Gary L Kelley - Journal

Back when computers were new, they were often located just off the main lobby, in a windowed area. Company management looked upon these first systems as trophies, and the windowed area was akin to the trophy case.

Fast forward a few decades and data centers are more bunker-like than trophy cases.

So we were surprised when a financial services client asked about building a data center in their new corporate headquarters. Their data center needs are modest, under 2500 square feet.

We asked why they were not considering co-location (co-lo). In a co-lo, all the bricks and mortar infrastructure is managed by the service provider, typically with a high degree of redundancy “built in.”

There’s even an ANSI standard (ANSI/TIA-942) for data centers. Here’s a grossly simplified view:

Tier Level	Description	Estimated Annual Downtime due to Site	Site Availability
Tier 1: Basic	Non-redundant power and cooling components¹	28.8 hours	99.671%
Tier 2: Some redundant components	Redundant power and cooling components	22 hours	99.741%
Tier 3: Concurrently maintainable	All IT equipment must be dual-powered and fully compatible with the topology of the data center architecture	1.6 hours	99.982%
Tier 4: Fault tolerant	Multiple active power and network distribution paths All cooling equipment is independently dual powered Power, cooling, and networking are all fault tolerant	.4 hours	99.9955

¹ “Components” refer to the mechanical and electrical devices necessary for data center operation. This includes: Power Distribution Units (PDU), Air Conditioning Chillers and Distribution (CRAC) units, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), Power Switching, Generators, Environmental Monitoring, and Fire Suppression.

Most co-los are greater than a Tier 2, while cost considerations often drive smaller data centers to a sub Tier 2 redundancy.

When looking at retrofitting an existing office building compared to co-lo, some of the factors for consideration include:

Factor	Office Building	Co-Lo
Power Feed	Often Single	Generally dual
UPS & Battery	Need to be installed	Included
Generator	Needs to be installed; cannot use life-safety generator	Included
Cooling	Use building cooling systems (ensure 24x7 operation)	Included
Communication paths	Often single	Generally dual +
Fire detection	Sprinkler	Often aspirating or laser
Operations	Often on-site during normal hours.	24x7 on-site

The very first thing a business should consider are their business resiliency requirements. Some businesses have manual processes allowing them to go without computer processing for an extended period. Others, as often found in financial services and health care, require higher availability.

When faced with a build or buy decision, the economics of the increased resiliency and power/cooling demands afforded by a co-location provider should be considered in light of the business requirements.