Designing a data center is a big and complex task and requires a lot of expertise and experience, because the data center is known as the heart of information technology and the most valuable part of an organization. Any fault or defect in its design can have irreparable consequences. Therefore, the standard and efficient design of the data center is very vital, which not only ensures the security and efficiency of the system, but also saves money and time. In the design and implementation of the data center, many things must be examined and put together to finally design a standardized, efficient, high-efficiency data center that matches the needs of the business. In order to design and build an efficient data center, we need comprehensive and managed methods. In this article, we will examine 9 key steps for a principled and standard design.

What is a data center?

Simply put, data centers are physical facilities that include a collection of servers, storage devices, network equipment, and other related components. These centers provide a safe and secure space for storing and processing critical data of organizations and businesses.

The necessity and importance of the data center

As critical infrastructures of the digital world, data centers play a key role in providing online and digital services. With the ever-increasing volume of data and the demand for online services, the need for them is also increasing. These centers play a vital role in providing online services such as e-commerce, banking, social media, cloud services and many more. Without data centers, today's digital world simply wouldn't exist.

The growing need for data centers

According to Statista, by 2025, the volume of global data is expected to reach 180 zettabytes, which is 10 times the volume of data in 2018.

According to IDC, by 2025, 60% of global data will be stored in data centers.

In Iran, we are witnessing a significant growth in the need for data centers. So, according to the report of the Iranian Telecommunication Research Center, by 1404, the capacity of the country's data centers will reach 1000 megawatts.

In the next sections of the article, we will discuss in detail the key steps in data center design and implementation.

First step: Determining needs and goals

Why is this step necessary? Data center design is a complex and expensive process. Without a detailed understanding of the needs and goals, a data center may be designed and implemented that cannot fully meet the current and future needs of the organization. This can lead to wasted resources, poor performance and additional costs in the future.

Types of needs of a data center:

• Storage: How much data should be stored? What type of data (structured, unstructured) will be stored?
• Processing power: What kind of processing will be done in the data center? How many users will have simultaneous access? How many servers are needed?
• Amount of electricity required: What is the required electricity demand? What is the required capacity and power? What is the cost of electricity? What is the quality of electricity?
• Bandwidth: How much bandwidth is required for incoming and outgoing traffic?
• Security: What level of security is required for data and equipment?
• Stability: What level of downtime, uptime is acceptable and required?
• Constraints: How much budget is available for design and implementation? What are the physical limitations (space, electricity,...)?
• Growth and Development: What are the plans for future growth and development?

Determining the exact needs and goals is the first key step in data center design. By answering key questions and considering various needs, it is possible to design and implement an efficient and reliable data center that fully meets the current and future needs of the organization.

Second step: choosing the right place

Choosing the right location is one of the most important decisions in the data center design and construction process. The location chosen can affect the performance, costs and reliability of the data center. The chosen location should strategically have the ability to provide the required infrastructure (present and future) and be ideal in terms of security and performance.

Key points in choosing a place:

• Access to electricity: Data centers require a significant amount of electricity. The selected location should be ideal in terms of access to stable, reliable and sufficient capacity electricity.
• Security: Data centers must be protected against physical hazards such as floods, earthquakes, and fires. Also, they must be secure against cyber attacks.
• Network infrastructure: Data centers need high-speed and stable Internet connections for data exchange. The chosen location should be suitable in terms of access to a strong and reliable network infrastructure so that data can be moved without interruption.
• Temperature and humidity control: Data centers need powerful air conditioners to maintain the right temperature and ideal humidity. The chosen place should have favorable conditions in terms of weather conditions and the possibility of proper ventilation.
• Weight: The weight of the equipment is heavy, so the flooring must be designed to withstand a lot of weight. Special considerations may be required for the weight of raised floor coverings used to control cooling airflow.

The difference between dedicated and shared data center

• Shared data centers: In these centers, physical space and data center equipment are shared between several organizations. These centers are suitable for small and medium businesses that need limited storage space and processing power. These centers may be more exposed to security risks.
• Building a dedicated data center: In these centers, the organization designs and implements a dedicated data center for itself. This method is suitable for large organizations that need storage space and high processing power, more security and stability. These centers also provide more control and flexibility.

Third step: Design of physical infrastructure

The physical infrastructure of the data center forms its foundation. The principled and precise design of these infrastructures plays a vital role in the efficiency, security and stability of the data center.

