Enterprise Data Center

An enterprise data center is a data center that it is owned and operated by a single organization to support their IT needs. The facility may be on- or off-premises and contains physical infrastructure such as servers, racks, and network systems that process internal data. Maintaining an enterprise data center allows for more control and visibility into operations and equipment and can be ideal for companies with specific and unique requirements.

What Are the Components of an Enterprise Data Center?

• Servers. Pieces of hardware or software that supply functionality to a data center. Servers are connected to networks making data more accessible and are stored in server racks.
• Networking. Networking equipment that allows the storage and processing of applications and data through switching, routing, load balancing, analytics, etc.
• Storage. Storage within data centers consist of technologies, software, and devices that enable the storing of data in a data center.
• Software. Software is the non-physical component of a computer system that comprises the programs, procedures, and routines involved in the efficient operation of a computer system.
• Cabling infrastructure. Cabling infrastructure is the foundation of data centers as it enables the power and data transmissions that are critical to operations.
• Power infrastructure. Physical infrastructure such as rack PDUs, remote power panels, busways, floor PDUs, and UPSs are necessary to provide power to IT equipment. Backup power is usually supplied by a generator to minimize downtime.
• Cooling infrastructure. Data center cooling equipment such as computer room air conditioning (CRAC) and computer room air handler (CRAH) units are designed to keep the facility at an ideal temperature and to prevent critical IT equipment from overheating.
• Physical security. Data centers may contain alarms, electronic door locks, biometric scanners, and other safety measure to protect the data and assets located inside.

What Are the Network Sub-Groups of Enterprise Data Centers?

• Internet. The devices and servers required for functioning web services and applications within the enterprise network.
• Extranet. The support necessary for business-to-business transactions in the enterprise network where services are usually accessed by private WAN (wide area network) links or by secure VPN (virtual private network) connections.
• Intranet. Contains the applications and services in the enterprise data center. The data collected contribute to manufacturing, research and development, marketing, and several other business functions.

How is an Enterprise Data Center Different From Other Types of Data Centers?

An enterprise data centers is just one of several types of data centers, and they each have advantages and disadvantages. The other types of data centers include:

• Colocation.  A colocation data center is a third-party leased facility in which an organization can place their compute, storage, and network assets. It offers scalability, continuity, and security for applications, as well as removes the need to build, staff, and manage in-house server rooms or data centers.
• Hybrid. A hybrid data center is a mix of traditional on-premises and cloud-based infrastructure that allows for the sharing of data and applications within the network system.
• Edge. Edge data centers are smaller data centers located closer to the end users to reduce latency. They typically connect to a larger central data center and deliver cloud computing resources and cached content to its end users.
• Hyperscale. A hyperscale data center is a massive facility built to provide extreme levels of efficiency and scalability to support the cloud, big data analytics, and storage requirements of some of the largest companies in the world such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

What Are the Advantages of Enterprise Data Centers?

• Increased control and visibility. On-premises enterprise data centers allow for absolute control and visibility into the infrastructure and operations of the data center.
• Security. Operating an enterprise data center keeps the access restricted to authorized staff and minimizes external physical threats resulting in an extremely secure data facility.
• Customization. Data centers can be built to an organization’s unique requirements, ensuring systems will be compatible and allowing for more customization.
• Quick solutions. Equipment failures and mistakes can occur in a data center, so it is helpful when companies can deploy their on-site staff to resolve the problem promptly and efficiently.

What Are the Disadvantages of Enterprise Data Centers?

• Extremely expensive. Building an enterprise data center can be extremely costly. Companies need to keep in mind the cost of construction as well as maintenance costs.
• Geographical expansion. If a company doesn’t have the ability to construct an on-premises data center, they will be forced to build off-premises which may increase costs.
• Possibly obsolete. Companies must properly keep their enterprise data centers updated or risk downtime and inefficient use of resources caused by obsolete infrastructure.
• Elevated responsibility. Managing an enterprise data center means taking on all aspects of responsibility that come along with it such as infrastructure maintenance, operations, and security which can be immense.

Simplify Enterprise Data Center Management with DCIM Software

Enterprise data centers are growing increasingly complex and can no longer be managed with traditional tools such as spreadsheets, diagrams, and homegrown tools.

Modern data center professionals leverage Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software to simplify day-to-day operations and bridge information across organizational domains like Facilities and IT.

Some of the ways DCIM software can reduce the complexity of managing an enterprise data center include:

• Maintaining uptime. DCIM software collects, trends, reports, and alerts on data collected by power meters and environment sensors. With this information at your fingertips, you will be the first to know of potential issues so you can remediate them before outages occur and impact users and services.
• Increasing efficiency. With DCIM software, you can centrally view all resources and capacity in a single pane of glass to enable smarter data center management decisions that maximize the utilization of your existing infrastructure.
• Improve productivity. DCIM software can boost the productivity of people by enabling automation via integration, automatically collecting and storing power and environmental readings, and simplifying management reports with over 100 charts and reports available out of the box.

Want to see how Sunbird’s second-generation DCIM software make it easy for you to manage your enterprise data center? Get your free test drive now!