Data center design: Standards and best practices

In this series, we've discussed the many steps in the data center design process. In this installment, we'll review some of the best practices for planning your new facility. Following these standards will make sure that your information and hardware are safe. 

Design and infrastructure standards
When designing and planning your facility, there are a number of standards that you should follow. While some of these are required, others are recommended because of the benefits to performance. Some of the design standards for data centers include: 

• ANSI/BICSI 002-2014: This is a series of best practices for data center design, planning and construction. BICSI-certified professionals can rate data centers based on reliability factors. 
• ANSI/TIA 942-A 2014: The Telecommunication Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers focuses on the IT cable and network infrastructure redundancy and reliability. TIA has a certification system for data center vendors, and rates systems based on architectural, electrical, mechanical and telecommunications factors. 
• Uptime Institute's Tier Standard: The Tier Standard has a methodology for different levels of redundancy and reliability. The Uptime Institute will certify a data center based on its own standards. 
• Green certifications: Energy Star, LEED and similar green certifications are optional standards that can certify your facility is energy efficient. 
• Government regulations: These requirements can vary by geographical region, including state, county or municipality. 

There are a number of standards to select when planning your new data center.

Software management tools
There are a number of software products that can help you oversee all of the required procedures for your facility. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software such as APC's StruxureWare provides power management and business intelligence solutions. 

Be consistent across multiple sites
If your enterprise has multiple data centers in different regions, choose a standard that will allow your operations to remain consistent. That means international standards if your facilities are in multiple countries or national standards if they're all located in one country. Maintaining consistency across your operations will help you to manage the quality of your data centers. If you only have one facility, then you may have more options. 

Planning for data center power protection is a major undertaking, but doing it the right way can pay off. If you'd like to set up a more efficient data center for your IT needs, the Custom Networks team can help! Our consultants are available to perform an Energy STEP1 Audit on your site. Our factory-trained and certified field service engineers come to your site and analyze your IT efficiency, ensuring your systems are running at peak performance levels. We also sell APC products for the best power protection solutions. Contact Custom Networks to learn more.