an Internet connection.

Many of the largest cloud data centers, known as hyperscale data centers, are operated by major cloud service providers (CSPs) such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, which have significant data centers in every region of the world. For example, IBM operates more than 60 IBM Cloud Data Centres in various locations worldwide.

Managed Data Centres and Colocation Facilities

Managed data centers and colocation facilities are an option for organizations that lack the space, staff, or expertise to manage their internal IT infrastructure. They are ideal for those who do not want to use the shared resources of a public cloud data center to host their infrastructure.

In a hosted data center, the client company rents dedicated servers, storage, and network hardware from a vendor who handles the client company’s administration, monitoring, and management.

The client company owns all the infrastructure in a colocation facility and rents dedicated space to host it. In the traditional colocation model, the client company has sole access to the hardware and full management responsibility. This model is ideal for privacy and security but is often impractical, especially during a power outage or emergency. Today, most colocation providers offer managed and monitored services for clients who need them.

Types of Data Centre Services

You can choose several types of data center services depending on your requirements.

Local Data Centres

A local data center is a wholly owned company data center that stores the company’s sensitive data and critical applications. You must set up the data center, manage its ongoing operations, and purchase and maintain the equipment.

Advantage: A corporate data center provides better security because you can manage the risk in-house and customize the data center to meet your requirements.

Limitations: Setting up your data center and managing the ongoing staffing and operations can be expensive. It would help if you also had multiple data centers, as only one can be a single high-risk point of failure.

Colocation Data Centres

Colocation facilities are large data centers where you can rent space to store servers, racks, and other computing hardware. They typically provide security and support infrastructure, such as cooling and network bandwidth.

Advantage: Colocation facilities reduce ongoing maintenance costs and have a fixed monthly fee for storing hardware. You can also distribute the hardware across different locations to minimize latency and be closer to your end users.

Limitations: Sourcing hosting facilities globally and in different geographic areas where you are positioned can be challenging. Costs can also add up quickly as you expand.

Cloud Data Centres

In a cloud data center, you can rent space and infrastructure. Cloud providers must maintain large data centers with complete security and compliance. You can access this infrastructure using different services, giving you more flexibility in usage and payment.


Advantage: A cloud data center reduces hardware investment and ongoing infrastructure maintenance costs. It offers greater flexibility regarding usage options, resource sharing, availability, and redundancy.

How to design and plan a data center?

Determine the Requirements

The data center’s business needs and objectives must be identified, such as data processing, storage, distribution, backup, and recovery.

Select Location

Select a suitable location, considering the location, weather, conditions of infrastructure such as water and electricity, and security and risk factors.

Design the Physical Structure

Based on requirements and location, design the physical structure of the data center, including buildings, floors, rooms, racks, access roads, power and cooling systems, etc.

Select Hardware and Software

Select hardware and software equipment suitable for business needs and budgets, including servers, storage devices, network equipment, management and monitoring systems, backup and recovery software, etc.

Implementation and Testing

Implement the construction and configuration of the data center according to the design and planning, as well as testing and validation to ensure that it meets the business needs and security requirements.

Management and Maintenance

After implementation, the data center requires management and maintenance, including equipment management and monitoring, maintenance of power and cooling systems, data backup and recovery, and security and risk management.

How can the security of the data center be ensured?

Control Access

Restrict access to the data center to only authorized personnel through access control, authentication, access control lists (ACLs), etc.

Monitor and Manage

The data center will be monitored and managed in real-time through video surveillance, intrusion detection systems, and security information and event management (SIEM).

Data Encryption

Encryption of data through encryption technology ensures confidentiality and integrity of data in transmission and storage.

Network Security

Protect the data center network from attacks and security threats using firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

Disaster Recovery and Fault Tolerance

Implement disaster recovery and fault tolerance strategies to ensure timely recovery and operation of the data center in the event of a disaster or failure.

Security Training

Provide security training and awareness education to data center staff to enhance their security awareness and preventive capabilities.

What are the ways to manage energy and save energy in data centers?

Optimizing The Air Conditioning System

The air conditioning system is the primary energy consumer in a data center. Optimizing its operation, such as using the latest energy-efficient air conditioning equipment, increasing air circulation, lowering air conditioning temperatures, and using heat exchange equipment, can reduce energy consumption.

Optimizing Power Supply Systems

Ensure stable and reliable power supply to the data center by using efficient power supply equipment, implementing power management strategies, and using equipment such as UPS and generators.

Optimise Server Room Structure

By optimizing the server room’s structure, such as rationally arranging the equipment, optimizing rack density, and using hot and cold aisle segregation, the cooling efficiency of the server room can be improved, and the air conditioning load and energy consumption can be reduced.

Waste Heat Recovery

Waste heat recovery technology, such as heat recyclers, hot water circulation systems, etc., can convert waste into reusable energy, reducing waste.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Through virtualization and cloud computing technologies, it is possible to increase the utilization of servers and storage devices and reduce the number of hardware devices, thereby reducing energy consumption.

Energy Efficient Devices

You can reduce equipment energy consumption by using energy-saving equipment, such as servers, storage devices, switches, and routers.

