Types of Data Centers and Design Standards: An Essential Guide

The evolution of technology has led to different types of data centers, each with specific features and advantages. Additionally, there are international standards that guide their design and operation to ensure reliability, security, and efficiency.

Types of Data Centers:

• Traditional Data Centers (On-premise): These are located on the company's premises. They remain highly relevant, especially for organizations that require a strict control over the security, location, and governance of their data.Many companies adopt a hybrid approach, combining their traditional data centers with public cloud services to get the best of both worlds: control and flexibility.

• Modular Data Centers: They are smaller, more efficient facilities that use prefabricated or modular components. These modules are manufactured, integrated, and tested off-site and delivered ready to be assembled. This method accelerates construction, reduces risks and overall costs,, and allows for faster deployment. They can include thermal management, power protection and distribution subsystems, and security systems. They are ideal for rapid deployment almost anywhere.

• Cloud Data Centers: In this type of data center, the entire infrastructure (servers, switches, routers, etc.) está virtualized and deployed "in the cloud". This means that resources can scale on demand, offering great flexibility. A cloud data center moves IT infrastructure off the client’s physical premises.

Design Standards and Certifications:

To ensure quality, reliability, and efficiency, data center design is governed by various standards and compliance frameworks. These provide a structure that guides all operations:

• Uptime Institute Tier Standard: This standard classifies the reliability and redundancy of a data center into four levels of availability. It focuses on the data center's resilience and provides guidelines for the design, construction, and commissioning phases.

◦ Tier 1 (Basic): Offers 99.671% availability. There may be interruptions due to planned or unplanned maintenance. It has no redundant components in power or cooling distribution. The infrastructure needs to be taken offline at least once a year.

◦ Tier 2 (Redundant): With 99.741% availability. It is less susceptible to interruptions and includes redundant components (N+1). Although it has backup generators and UPS, its power and cooling distribution lines may require service interruptions for maintenance.

◦ Tier 3 (Concurrently Maintainable): It achieves 99.982% availability. It allows for planned maintenance activities without affecting service computing, although unplanned events can still cause downtime. It has multiple power and cooling distribution lines, with enough capacity to operate one while the other is under maintenance.

◦ Tier 4 (Fault Tolerant): Offers maximum availability, 99.995%. It is designed to allow planned maintenance without affecting critical services and can withstand at least one unplanned event (such as a major failure) without impact on the load. It has multiple distribution lines and multiple redundant components (2(N+1)). It is important to note that the Uptime Institute has only certified a limited number of data centers at Tier 3 and 4 worldwide, meaning that providers’ Tier claims may not imply official certification.

• ANSI/TIA-942: This standard focuses on the physical aspects of the data center,especially the telecommunications infrastructure. It covers elements such as site location, overall architecture, electrical and mechanical systems, fire detection, and security.
• EN 50600: It is a transnational standard at the European level that adopts a an integral or holistic approach for the planning, construction, and operation of a data center.

In addition to these standards, there are certifications for ecological efficiency, como LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Green Globes, and Energy Star. These aim to reduce energy consumption and operating costs. Meeting these standards and obtaining certifications shows a commitment to efficiency and sustainabilitywhich is increasingly relevant given the high energy demand of data centers.

Compliance with regulatory standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, or SOX, depending on the sector, is also essential to ensure data security and availability. Regular audits are crucial to validate this compliance.