Questions to ask about Data Center Infrastructure

As the heart of almost all network operations, data centers pump the lifeblood - data - to and from users, storage devices, and the Internet. The issues and trends surrounding data center infrastructure technology have been widely written about and explored here at Accu-Insider and by our manufacturer partners, but today we partner with CommScope to cover more on the topics of effective management, the focus on efficiency, and density and migration strategies.

When considering a new data center, the same basic questions must always be answered:

• Where should the data center be located?
• How big should it be?
• How much power consumption will it use?
• What is the uptime target (what tier, how many 9’s do you wish)?
• What technologies should we use?
• How should the data center be laid out?
• What is the data center’s life span?

With the proliferation of data centers today, you may be able to answer these questions; while some of these answers are straightforward, for each of them the network architecture and specific manufacturers products must be taken into account. Even after nailing down the designs and the specs, there are still another set of questions that you should ask yourself:

• Should we continue to use the same products and architectures?
• What higher density options are available?
• What are the distance limitations for expected applications?
• What new standards do we need to be aware of?

Data center infrastructure design is different from traditional structured cabling design for buildings and campuses. Even experienced designers must familiarize themselves with data center specific standards, architectures and technologies. Integrating diverse technologies, combining different cabling types, and making sure that the whole system performs reliably creates a set of complex tasks. Critical issues that need to be addressed include:

• What is the network architecture that best serves our needs?
• How much network capacity and speed do we need?
• How can we plan for migration to new technology in the future?
• What are the tradeoffs between expense and performance?
• Should we use copper or fiber, and where should we use them?

What questions do you have before you deploy a data center?

For more information on CommScope's network operations and new data center design services, questions about Commscope's products, or any other inqueries, please contact your local Accu-Tech representative today.