The physical infrastructure includes several main parts, which are generally:

1- Power system: stable and reliable power supply for data center equipment is of great importance. The power system of the data center should include emergency power generators, UPS, diesel generators and power distribution devices.

2- Ventilation system: The ventilation system is designed and implemented to control temperature, humidity, and optimal ventilation in the data center. This section includes cooling and air conditioning devices that are used to maintain proper temperature in server rooms and prevent damage to electronic equipment. By using this system, the temperature and humidity are controlled at an optimal level.

3- Cooling system: the equipment produces a lot of heat during operation. The data center cooling system must be designed to keep the ambient temperature within an acceptable range. These devices can include gas and water coolers, coolers, coolers, and other devices.

4- Fire notification and extinguishing system: Data centers are at risk of fire. The notification and fire extinguishing system of the data center should be designed in such a way that in case of a fire, it can be detected quickly and after it is announced, it can be extinguished quickly.

5- Network devices: include equipment such as switches, routers, firewalls and other network devices that are used to connect the data center to the Internet and other networks. These devices must have high bandwidth and the ability to adapt to high network traffic. In addition to physical connections, equipment such as switches and routers are responsible for managing traffic and sending information in the network.

6- Security devices: To ensure data center security and protect vital information, it is necessary to use advanced security devices. These devices include a variety of solutions such as sophisticated encryption, video surveillance with advanced security cameras, comprehensive intrusion detection protocols, and other tools designed to counter security threats and prevent unauthorized access.

7- Control and management devices: These devices include a set of advanced technologies for monitoring environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, checking electricity consumption, and monitoring critical equipment. In addition, there are various management devices for controlling network traffic and managing email communications that allow data center managers to monitor and direct things with high accuracy and efficiency.

8- Storage devices: These devices, which include special storage servers, advanced file devices, and bulk data management devices, are used to store and manage large amounts of data.

9- Racks: Data center equipment is placed in racks. Racks should be designed to provide enough space for equipment and help with proper ventilation.

10- Cabling: Cables are used to connect equipment to each other. Data center cabling should be done in a principled and standard manner to avoid problems such as electromagnetic interference while maintaining order.

11- Insulation and isolation of sound, moisture and fire: controlling the insulation of moisture and sound produced by the equipment inside the data center is of great importance. Fireproof insulation is also a very important requirement.

Data center design standard

In the data center industry, there are different standards for physical infrastructure design. Some of these standards are:

ANSI/TIA-942: This standard specifies requirements for the design and construction of data centers, including planning, design, construction, and commissioning of construction jobs, as well as fire protection, information technology, and maintenance. This standard uses 4 levels. he does.

ASHRAE TC 9.9: This standard specifies requirements for cooling, ventilation, and refrigeration equipment in data centers.

UPTIME: The Uptime Institute's Tier Standard focuses on the design, construction and operation of the data center and is used to determine the resilience of the facility in relation to four levels of redundancy/reliability.

Fourth step: choosing the right equipment

Choosing the right equipment plays a fundamental role in the efficiency, performance, security and stability of the data center. The equipment used must be of high quality and efficiency in order to fully meet the needs of the organization.

According to the following points, you can choose the right equipment:

Needs: Before choosing the equipment, the needs of the organization should be clearly defined.

Budget: Sufficient budget should be considered for the purchase of equipment.

Scalability: Equipment should be selected that can be easily scaled if needed.

Efficiency and reliability: equipment should be selected that is efficient in terms of energy consumption and reliable in terms of quality.

Security: Equipment must be selected that is reliable in terms of security.

Support: Appropriate support services should be ensured for the selected equipment.

Fifth step: implementation and configuration

After choosing the right equipment, it is time to implement and configure the data center. This phase includes equipment installation, configuration of the operating system, software and network, as well as thorough testing and troubleshooting before use.

Implementation and configuration steps

Equipment installation: This includes installing racks, servers, storage devices, network equipment, and other equipment in racks and racks.

Operating system configuration: includes installing and configuring the appropriate operating system on the servers.

Software configuration: includes the installation and configuration of required software such as applications, databases and data center management tools.

Network configuration: includes configuring network equipment such as routers, switches, and firewalls. Then the connection of the data center to the global network and to the users should be done.

