Data Centers: What to expect
I have been around in the data center and colocation world. I have come to expect the following conditions:
- Locked Racks
- at least 2 factor authentication
- redundant power
- battery backup
- redundant switching
- N+1 redundancy
- multiple backup generators
- full load testing on battery and generator
- some level of high end support for colocations
- hot aisle / cold aisle setup
- great air conditioning and humidity control
- overhead cable troughs
I do not thing that those things are to much to ask! Most people would be surprised at how many times that companies lack or can not provide them at a reliable rate. Also, the following can separate the ok from the great data center:
- Multiple troughs to segregate cabling. Separate runs for power, Ethernet, and fiber
- Security tokes all administered by guards on staff
- Cage leasing ability
- manged cabling services for Ethernet and fiber runs
I had the pleasure of touring a colocation lately that did EVERYTHING right.
Entrance:
By the time I made it to the door, I counted 3 perimeter video cameras. I picked up the phone next to the door and it auto dialed. I was greeted by a security guard on the other end of the line which after providing appointment information, buzzed me in. I was now in a trap door setup. I could go not further. There was a bulletproof glassed in area to the left where the security guard was housed. He slid open a tray like at a bank deposit window and requested my ID. After my identity was verified, I signed in and was given a security card. This happens every time someone comes to visit. No access cards are permanently held by a client. The location was around 10,000sqft. I questioned their security monitoring and was informed that they had 52 motion sensing cameras on the colocation floor as well as 15 outside securing the building. The wiring was amazing. Their Ethernet, fiber, and Internet drops were all ran in separate troughs to the racks. Cages were also available for lease. The company does NOT oversubscribe their power. What you request is what is provisioned which means the facility can actually provide full load to all PDUs. All power components are completely redundant all the way out. This is unlike most facilities which does have a single point of failure somewhere on their build-out. I am ready to move our servers to a new place.
