Aspects of the Planning of a Data Center

What does the perfect data center look like? Planning a data center involves a good deal of communication because there is no such thing as the perfect data center.

Construction costs as well as operational costs of a data center are closely linked to the requirements placed on the data center. It is therefore advisable to pay particular attention to the analysis phase and the definition of requirements and concepts. Corporate strategy, requirements arising from IT governance and IT risk management must also be integrated.

Whether it is the construction of a new data center, the extension of an existing one, the outsourcing of services (housing, hosting, managed services, cloud services) or yet another data center concept – the basic principle is always the same: there is no universal solution. A succinct analysis of the actual situation and the determination of requirements are indispensable prerequisites. A factor that cannot be underestimated is the definition of realistic performance parameters.

Selection of the site for a data center is becoming increasingly subject to economic considerations and available resources. Two crucial factors are the power supply and IP integration. Then there are the corporate challenges of physical safety, i.e. potential hazards in the vicinity, risks due to natural disasters (flooding, storms, lightning, earthquakes) and also sabotage.

2.5.1. External Planning Support

We must emphasize that planners and consultants are often only referred to when the damage has already been done. Server parks, phone networks and complex information systems are realized without the help of specialized planners or professional consultants, and then when the facility is commissioned, deficiencies are often revealed that could have been avoided if professionals with comprehensive expertise had been consulted.

Another important aspect is a consultant's or planner's experience in data center issues.

Management members, IT and infrastructure managers (electrical and air-conditioning engineers, utilities engineers, architects, security experts, network specialists, etc.) quite often do not speak the same language – even within the same company. One essential prerequisite of a successful data center project, however, is a perfect flow of communication and the integration of all the areas concerned – one of the most important tasks of the project leader.

Companies often hire external consultants for analysis, definition of requirements and location research. It is essential that these external consultants maintain very close communication with management, the IT department and infrastructure managers to allow them to establish company-specific requirements that are economically feasible.

The tasks of a data center planner are: • Initial assessment of the facts

• Planning (iterative process) – define system specifications • Call for tender

• Tender evaluation

• Supervision, quality assurance • Inspection and approval • Warranty points • Project management

In Switzerland, planning work is usually carried out in compliance with SIA guidelines (Swiss Engineer and Architects Association) and in Germany with the HOAI (Fees Regulations for Architects and Engineers).

Analysis Initial

assessment Planning

Call for tender Tender evaluation

Supervision Warranty

Project management

Inspection and acceptance

The occupation of data center planner does not have an officially defined profile!

Data center planners are often engineers with a specific technical background who acquired work experience in data center environments. Due to the high demand, the group of data center planners is growing rapidly. However, their service portfolios vary and the selection and hiring of a planner depends on the client's ideas and requirements. These range between data center contractor (from planning to completion) to professional con- sultant for a subtask.

The search term "data center planning" yields a wide range of service providers, such as:

• Companies who have added data center planning and all aspects connected with it to their existing portfolio. Typical examples are IBM, HP, Emerson or Rittal. The advantage stated is the one-stop- shopping approach.

• Companies who have specialized in data center planning. In many cases these are experts in specific industrial areas, who subcontract other experts themselves if required. Some of these employ engineers from all technical fields required for an overall data center planning.

• Building engineering consultants and engineering firms • Companies specialized in structured cabling systems

• Suppliers of data center infrastructures (e.g. air-conditioning, fire protection, power supply) • Suppliers of passive network components

• Data center operators • Consultancy firms

• Power supply companies with Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)

In many cases, potential clients – depending on in-house expert experience and skills – only hire experts for specific areas or consult a quality assurance professional.

2.5.2. Further Considerations for Planning

Topicsofstructuredcablingsystemsandapplication-neutralcommunicationscablingsystems(seealsoEN50173, EN 50173-5 and EN 50174) are not a high priority for data center planners.

However, experts estimate that today as much as 70 % of all IT failures are caused by faults in the cabling system infrastructure.

Since the introduction of Ethernet, the data rate has increased by a factor of 10 every 6 years. This generates an increased demand for bandwidth that a large number of networks installed around the world are not capable of transmitting.

In network planning, however, many essential data center planning aspects need to be considered and imple- mented, namely:

• Security, availability

• Impact on energy consumption – energy efficiency • Redundancy

• Installation and maintenance costs • Delivery times

• Flexibility for changes • Productivity