Employee training: Employees must receive the necessary training to work with data center equipment and software. These trainings include the following:

Familiarity with equipment

Familiarity with software

Familiarity with operational procedures

Familiarity with security issues

Sixth step: testing and troubleshooting

The next step in data center design is testing and full troubleshooting before using the data center. This will prevent problems and failures in the future.

Testing and troubleshooting should include the following:

Testing equipment performance

Testing software and applications

Test the network

Security testing

Stability testing

Seventh step: Security

According to Cisco's report, the number of cyber attacks on data centers will increase by 13% in 2023. As the beating heart of IT, data centers are attractive targets for cybercriminals. Some of these threats are:

Cyber attacks: Hackers can attack data centers using different methods such as DDoS attacks, intrusion into devices and data theft.

Malware: Malware can infiltrate data center devices and damage data and equipment.

Human errors: Human errors, such as accidental deletion of data or misconfiguration, and internal abuse can lead to security issues.

Physical hazards: such as fire, flood and earthquake

To ensure data center security, various solutions can be used, such as the following:

Firewall: to control incoming and outgoing traffic and prevent unauthorized access

Intrusion detection devices: to detect and prevent cyber attacks

Access Control: To restrict access to equipment and data

Encryption: To protect data from theft and unauthorized access

Training employees: to be aware of security threats and how to deal with them

Eighth step: management, supervision and maintenance

After the implementation of the data center, its basic management, monitoring and maintenance is of great importance. This is done to ensure proper, efficient and secure operation of the data center over time.

Duties related to management and maintenance

Software updates: Regular updates of operating system, software and applications are essential to fix security bugs and improve performance.

Repairs: Repairs and maintenance of equipment are done to prevent breakdowns and increase their lifespan.

Monitoring: monitoring the performance of the center in order to identify and solve possible problems before they occur.

Security: Maintaining data center security against cyber attacks and other security threats is one of the main duties of data center management.

Backup: Regular backup of data is necessary to recover them in case of accidents and failures.

Monitoring tools

To monitor data center performance, various tools can be used, such as the following:

SNMP devices: To collect information about equipment performance

Data center management software: to provide an overview of the center's performance and alert in case of problems

Step 9: Scaling and upgrading

The needs of organizations are constantly changing and growing. The design of data centers must also be implemented in such a way that they can adapt to these changes and growth.

• Planning for growth: While designing the data center, the future needs of the organization should also be considered and planned for its growth and scaling.
• Selection of upgradeable equipment: You should use equipment that can be easily upgraded so that you can increase the capacity of the data center if needed.
• Use of new technologies: The latest technologies should be used in the data center to ensure its efficiency and stability.

The largest and best data centers in the world and Iran

Google data center

Google has never disclosed the exact number of its servers, but approximately it has more than 900,000 servers. With more than 13 data centers around the world, Google is recognized as the owner of the world's largest data center.

Microsoft data center

Microsoft's Chicago Data Center has an area of more than 65,000 square meters. This advanced collection contains more than one million servers, which are divided into 1500 to 2500 categories.

Switch pyramid campus data center

This data center in the United States, with an area of 743,224 square meters, is another of the largest data centers in the world.

Datacenter of Iran Telecommunication Company

Iran's largest data center with expansion in 14 provinces

Afrant data center

One of the oldest and most advanced data centers in Iran, which has been operating since 1376 by providing various services to customers. The bandwidth of the Efront data center is 2 GB/s and uses the most up-to-date equipment.

Iran's datacenters

This data center is one of the most popular data centers in Iran that uses advanced equipment.

Conclusion

In this article, we reviewed 9 key steps for data center design. As you can see, the basic design of the data center is of great importance and brings many benefits to your business.
The advantages of basic data center design and construction:

Increased efficiency and performance: An optimized data center increases data processing speed and ensures service availability.

• Cost reduction: By choosing the right equipment and correct implementation, you can significantly reduce the operating and maintenance costs of the data center.
• Increasing stability and security: The design and implementation of the data center in a principled way minimizes the risk of failures and cyber attacks.
• Adapt to changing needs: A scalable data center allows you to easily meet your growing needs.

If you are looking for the design and implementation of a data center or if you need specialized and professional advice, we can help you. With years of experience in this field and the implementation of several successful projects, Fidar kowsar specialists will provide the best solutions for your needs.