Data Center

Data Center Definition

A data center is a computer system's most important and vulnerable component. At its most basic, the data center is a physical place that houses a computer network's most critical systems, including backup power supplies, air conditioning, and security applications. We're talking a large amount of data here, stored in a large number of computers.

A typical example of a company that almost certainly has a data center is a bank or other kind of financial institution. A bank's data center will have a mainframe or other kind of computer network, on which customers' account information and other data are stored. A university will also have a data center, which includes not only personal information about the university's employees and students, but also information on the university's buildings, construction projects, and physical and intellectual history.These kinds of data centers contain information that is critical to the continued operation of the bank, university, or other business. Therefore, that data cannot be lost. Security measures surrounding such data centers are usually very strong, as are systems of climate control that keep the data center's computer systems from malfunctioning. Data centers will also almost certainly contain backup computers or mirror drives that protect against massive data loss. Such backup computers or mirror drives are routinely dependent not only on electronic power but also on battery power, so that they can continue to function in the case of an interruption of electronic power.

Other kinds of data centers can be found in government institutions; companies that have multiple headquarters; and providers of electronic services such as television, mobile phones, and the like. A data center can also be a single computer, storing and accessing one company's or one person's critical data. Smaller data centers usually have less complicated forms of data protection. No matter the size, all data centers serve the same function: to compile and protect the data of a person or company.

How Does a Data Center Work?

A data center's primary function is to centralize and organize the data processing and other information technology (IT) services of a business or other organization. Locating all the computer hardware in a special, climate-controlled environment makes it far easier for IT to manage both the servers and the applications and data they hold. Data centers are generally sorted into two classifications: 

 Enterprise Data Centers 

o The servers in these centers host the data and applications of a corporation or other entity.

o Access is generally restricted to employees and other approved users, rather than the public.

 Internet data centers 

o The servers in these data centers are public and usually have a browser-based interface.

o They may have thousands of (most likely anonymous) users.

As a rule, enterprise data centers are used by small to medium businesses, or private users (e.g., gamers) looking to centralize their computer operations. Internet data centers are used by large corporations and companies whose goods and services are provided to the public via their servers (e.g., Amazon's cloud storage and instant video services, Apple's i-cloud, etc.). 

Enterprise or Internet, all data centers have certain features in common, including: 

The data center facility. This is the physical location and “white space,” (i.e., the space available for servers and other IT equipment). Support Infrastructure This equipment is responsible for ensuring the data center has the highest up-time rate possible. The opposite of downtime, up-time is the amount of time in a given period when a server, website, or application is running properly. 

The Up-time Institute (a third-party body that establishes and governs the criteria for data center layout and management) has created four tiers under which data centers can fall. Up-time standards for these tiers range 99.671% to 99.995%, with Tier One having the lowest up-time minimum, and Tier Four having the highest. The standards for each tier are as follows:

 Tier 1: Non-redundant capacity components (single data up-link and servers).

Tier 2: Tier 1 plus redundant capacity components.

 Tier 3: Tiers 1 and 2, plus some dual-powered equipment and multiple data up-links.

 Tier 4: Tiers 1, 2, and 3, plus fully fault-tolerant components and support tech, including storage, data up-links, and HVAC components. Everything in the center is dual-powered.

Support infrastructure components include: 

 Environmental Control Systems: 

o Computer room air conditioners (CRAC)

o Advanced exhaust systems (to remove excess heat and moisture)

o Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems

o Custom architectural design to maximize equipment performance (e.g., elevated floors)

 Uninterruptible power sources (UPS): 

o Generators

o Redundant power sources

o Battery arrays

 Physical security: 

o Video surveillance equipment

o Reinforced construction 

o Bio-metrics (e.g., fingerprint and retina scanners)

o install the Right Sensor-probe.

For optimum security monitoring, choose a Security-probe model. The Security-probe has the same easy-to-use web interface as the Bit-sight with a Linux operating system that offers 128 MB of Flash and 64 MB of SDRAM. With 8 ports for sensors and connections for 4 external cameras on each Security-probe, you can monitor all of your security conditions from a single interface.

