Core Components of Data Center Infrastructure and Facilities

Data center infrastructure is the backbone of the internet and includes countless makes and models of hardware and related machines. This article will bring clarity to the computing and non-computing resources that are considered the core elements of data center infrastructure.

What Is Data Center Infrastructure?

Data center infrastructure is composed of the physical elements that can be found within a data center. In essence, data center physical infrastructure can be classified as the IT hardware and supporting hardware (like cooling and air quality systems) found within the walls of the facility.

Most people are aware of data center IT infrastructure like servers and data storage components, but there are critical non-computing elements as well.
If supply chain issues have been impacting your IT operations and you need to purchase storage, server, or networking hardware, we can help! We offer data center hardware sales through our business unit, Curvature. We carry new and preowned inventory around the world, so your products ship in days, not months. Contact us to see how we can get you the IT equipment you need, fast!

Data Center Facility Infrastructure Is More Than IT

In addition to IT-related systems, data center elements for power and cooling are also critical to operations.

Consistent power is a key part of maintaining uptime in a data center. Data centers generally tap into the municipal electrical grid, and most even contain some type of power failover and backup source of electricity.

The physical components of data center operations also tend to create a lot of heat. Cooling systems for temperature and humidity regulation within data centers are must-haves. In the rare event that cooling systems experience a critical failure, fire suppression systems are also present.

What Is Data Center Infrastructure Management?

Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) is a system that combines Data Center Ops and IT and can be applied for optimal data center performance. DCIM uses discovery, monitoring, reporting, and visualization to aid data center operations managers in controlling the physical data center elements.

Data center infrastructure management can be applied in part or in whole by Third Party Maintenance, Managed Service Providers, or DCIM software.

Types of Data Center Components

We’ve established that facilities house both data center IT infrastructure and environmental infrastructure (cooling, power, etc.), but for the purposes of this article, we consider the core elements to be storage, server, and network hardware.

Storage Infrastructure Data Center Components

Storage infrastructure refers to IT storage components like network attached storage (NAS), direct attached storage (DAS), solid state drive (SSD) flash arrays, tape storage, etc. Popular storage device brands include the likes of HPE, Dell EMC, NetApp, and IBM.

Contact Park Place Technologies today for a quote on storage maintenance and support.

Server Infrastructure Data Center Components

Server infrastructure refers to rack, blade, and tower servers used to house data and applications. Servers can also be completely virtualized environments within a physical machine, but those are not included in the data center components explained within this article since they are not physical infrastructure.

For a quote on server maintenance and support contracts for your data center, contact Park Place Technologies today!

Network Infrastructure Data Center Components

Network infrastructure consists of hardware like routers, switches, security appliances and firewalls. These data center assets are essential to the connection and integration of the different data center hardware systems. Popular brands include Cisco, Brocade, Juniper, F5 Networks and more.

Whether you need to buy network equipment, or you’re looking for network support and maintenance on your existing equipment – Park Place Technologies can help!

Types of Data Center Facilities

The evolution of data center infrastructure has caused the growth and classification of several different types of data center facilities.

• Enterprise Data Center Facilities – These are traditionally-organized facilities that are directly owned and operated by a single organization. These are generally located on-site, and an in-house team oversees maintenance, IT deployments, hardware upgrades, and network monitoring.
• Colocation Data Centers – These consist of shared data center space in which an organization can rent space for servers and other hardware. The benefits of colocation vs. in-house data centers are that the facility provides the building, power, HVAC, internet bandwidth, and physical security, while you (the customer) must supply and maintain the hardware.
• Managed Data Center – In a managed service data center arrangement, a company leases the physical infrastructure, and a third-party managed service provider manages the hardware and facility. Contact Park Place Technologies today for more information about ParkView, our full suite of data center infrastructure managed services.
• Cloud Data Center – This type of data center structure has become more popular over the recent years. A cloud data center is an off-premises facility that is internet accessible by your company, though you have no responsibility for maintaining the related infrastructure.

Improve Efficiency with the Right Global Networking and Data Center Optimization Partner

When it comes to future-proofing your data center, it makes sense to keep the leading provider of digital infrastructure support in your corner. One of our chief aims if for you to have uptime all the time, and we try to deliver that by offering a full suite of infrastructure managed services, global hardware maintenance, data center professional services, hardware sales, and infrastructure monitoring software.

Contact us today to learn how we can support your data center needs.