The concept of data center, which can be translated as “data center“, is often used in the IT sector to refer to the space that houses the technological resources that allow a large amount of information to be processed. These places are also called a calculation center or computer center.
A data center is a conditioned environment that contains computers and other hardware devices, networked and equipped with the software needed to develop data processing. These environments usually have special air conditioning to prevent the machine from overheating.
Take the case of a technology company that offers hosting for websites. This company will need a data center to host servers and process the data demands of its customers. If you serve a large number of people, you’re even likely to have more than one data center.
An airline must also have a data center to store and manage all the information of its customers, its employees, its planes, its suppliers, etc. On the computers it keeps the information of the passengers, records the tickets and coordinates the flights, to name a few possibilities.
It is important to note that a data center typically stores sensitive information, which must be protected. This protection, on the one hand, has to be physical: intruders must be prevented from accessing the room, implementing fire safety measures and avoiding short circuits and voltage changes, for example. Moreover, it must be virtual, protecting data from virus action and hacking intrusion.
Tips to improve the efficiency of a data center
While it may seem to the naked eye that the efficiency of a data center depends mainly on the use of energy, there are several other factors that we must take into account to optimize our resources and keep the structure functional.
First, we need to distribute the racks properly. Let’s not forget that racks are metal racks that look similar to a shelf that are used to house electronic, communications and computer equipment.
Whether we fill them or not make the most of their space, we endanger the cooling of the appliances. To avoid this problem we must distribute them evenly, occupying all the racks to the same degree, so that the power dissipated by them in each row is homogeneous.
Another important tip is to separate the aisles from hot and cold air, to achieve an optimal cooling system. In this way we not only protect the appliances but avoid waste of electrical energy. This task depends in large part on the previous one: if we don’t distribute the racks correctly, we won’t be able to achieve an adequate level of cooling either. Using the best data center enclosure options available today, we can achieve energy savings that reach 30%.
Properly planning the data center and controlling it at all times is one of the paths to success. There are many tools that we can use to achieve these objectives, which allow us to measure the variables accurately and access a comprehensive view of the system. The capacity of devices such as the space they occupy and their energy consumption are some of the points to take into account in this context.
To reduce energy costs even more we recommend using LED lighting, a technology known to all that can offer us savings close to 90% if implemented properly. It is important to use low voltage current integrated into structured wiring to power the lamps.