By IT Brew Staff
less than 3 min read
Definition:
Data center infrastructure is all of the components, both physical and virtual, necessary to ensure that a data center continues to run in a secure and efficient way.
The rise of cloud computing, followed by the sudden advent of AI, has driven a flurry of data center construction over the last 20 years. One report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company suggests that organizations will need to invest more than $6.7 trillion worldwide by 2030 to match the rising demand for computing power. That puts a lot of pressure on IT pros involved in data center building and maintenance to deliver.
Data centers aren’t just big warehouses full of servers inside cages. Data center infrastructure includes:
- Infrastructure: Data centers need electricity to run the servers and other computer equipment, air conditioning to ensure that everything stays cool, and redundant systems so that the data centers stay online. Liquid cooling is also becoming more commonplace as computing becomes more heat- and energy-intensive.
- IT hardware: At the core of the data center is the equipment necessary to deliver data and services to users, including servers, networking devices, storage, and more.
- Connectivity: Data centers need access to fiber networks or similar connectivity to send and receive data.
- Security: Data centers require systems such as fire suppression to prevent disaster, as well as locks and other security systems to restrict access and protect sensitive data.
- Software: Data centers rely on software technologies such as virtualization to boost their capabilities. In addition, IT professionals working within data centers rely on solutions such as data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solutions to monitor and control data center processes in real time, from the health of IT hardware to the current status of the cooling systems.
For data center managers and other IT professionals tasked with ensuring data centers run efficiently, the tasks seemingly never end: There are continual cycles of hardware and software upgrades, along with countering any unexpected threats that arise, such as a cooling system unexpectedly going offline. But considering how many organizations and individuals rely on services delivered by data centers, this work is critical to the modern world.
