Data Center Infrastructure
Data Center Infrastructure refers to both the physical and organizational structures required to operate a cloud, hybrid or traditional data center.
Designing a modern data center begins with elements like data cabling, grounding and bonding, power and cooling, and other essential elements that go into a powerful, flexible and reliable infrastructure.
Data center infrastructure must generally support or include:
- Fast, reliable internet access
- Wide-area communications
- Application hosting
- Content distribution
- File storage and backup
- Database management
- Fail-safe power
- Fire suppression
- High-performance cabling
- Physical security
The industry’s premier authority on data center infrastructure is the Uptime Institute, which created a tiered rating system reflecting the availability or resiliency of each facility. When classifying the infrastructure of a data center, Tier 1 facilities have the lowest availability of features and benefits, and Tier 4 data centers have the highest.
Tier measurements are useful in comparing specifications, obtaining estimates and relaying requirements to the architects and engineers who’ll be orchestrating the data center infrastructure.