I have often wondered what would happen to large corporate companies if they were to suddenly come across an incident whereby the building sustains a lot of damage meaning that all client data are lost and all of the expensive computing equipment are damaged. In instances whereby problems occur which are beyond the control of the staff or the company, there must always be a backup plan. In certain areas where there are natural disasters it goes without saying that this then is an imperative step for the companies located there to make.
Many companies and businesses will have heard of data centres and will be familiar with what they are used for. A data centre is quite literally a facility for holding data, computers, telecommunication equipment and storage systems. These can contain back-up power supplies, fire suppression, air conditioning for keeping the servers cool, environmental control and data communication. These fast became popular in use after the dotcom bubble. Companies became dependent on fast internet connectivity and continuous operation of the deployment of systems.
Some of the smaller companies began building their own facilities called Internet Data Centres (IDC) which helped with finding solutions for systems operation and deployment. Due to the positive practical results, these were soon migrated towards private centres.
The data centres hold the information through their own server machines. These run on a twenty four hour basis, therefore the quality of the server machines and its maintenance is essential for ensuring no problems occur within the machines, so as to hold all the information. The centres are also highly secured, which means that even staff members are made to go through a security procedure before entering into the building.
Data centres can take up a whole floor of a building, a room space or an entire building. Larger companies may have their own data centre facility, whereas other companies may have their own room in the same building. The centres can also act as a back-up power, security software information and security application. When it comes to data centres, those who are familiar with this term will know that this means holding masses of information in one building.
An example of a large company with a data centre is a bank. Practically all financial establishments have their own centre, which hold vital information about clients account details on the mainframe (large computers built to operate and perform complex applications). The mainframes are usually designed to run with minimal or no disruptions, which is why they are useful for a data centre. Another example are universities, which holds not only student information, but also building information, past building projects, intellectual history and planned construction projects.