We have all seen how the Internet has increasingly impacted businesses and society over the past couple of decades. With more and more of our lives being organised and carried out online – whether it is communicating with family, marketing businesses, online shopping, entertainment, or managing government benefits or NHS systems, the internet and cloud services are now an essential part of the infrastructure and smooth running of organisations and countries.
This is the main reason why data centres have now been designated as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ (CNI) by the Government. It is believed that we generate about 350 million terabytes of data every day, and data centres are the places where this data is stored and accessed. The massive growth in the need for more and more data has led to a boom in the demand for data centres, and this is having a great impact on the commercial unit market.
For a data centre to exist, the main criteria are that it needs a very large space (usually warehouse space), good energy and water connections, and the ability to run large numbers of cables in and out. This is why, often, data centres are located in large open space areas – taking up a lot of ‘floor space’, and, frankly, not being beautiful to look at!
The Government is investing more and more in data centres are part of the digital transformation and its requirements to enable the massive expansion of the digital infrastructure that is going to be needed over the next few years. We have recently heard, for example, of Amazon planning to invest £8bn to build state-of-the-art data centres in the UK over the next five years.
Data Centre Considerations
For businesses that are looking to build data centres – and, indeed, for those involved in planning and building them, there are some important considerations that must be made. Most of the data centres that are due to be created are part of the push to satisfy the need for them since they are now deemed to be an element in the CNI.
As we outlined above, the best spaces to build a data centre need to have the following elements:
• Ample space for the building
• Adequate energy – including sustainable energy generation if possible
• A secure and effective means for cables to run in and out of the commercial unit
• Strong security
• Space and means for an effective cooling system
Space
It is unusual to find a very small data centre as it is not normally effective or efficient to run. Large – or, indeed, very large data centres are much more common. Currently, the largest data centre in the world is in Hohhot, China, at a staggering 10,763,910 square feet. At the moment, the largest data centre in the UK is in Newport, Wales, at 2 million square feet.
Moving forward, it is expected that we will need this sort of amount of space to build data centres that are going to be able to store the data that we will produce over the next few years.
Energy and Water
Data centres use a lot of energy for two main reasons – firstly to power the machinery required to store the data and enable users to access it, but also – ironically, to keep it cool. Anyone who has had a server of any sort will understand how much heat (and, therefore, energy) is generated purely by running it. Imagine this multiplied by thousands, and you will get an idea of how much heat is created by a data centre – and, consequently, how much energy (and water) would be required to cool it!
It is vital, therefore, that the centre is able to get good access to energy and water. Most data centres attempt to use as much clean energy as possible, as well as harvest the energy (heat) that is created. You will find many data centres located in vast open spaces in California, for example, covered in solar panels, using solar power to power it (or at least, supplement the energy). There are other data centres, in Scandinavia, for example, that take the heat that is generated within the data centre and direct it towards local businesses and commercial units to keep them warm.
It is essential that data centre owners consider their environmental impact and look for ways that their effects can be diminished. In addition to the use of clean energy – and reusing their own energy produced, air cooling systems are increasingly being used in places where water supply is low, for example.
Security
As more and more of our national infrastructure and individual lives are based online, along with the increasingly unstable world that we are living in, data security has never been more important. If an organisation’s data is compromised, stolen, damaged, or deleted, it can be disastrous for the organisation both internally and also for its customers/users – with possibly wider consequences. It is essential, therefore, that data centres are protected with strong security both physically and technologically.
In terms of physical threats, areas such as those susceptible to earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, etc. should be avoided, as well as those that are likely to have aeroplanes flying over. Walls and doors should be made of materials that are not easily damaged, and doors and other access points should have the highest security possible.
Other security arrangements should include the checking-in of visitors, key fobs, retinal or facial scanning, fingerprint screening, a specified key, and/or visitors’ cards to strengthen security. Monitoring such as CCTV is also recommended.
Final Thoughts
With the greater demand for data centres through the development of the Internet of Things, AI, virtual reality, cloud technology, etc., over the next few years, we are likely to also see an increase in demand for large warehouse space, as well as their construction in locations all over the world.
It is essential, however, that as these centres are built, factors such as their sustainability and impact on the environment, and the security of their data are placed at the forefront.
Here at Boxpod, we have a range of commercial units for rent if you are looking for a commercial unit for your business. If you are a commercial unit landlord, you can also list your unit here with us at Boxpod and let us help you find your perfect tenant.