Increasingly companies are recognising the dangers of locating their IT departments along side their data centres. For many it is very convenient to have offices in a city centre block as it gives the company access to local business services and the staff good transport, shops and other local amenities. However such a site may be less than ideal for locating mission critical servers as the security offered by such sites cannot be guaranteed. Risk assessment undertaken some years ago probably would not have taken into account many of the dangers found in our global world today, making it time to re-think data centre sighting.
So what needs considering today when making this big decision? First of all to be open minded, considering all options. These include casting the net far and wide as the improvements in technology and networks now make it practical to not only think local but also consider data centres in Europe or even the rest of the world.
Natural disasters
Location, location, location as ever is all important, as it needs to offer security against both natural and man made disasters. In recent months we have seen the effect of earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding all over the world. Can they happen here in the UK or Europe - Yes they can. Much of London for example, could be effected by tidal flooding, and we have seen flash flooding in cities as divers as Gloucester, Hull and York. Not to forget two earthquakes this year measuring 3.6 in Ripon too.
Surprisingly, if not a little far fetched, the West Country is thought to have suffered from a tsunamis many years ago resulting from the movement of a tectonic plate in the Atlantic Trench. These caused flooding to 200 square miles, killed thousands and would have wiped out any data centres had they been around. Could it happen again and when, who knows!
Finally for natural disasters we cannot overlook pandemics. Luckily the last, the Swine Flue outbreak, was not a killer unlike Spanish Flue that killed millions. Should another wave occur that was more virulent then data centres in areas of high population would be at much greater risk.
Problems created by man
Man-made disasters, which can impact on data centres, come in many forms, such as fire spreading from adjacent buildings, terrorism or civil unrest as seen in the past in London and more recently in Oslo. Not to forget IT equipment theft, which are thought to be "to order" resulting from the high value of the kite used. So far 2011 has seen outages in data centres in Basingstoke and East London, causing distress to thousands.
Once you have found a location that avoids the problems identified above and is constructed to withstand the most invasive attempts of international crime to break in, then think power. Servers, at the micro level, over the last few years have steadily demanded more and more. Not so long ago a rack might draw 1.5 kilowatts, where as today it could have a thirst for 10 kilowatts or more, typified by blades and high frequency trading. On the macro level this means that a data centre may require to 2 or 5+ megawatts now but what of the future? Is there enough power already available or planed and will the local electricity companies allocate it to the centre in question. This is already a problem in many locations and will get worse in the future.
Having the power is one think, getting rid of the heat it generates is another. So it's important to see what a potential data centre is doing now and what it is planned for the future. There are a lot of innovative "free" cooling schemes available which make use of cold air, chilled water from subterranean lakes and streams, to mention but two.
Conclusion
So to answer the question" What would make a good site for a data centre", there is a lot to consider: security, power and cooling to mention but three. Recognising these more and more companies are looking to locate in ex military bunker data centres. Many of these, particularly those located in Switzerland, are built into mountains with many meters of rock between them and the outside world. This enables them to have far greater control over their external environment. They can withstand bomb blasts and are incredibly difficult to brake into.
Mountains also have additional attractions. Many have hydro-electric plants that provide carbon neutral and sustainable power, which is of great interest to companies which operate Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. The mountains also offer the opportunity to take advantage of "free" cooling which enables the facility to lower its PUE.
For more information see 10 points to consider when selecting a
data centre.
Bruce Barnard has worked as a company doctor in a wide range of industries for over 30 years. The markets covered are as divers as packaging, consumer electronics, golf and data centres. He has been involved in a wide variety of marketing and market research projects to identify what buyers wants from the products or services they buy. His aim is help suppliers sell and buyers get the maximum benefits from their chosen purchase. Check out http://www.deltalis-datacentre.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Barnard
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