The pandemic crisis has reinforced the need for IT infrastructures and servers to have 100% uptime. For every firm and its employees, servers are the lifeline in this unforeseen situation.
How Critical Services Have Functioned During Covid-19
Big data centres are considered mission critical as they provide crucial support to consultancies, large enterprises, telecom organizations, banks etc. Work from home is the new normal, and data centres need to support businesses and employees with reliable data connectivity for their high-bandwidth applications like video conferencing and enterprise communication tools.
Thus, data centres need to be always operational, regardless of server rooms, colocation sites, or company-owned facilities. Data centres have uptime classifications based on which they are grouped from Tier 1 to Tier 4, and the specified acceptable uptime can go as high as 99.9999%.
The Importance of Data Centre Racks
Data centre server racks play a crucial role in the efficient functioning of data centres requiring the storage of numerous servers and vast volumes of data. By deploying high-density server racks, data centres can leverage more computing power in a comparatively small space, which reduces expenditures related to physical infrastructure and further reduces the fixed overhead costs.
Besides, deploying numerous low-density servers over a large area increases the data centre cooling costs while also forcing applications over multiple servers and cabinets. Fewer high-density server racks also ensure easier computing infrastructure management by providing improved flexibility and enhanced value over time.
Today, higher-density data centre racks are favourable for the data ecosystem, and server providers are continually striving to develop higher-powered servers offering unparalleled compute capabilities for supporting an extensive array of advanced applications, driving data centres to adapt to the technology. Choosing appropriate server racks enables business servers to run at optimal levels, allowing enhanced airflow management, cable management, and capacity development.
Besides, with data centre server racks, businesses also achieve enhanced security due to the utilization of locked panels for eliminating unauthorized access and keeping your servers safe. Different server racks offer additional lock and security systems, thus, be sure to choose data server racks suiting your unique requirements.
You can buy standalone racks to save space. Purchase racks that can be placed in any part of the server room so that you have more space for other equipment. Leading data centre racks are lightweight and slim so that you can place them in almost any area of the server room.
Tips for Data Centre Design
Undoubtedly, it isn’t easy to design a data centre as it needs plenty of effort, time, and money. A properly designed and built facility can host IT equipment and servers for a long time. It’s critical to do all tasks properly regardless of whether you’re developing a hyper-scale facility for cloud systems or a modest hub for a single company.
Provide Space for Growth
Building a data centre is a costly investment, whether building a new facility or renovating an existing one. IT investments of today are complex and have a long-lasting impact on a business, making it essential to assess expenditure categorization. Generally, all technology-related expenses fall under Capital Expenditure (CapEx) and Operating Expenses (OpEx). While CapEx is related to the purchase of tangible assets, it also applies to the cost of upgrades and repairs over time, whereas OpEx is related to the expense incurred due to daily operational activities.
Taking into consideration the heavy investments needed to build private data centres, Colocation services are enabling businesses to fundamentally shift the IT expenditures from CapEx to OpEx business models. Instead of making hefty investments in developing a physical infrastructure requiring management and maintenance, opting for colocation services makes for a practical idea due to rack space availability for storing hardware and incurring only a small portion of the facility’s power and cooling expenses.
However, remember to assess some other critical factors when analyzing your company’s future needs:
Floorspace: What is the floor space you need currently? Will you require more space in the future? Based on the estimations, you can develop what is required and include scale plans for future expansions. With colocation services, businesses get the benefit of scalability and support business expansion as and when needed.
Server space: Select the suitable data centre racks to correctly house your servers and equipment while allowing for expected growth. A lot of new facilities have many empty racks that allow proper airflow till they get filled.
Power needs – A data centre requires a massive amount of electrical power. Therefore, plan for your current requirements and provision for potential future demands too.
Cooling Needs – When you add more hardware to your facility, the amount of heat generated will increase, which needs to be properly cooled. New cooling systems are expensive, therefore, it’s essential to invest in the best ones, to begin with, and enjoy long-lasting benefits
The Indian data centre market is expected to reach $1.5 billion in size by 2022. The estimated cost of developing a Tier IV facility in the country is about $5-6 million. So, data centre companies need to thoughtfully design and build their facilities to make sure the money is well spent.
STT GDC India is a leader in the Indian data Centre and colocation services market with 18 hubs in 9 cities.
