Category Archive for : ‘N+1 Data Center Redundancy’

Most every data center request for proposal or list of services will have technical terms like uptime and tier classification that can confuse a business. Here is a precise explanation of these terms so that you can make better and informed data center decisions.

The tier classification was introduced by the Uptime Institute, which was founded in 1993. The tier certification is a global standard and is accepted widely as a benchmark for describing and comparing availability and reliability amongst data centers.

Tier I is the most basic data center infrastructure with

Editors note: Lifeline Data Centers uses N+N redundancy in construction of both power and cooling facilities. N+1 redundancy is less resilient. This post describes N+1 redundancy and its characteristics.

N+1 (or parallel) redundancy is one method used to ensure system availability in the event of component or power failures. In engineering terms, it is “the duplication of critical components or functions of a system with the intention of increasing reliability of the system, usually in the case of a backup or fail-safe.”

In data centers, it is the total number of necessary

Data center consolidation is quite similar to two people who have been living on their own at separate locations move together into the same house. Consolidation often results in the duplication of items and resources. Consolidation should ideally prevent redundancy, remove inactive components of data, and achieve a single face for the same data. Keeping this in mind, let us consider some of the often-missed best practices to be followed in data center consolidation.

Put legacy applications to rest

Even though you may need data to remain consistent over a period of

Since in-house data centers are driving higher capital investments and an ever-growing power bill, CFOs and financial executives are monitoring data center strategies even more closely. The idea is to ensure that sensible decisions are taken around a company’s data center activities and to have maximum efficiency while reducing costs. But the fact is that data center construction and design decisions do not only pertain to total capital expenditure, but also have an impact on the long-term operational costs and energy efficiency of the data center.

Many CFOs have opted to lease the primary

When I visited the data center for 1&1 Internet, a huge hosting and cloud services provider located in Lenexa, Kan., I was struck by the size of the emergency generating system. The Caterpillar diesels that power the generators are the size of locomotive engines.

The four generator sets power the 40,000 servers in an N+1 configuration, and they provide the power to operate the cooling and other building services necessary to keep the data center alive when the power goes out. N+1 refers to a widely used practice in IT to

Why are companies moving primary data centers to wholesale colocation facilities like Lifeline Data Centers? Better uptime, also known as higher computer reliability, is a driving reason.

Regardless of size, companies continue to bet their business on the reliability of their computer systems. The cost of downtime is lost revenue, lost credibility, and in the worst case, lost clients.

How do companies avoid downtime with in-house data centers? By building the same data center redundancies that outsource providers use. N+N data center redundancy means that a company employs two of everything for

Data center compliance and data center certifications at Lifeline Data Centers

Companies that are considering Lifeline Data Centers for their outsource data center needs often ask about our expertise with data center compliance. We are also asked about data our center certifications.

Rich Banta, co-owner of Lifeline Data Centers, holds the following certifications, which are from ISACA, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.

CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor. The CISA certification is known worldwide as the recognized achievement for those who control, monitor and assess an organization’s information technology and business

Are you wasting time and resources on your data center?

If your company relies on your computer systems to generate revenue, deliver services, or manufacture your product, your computer room facilities can be a source or worry. You spend lots of money on power, cooling, equipment and labor to keep your most important computer systems up, running and reliable.

But are you wasting time and resources on your data center when you could be spending less money for more reliability?

If you care about uptime, you probably have a generator for your computer

The stuff you can’t (or won’t) build into your data center could be the cause of a future outage.

What stuff am I talking about?

Data center power redundancy – dual utility power feeds, dual generators, and dual UPS systems for every cabinet of equipment in the data center.
Data center cooling redundancy – dual cooling systems
Hardened data center facilities – F5 tornado resistant buildings, engineered to withstand regional disasters
Multiple telecommunications carriers – two or more choices for telecom circuits so you can pick the best carrier for your bandwidth and transport needs

You

CIOs are reducing risks by employing outsource data centers to solve their compliance problems. CIO strategy now includes leveraging outsource data centers and the certifications and compliance they maintain to help the enterprise meet government regulations.

CIOs have used outsource data centers for years to drive higher uptime and reap the benefits of lower data center capital costs. Now, many companies are using outsource data center facilities to keep compliance costs under control.

Physical security is one of the main data center compliance benefits that outsource data centers provide. Outsource data center