1. Data Center Design and Configuration
High Level DC Design Considerations – LDR4
Doug Chansky
Intel Security

2. Why can’t I install the same level power or cooling in my own building that a Colo has?
Short answer is you can in some cases but consider this:
Does your property management allow for the extra A/C and Generator gear?
Can your staff maintain a system that would be needed to match colo systems?
Can you build the same level of up time with fuel and uptime SLA’s from utility providers?
Can you budget and build big enough the first time to cover all future growth patterns or will you have to upgrade/replace in the future?
Images from:

3. What flexibility do I gain from going Colo vs
What flexibility do I gain from going Colo vs. a room right in my own building?
The budget needed to build on site will be high, will the design stand up long enough for the cost to be worth it? Can you provide the level of uptime needed?
The demand for data center space is constantly changing – new technology, software changes, product lifecycle challenges, etc. How long will the build out last before expansion is needed?
The cost of outages is a staggering number that is only increasing.
“The Cost of Downtime study quantifies the costs of an unplanned data center outage at slightly more than $7,900 per minute, which is a 41 percent increase from the $5,600 it was in Total data center outages averaged a recovery time of 119 minutes, equating to about $901,500 in total costs.
Partial outages, or those limited to certain racks, averaged 56 minutes in length and costs were approximately $350,400.”
--The Lowdown on Data Center Downtime, Emerson Power

4. How can I survive without my gear sitting next to me?
For the longest time IT professionals have always had the warm and fuzzy feeling with being able to walk over to their gear and touch it but do we need that today?
Review the number of times you need to work on a VM vs. a physical device.
How much of your environment is cloud based? Can you touch the cloud?
What task would you perform at the gear physically?
KVM – IP based KVMs handle that
Console port access – Terminal switches or console switches can achieve that
Power cycle the device – Managed PDU’s allow for independent operation of a port, thus creating the ability to hard cycle a device
Images from: techtoom.com

5. Density Considerations
The density of the DC can have significant impact on the overall floor layout and power requirements. As such these two factors will play a major role in the DC vendor you select.
Power
Can I utilize an entire circuit per cabinet
What type of power do I need
What level of availability is needed
Floor Layout
Future expansion plans
Current stage of gear in life cycle
Cabinet specific usage or open plan
Image from:

6. Infrastructure Cabling and Patching
Infrastructure cable provides maximum flexibility
in site design and expansion. The cost up front
may be higher but the cost comparison on the
front vs. the cost of rework and outages is worth it.
Another advantage is the speed in which you can perform installs, troubleshooting tasks, and staffing adaptability.
Images by: and aqcommunications.com

7. How secure is my gear and data on it when the site has 24x7 access?
Various Colo vendors have various layers of security and implementations of those layers but traditionally they have a common core.
Depending on your building type and security model the question would be more of “Is your local DC secure”, keyed doors, unlocked cabinets, no cameras, etc.
Did you pass your last SOX/PCI or regulatory audit?
Image from: