As we live more and more of our lives online, the exchange of digital information is becoming more important to keep businesses running. This digital exchange requires massive computing and networking equipment that is located in a centralized physical location known as a datacenter.
A data center is a computer room that houses the storage and computing hardware for an organization or a business. The essential types of data centers components of a data centre include servers, that house the processing power that transforms raw data into useful information and storage devices that store this data on hard-disk drives or robotic tape. Furthermore, a data centre relies on networking and communication equipment like routers, switches, and endless miles of cables that aid in the flow of data between servers.
The term “data center” was first utilized in the 1990s as IT operations grew and cheap networking equipment enabled companies to store all their networking hardware within an centralized space. Businesses can either build their own data center on their own premises or partner with a third-party provider of data center services that offer colocation and managed services. The third-party options often offer the most cost-effective and energy efficient alternative to data centers built on premises.
Many of these third-party options also allow greater flexibility for policy management. A data center, for instance can offer multiple policies in one location. This allows IT to limit the data-related workloads by setting distinct policies that meet the requirements of compliance across all geographies and businesses. This can drastically reduce security risks and boost overall information governance.