Essay Example on Data Center Location: Finding the Ideal Spot

A data center should be located at a place that has all auxiliary services, and a conducive environment that is guaranteed from any form of interruptions.

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The availability of qualified personnel to operate the data center is another critical factor that should be considered. A data center needs to be set up and maintained by individuals that have adequate knowledge regarding how a data center operates, as well as any related requirements. If the organization does not have the qualified employees, it can outsource the role of developing the data center to an outside party that will guarantee a great job. Furthermore, the organization has the option of looking for reputable professionals and putting them in charge, as this will be comparatively cheaper for the development of the data center. The personnel might include technical site staff, security personnel, and mechanical personnel (Zarrili, 2019). They should be available at all times to address any issues that might arise and cause an inconvenience to the data center. If the organization places the data center development and operation in the hands of individuals with inadequate skills, then there will be a risk of sabotaging the normal functioning of the data center. That will lead to more costs for the organization, in addition to inconveniencing the operations.

The operations of a data center should be in the hand of individuals with the right set of skills so that quality operations are guaranteed.

Risks and their management

Despite adequate planning and development of a data center, there are various risks that it may face as soon as it starts its operations. This calls for a highlight of the factors, as well as the development of an elaborate plan on how to mitigate or reduce the adverse effects that might be caused by the risks. The risks can be broadly categorized into three groups, which are data system risks, external risks, and facility risks. Each of the risks affects the data center in a different way; hence the mitigation will be different too. External threats are those risks that are not within the control of the organization. Despite adequate planning and control measures in place, the data center might still be affected by external factors. These external factors include natural disasters, human-caused errors, civil disruptions, and supplier outages (Kleyman, 2016). The best way to address the above hazards is by putting in place mechanisms that will reduce their effects, such as security measures or backups. Moreover, insurance can be handy as it will cater to any losses that will be directly attributed to the risks suffered by the organization. Analysis of the environment in which the data center will be installed is another choice, for example, a violence-prone area, or a location characterized by disasters. When planning for the data center, some of the external risks can be highlighted, hence contribute to avoiding the risks in the future.

The security of a data center should be guaranteed, in the form of the physical and software aspects.

Facility risks are the other type of risk that the data center might face as it is being used, and must be adequately planned for. These are the risks that affect the infrastructure of the data center, leading to inconveniences. Power and fire are the leading risk factors, whereby the data system will be affected by them, destroying it and hence leading to loss of data. Water, security, and compromise on the structure of the data system are the other aspects of facility risks that the data center faces. The best way to mitigate facility risks is the development of a structure to the data center that is capable of safeguarding it against the risks.

The last category of the risks that the data center faces is that of the data system risk, which affects the data architecture and management. That is the core functional part of the data center, as it is dedicated to communication in the organization. Any compromise to the data infrastructure of the data center will lead to the failure to perform its primary functions for the organization. Hence, it is essential to make sure that the risk is appropriately addressed. This risk affects various components of the data center, which primarily is composed of shared servers and communication networks. When this component is compromised, then the functionality of the data center is halted. The software application, as well as data storage and backup, are the other components of the data center that might be compromised if this risk occurs. Virus attack is a secondary risk that will result if this risk occurs, as the security will be compromised, and hence the system will be susceptible to viruses. This risk can be avoided by providing bug fixes, having a backup system, shielding of shared servers, and having antivirus software for security.

For the achievement of the best results from the data center, there are some policies and best practices that the organization should consider putting into place. First is the use of software-defined networking. These models have benefits which primarily the optimization of the operating capability of the data center and the business model as well. That enhanced capability will enable the organization to get the best outcomes from the data center and boost its business activities. Moreover, another best practice is the BYOD (bring your own device), whereby employees are free to have their own superior tools. That increases their mobility as well as job satisfaction, which maximized the output from the data center in the long run (Filani et al. 2008). That is one of the trends that has been researched concerning data centers and has been associated with better results for the employees that work directly with the data center.

The use of hyper configured Infrastructure (HCI) is the other practice that can be adopted to enhance better results from the data center. That is because the hyper-configured infrastructure comes with an economic and flexibility aspect that is needed in the dynamic usage of the data center. That is all achieved without harming the functionality of the data center, which makes it a desirable addition to the data center for an organization (Peltier, 2016). The use of flash storage is another undertaking that an organization can enhance to get the best out of a data center. This type of storage is great for a data center as it is capable of improving 99.9% reliability and availability, which is inclusive of generational upgrades, maintenance, and occasional failures. Training and development of the staff that works at the data center is also advisable (Rosow & Zager, 1988). The world of technology is very dynamic; hence when the employees have obsolete skills and competencies, it will have the effect of lowering the probable capabilities of the data center or putting it at a higher risk of failure. Thus, when the above practices are implemented in an organization, the best results can be achieved from the use of the data center over time. All this can be achieved when there is collaboration among all the parties that work with the data center, or else objectives will not be met.

There are various 'green" IT trends that the organization can use to benefit the data center project and be of great help to the organization. First, is the prioritization of security for the data center, as compared to other factors (Chernicoff, 2019). Both the physical and cyber security are very important to the data center and should be planned for in the best manner possible. That is because the security of a data center is at...