As your business grows, so does your need to house data safely and securely. Whether it is customer information, vendor contracts, inventory data, or anything in between, it is important to have a computer room design that will enable you to meet your data needs today, keep your data safe and secure, and allow room for growth into the future.
One of the first things to consider is the location of your data center. Depending on your specific situation and the size of your current data center, you may be able to find a place in your current building where you can complete a great computer room design, or you may need to outsource it. If you are outsourcing, look for a building that is conveniently located in an area where you can get to it when necessary, but also far enough away that it is protected from a disaster that may strike your business building, such as fire or robbery.
Next, consider the size. If you have a computer room design that fits your business needs perfectly today, you can almost guarantee that it will be outdated and too small within a few months. With that in mind, plan for the growing needs of your business, and design an area with plenty of potential for expansion. Planning in advance can save you the hassle of having to design a new computer room a few months down the road because you need more space.
Another important consideration when it comes to space is the type of equipment you are going to use. Servers take up space, and space costs money, so you want to minimize the total space you need with your computer room design. This means finding technologies that optimize resources and minimize the space they take up. Things like enclosed racks, intelligent rack PDUs, and other organizing systems can be helpful in this area.
For most businesses, the primary cost of any data center is the cost of energy to adequately cool the room. Servers, especially in close proximity, can get very hot and without proper cooling will eventually fail. When you create your room design, be sure to account for areas where they may be “hotspots” that need additional cooling, and also use design ideas that can help promote cooling, such as higher ceilings.
When you have such a high volume of electrical equipment in one concentrated area, having space for the cords is also crucial. Without good planning, you will wind up with criss-crossing cords, wires, and other hazardous situations that could be prevented. Simply creating space under the floor can be an easy solution where you can hide cords to keep them safely out of the walkway areas of the computer room.
Finally, you should consider security as an important part of any computer room design. Since you have so much information that is stored in your data center, it’s important to keep it protected at all times.
These tips can help any business prepare for building its next data center. Not only will your new computer room be ready to meet your data needs today, it will also be scalable for future growth, and will ensure your data is available as quickly and securely as possible.