How can high availability and fault tolerance in the data center be achieved?

Implement a Disaster Recovery Strategy

Implement a disaster recovery strategy, such as backing up data, replicating data in real-time, and performing off-site backups to ensure the data center can recover during a disaster.

Design and Implement Redundant Architecture

Using redundant servers, storage devices, network devices, power and cooling systems, etc., ensures that the data center can continue to operate in the event of hardware failure.

Implement Load Balancing

Using load balancing techniques, such as load balancers, clustering, etc., to ensure that the data center’s load is distributed evenly among multiple servers to avoid a single point of failure.

Implement automated operations and maintenance.

Automated operation and maintenance technologies, such as automated deployment, capacity expansion, and repair, can improve the data center’s operation and maintenance efficiency and response speed.

Monitoring and Alerting

Detect and respond to security threats promptly through monitoring and alerting systems, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems, real-time monitoring and alerting systems, and security information and event management (SIEM).

How do you virtualize and cloud-enable your data center?

Design and Planning

The first step is to design and plan the data center’s virtualization and cloud strategy, including selecting suitable virtualization technologies, cloud computing platforms, and service models.

Selection of Virtualization Technology

Choose suitable virtualization technology, such as virtualization software, containerization technology, and desktop virtualization.

Implement Virtualisation

Implement the virtualization of the data center, including virtualizing servers, storage devices, network devices, etc., according to the selected virtualization technology.

Management and Maintenance

Managed and maintained virtualized and cloudified environments, including monitoring and managing virtual machines, backing up and restoring virtual machines, managing cloud computing resources, etc.

Implement Cloud

According to the planning and requirements, implement the cloudification of the data center, including selecting the cloud computing platform, implementing cloud computing services, and achieving cloud computing automation.

Security and Compliance

Security and compliance management for virtualized and cloudified environments, including data encryption, access control, compliance auditing, data backup, recovery, etc.

What are the storage and backup strategies for data centers?

  • Storage Devices: Select storage devices suitable for business needs, such as complex disc arrays (RAID), network-attached storage (NAS), tape libraries, etc., to provide data storage and access capabilities.
  • Storage Management: Manage and configure storage devices, such as implementing storage virtualization, setting storage quotas, data classification and labeling, data compression and de-duplication, etc., to improve storage utilization and efficiency.
  • Data Backup: Regular data backup, including full and incremental backups, must be stored in multiple locations, such as local storage and cloud storage, to ensure reliability and recoverability.
  • Disaster Recovery Strategy: Implement a disaster recovery strategy, e.g., using off-site backups, real-time replication, multi-data center backups, etc., to ensure timely recovery of the data center in the event of a disaster.
  • Data Recovery: Restore and verify backup data to ensure data integrity and availability.
  • Security and Compliance: Encryption and access control of backup data to ensure the security and compliance of backup data.

How do we automate the operation and maintenance of the data center?

Design and Planning

You must design and plan your data center’s automation and OAM strategy, including selecting suitable automation tools, scenarios, and processes.

Selection of Automation Tools

Select suitable automation tools, such as automated deployment tools, automated configuration tools, automated monitoring tools, and automated remediation tools, according to the planning and requirements.

Implementing Automation

Implement data center automation according to the selected tools, including automated deployment, configuration, monitoring, remediation, etc.

Implement Automation Maintenance

Improve data center operation, maintenance efficiency, and responsiveness through automated operation and maintenance tools, such as automated capacity expansion, remediation, backup, recovery, etc.

Management and Maintenance

Manage and maintain automation and automation O&M environments, including monitoring and managing automation processes and tools, maintaining automation environments and tools, and optimizing automation efficiency.

Security and Compliance

Manage security and compliance for automation and automated O&M environments, including data encryption, access control, compliance auditing, data backup and recovery, and more.

How to achieve data center performance optimization and load balancing?

Determine performance metrics

Firstly, you must determine your data center’s performance metrics, such as server load, network traffic, application response time, etc.

Monitor and Manage Performance

Use performance monitoring and management tools like network, server, and application monitoring tools to monitor and manage the data center’s performance in real-time.

Optimise Server Configuration

Optimizing server configurations, such as adding memory, replacing hard drives, or upgrading processors, can improve server performance and responsiveness.

Load Balancing

Use load balancing techniques, such as load balancers, clustering, etc., to distribute the data center’s load evenly among multiple servers and avoid single points of failure.

Network Optimisation

Using network optimization techniques, such as network accelerators and content delivery networks (CDNs), can improve network transmission speed and bandwidth utilization.

Application Optimisation

Application optimization techniques, such as caching, optimizing database queries, and code optimization, can improve application performance and responsiveness.

Conclusion

Well, the above is an introduction to data centers. As I said, a data center is a critical information technology infrastructure implementation in the digital era, an important carrier of arithmetic power, and directly determines a country’s digital competitiveness.

In addition to the proliferation of numbers, data centers are developing in the direction of greening and intelligence, actively introducing AI artificial intelligence, improving energy efficiency, and reducing operational complexity.

In the future, let’s wait and see if there will be new morphological changes in data centers!

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