Three Signs of a Data Center Has a Future Proof Design

Sep 18
08:24

2012

Francis A. Hamer

Francis A. Hamer

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The average lifespan of a data center is considered to be around 15 to 20 years. To extend this, quality data centers are “future-proofing” themselves starting with the design process.

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The average lifespan of a data center is considered to be around 15 to 20 years. To extend this,Three Signs of a Data Center Has a Future Proof Design Articles quality data centers are “future-proofing” themselves starting with the design process. Along with extending the lifespan of the building, future-proofing saves time and money over the long term. When a business chooses a data center, it wants to know that it can rely on it for as long as possible. Switching data centers is a long, expensive process every business wants to avoid. They can do this by opting to partner with a data center that uses future-proofing techniques. This way, the expected migration timetable can be pushed back up to a decade or more. It is important for businesses to know how to identify a data center’s future strategy.

 

Flexible Infrastructure Design

 

The easiest sign a data center has the ability to extend its lifespan is infrastructure flexibility. This is most evident in new infrastructure designs that focus on flexibility and maneuverability. Some refer to this as a modular design because it can be easily modified to accommodate the constantly changing IT needs of businesses. One of the primary reasons data centers have a short lifespan is because technology changes quickly. Without infrastructure flexibility, the building’s layout and design quickly become inefficient. The faster the infrastructure can be adapted to meet newer, more efficient trends, the longer the lifespan of the facility.

 

Ability to Grow the Building

 

Another reason data centers have a limited lifespan is because they have a set amount of floor space. This is particularly problematic for retrofitted data centers. They are built in existing structures and have to fit all operations into the existing floor plan. This generally means there is no extra room available for growth. Purpose-build data centers are built with its clients’ growth in mind. They are now being built on significantly larger properties. This allows them to continually grow and expand the building as more space is required. This enhances the ability to accommodate new clients, as well as ensures that current clients will never run out of rack space.

 

Ability to Access More Power and Connectivity

 

Along with having limited floor space, a data center is also limited by the amount of power it can receive. Once the maximum electricity input is reached, no additional racks will be supported. To remedy this, purpose-built data centers are now built in strategic locations to utilize multiple power sources. This substantially increases the amount of electricity they can access. In addition, many are designed to accommodate supply from two power stations. This also increases the maximum amount of electricity that cables deliver to the building. The ability to add more connectivity is essential as well. To future-proof a data center, the building must always have the ability to add more Internet connections. This is done by either adding more carriers or adding more fiber optic cable.

 

A solid future-proof design allows a data center to extend its lifespan. It is also an excellent indicator to businesses that it is relying on the available infrastructure to incorporate changes in the future. Maximizing the available infrastructure and having the ability to integrate newer, more efficient practices are crucial. This allows data centers the opportunity for sustained profitability, while also saving their customers money.