When you plan a data center architecture, you must focus on ensuring it has the right size. Look into the current responsibilities of your data center and your overall business goals. If you want to have a realistic data center design, you must be able to predict if computing power and storage will continue to be in demand in the future. Ideally, your data center should fit with the budget you have set and offers you room for growth. Stendel + Reich architects will help you design your center in a way that allows you to embrace new technologies and add new server capacity without building a new center or remodeling an existing one.
Power and Cooling Management
When it comes to data center operations, your long-term success is determined by the facility’s cooling systems and energy efficiency. When equipment overheats, it breaks down fast, and downtime in data centers can cost the operation thousands of dollars per minute. No matter the cooling system you use, you must prioritize cooling efficiency in your data center design. Each rack in every cabinet is expected to generate heat. Plus, you must invest in an HVAC system that can adjust itself to your data center staff.
Power Consumption
Every data center work requires electricity. When you plan for the design, make sure you understand its power requirements. You must check to know if the utility grid can provide enough electricity to power your building. Then, you need to invest in a cooling system to eliminate the excess heat.
By understanding the data center’s energy requirements, you also know how much backup generator you need. As data centers are essential to today’s businesses, you must always plan for design redundancy.
Data Center Cabling
Structured cabling in data centers is used for networking the system and offering connectivity to the world outside. When planning for your data center’s design, don’t just plan for secured routing and how many structured cables you need but also consider cable management. Also, you must determine how to provide your employees with easy access to cables for both upgrades and maintenance. It is important to determine how fiber optic cables must be incorporated into your facility’s low-voltage copper cabling layout. Every kind of structured cabling has its own advantages and practicalities. Fiber optics are increasingly more favored over copper for data transfer. But blending fiber optics and copper cabling can balance cost and performance.
