In the first of many articles, our team has joined forces to demystify the IT industry, which can initially appear intimidating and complex. Terms like racks, power distribution units, switches, servers, firewalls—all represent different domain experts within an IT architecture.

At Panduit, we consider ourselves data center infrastructure providers. To start, let's delve into the fundamental question: What exactly is a data center?

So, essentially, a data center comprises three characteristics:

1. It must be a physical area, which could be a room, an entire floor, or even an entire building. In essence, a data center is a physical property.
2. It must be dedicated to housing IT infrastructure. This means it cannot be shared with facilities like a pantry or laundromat. However, the size of the room is not specified, so even a single room designated for a data center qualifies.
3. Its primary function is to deliver applications and services. For example, if it's used for primary storage or data dumping, we refer to it as a vault. If it's used for equipment testing, we call it a burn-in room.

Let's keep it simple. A data center is a physical space where IT infrastructure resides to deliver applications and services. Now, when it comes to data centers, we mainly classify them into three types.

Figure 1. Types of Data Centers (Simplified)

While there are other terms like hybrid or cloud data centers, let's focus on these three main types for now.

#1. Enterprise

Simply put, if Corporation A has its own office space and IT equipment to provide services either internally or externally, it's classified as an enterprise data center.

#2. Co-Location

Now, if Corporation A lacks space, they may seek a company that offers space and power for their equipment. Co-location data center providers fulfill this need by providing the necessary infrastructure.

#3. Managed Service Provider

In this scenario, Corporation A might opt to have the data center manage their equipment as well. This type of data center not only offers space and power but also additional services to ensure proper maintenance of all equipment.

The key difference between types 2 and 3 lies in the scope of services provided. In type 2, co-location providers offer space only, requiring tenants like Corporation A to construct their infrastructure. Conversely, in type 3, providers offer both space and setup services to clients.

Key Take aways

The size of a data center can vary greatly, ranging from a small room to an entire building. However, it must be a dedicated space for IT infrastructure. Its primary function should be to provide services.