* Monitor All Potential Entry Points. 

In order for a security breach to occur, an unauthorized person must be able to physically gain access to the data center and do so unnoticed. Make sure that doesn’t happen by installing a security sensor on every door, window, or emergency exit that could provide access to the data center. The security sensor has a magnetic open/close switch that will trigger an automatic alert when any entry point is accessed.

* Install Motion Detectors. 

As another line of defense, install a motion detector at key locations that will alert security personnel that a potential security issue is occurring. The Ravica motion sensor has a RJ45 jack to plug directly into a port on the Security-probe.

* Integrate High Quality Security Cameras. 

Install a variety of security cameras including fixed and Pan/Tilt cameras that can proactively capture crucial images as the events occur.With the Ravica web-interface, you can set up notifications that will automatically trigger a time-stamped, picture log when an event occurs with the security sensor, motion detector or any other sensor. The pictures are captured in a standard JPEG format at up to 640 x 480 pixels, so you get a clear image of the event.

* Send a Loud and Clear Message Regarding Security. 

Not only can notifications be set up to send email, voice, or text alerts to security personnel when a potential security breach is occurring; you can also include a siren/strobe light that can be triggered automatically by an alarm status on any other sensor. The siren/strobe can also be triggered manually from the web-interface, deterring nefarious activity and giving a call-to-action signal to other personnel in the vicinity of the breach.

IT computers and equipment:
This is the equipment necessary for running the organization's network and storing its data. IT equipment includes: -Servers -Cabling - Security hardware (e.g., firewalls, routers) -Storage and racks.

IT operations staff:
These people monitor and maintain both the network and the hardware on which it resides as well as the infrastructure equipment that supports the entire data center 24/7. Because instant and always-on access to the Internet or even a company intranet is now the norm, data centers run 'round the clock to ensure the content they contain is accessible at all times. In order to maximize up-time, they often rely on a sophisticated array of redundant power supplies and data management systems. These systems can keep websites, files, or applications available even if connection, power, or hardware issues arise.

Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan.

Setup a full replica of critical data from one location onto another physical location that can scale. A Disaster Recovery plan typically includes creating a duplicate of the original business site, with full computer systems as well as near-complete backups of user data. Following a disaster, businesses can relocate to normal operations in a matter of hours with minimal losses.

I-Backup now offers Disaster Recovery plan for data for small to medium sized businesses. You can setup the Disaster Recovery plan from your office to another branch office or even to your home. With a few simple steps, you can replicate the data that can scale, one way from the primary location to the secondary location. 

Steps to setup your organization’s Data Disaster Recovery plan:

Step 1

Schedule regular transfers (Backup) from the primary center to your I-Backup account. The data is transferred with all possible optimizations including encrypted and compressed delta transfers and incremental transfers - i.e. only new files and modified portions of the already backed up file(s) are backed up after the initial first backup. 

Step 2

Schedule regular transfers (Restore) from I-Backup account to your disaster recovery site. The data is transferred with all possible optimizations as described in Step 1. You can optimize the schedules of your backups and restore to keep data almost mirrored between primary and disaster recovery sites, with minimal delay. This solution is reliable, scalable to multiple terabytes of data and efficient. You will have primary and secondary locations with full copy of data, and in addition, a copy available on the web accessible from anywhere.

Some key features that are part of the I-Backup Disaster Recovery Solution:

 Highly scalable and reliable

 Data is encrypted with 256 bit AES with optional private key for additional security during transit

 Data is never deleted from the disaster recovery site even if it is deleted from the primary site

 Open files (such as quick-books, outlook and other database type files) are also mirrored while they are in use.

Factors and Approach of Disaster Recovery Site Selection .

Disaster recovery is an important aspect of a company’s strategy for

providing uninterrupted services to its customers and end users. With a robust DR/BCP program in-place, various business outcomes can be achieved. Some of them are: improved business operations, improved performance, agility and availability, reduced disruptions and loss to business, and higher customer satisfaction.

For a DR strategy to work as per design, one of the important contributors is DR site as it will define service availability to customers during disasters. Further section details about factors to be considered for DR site selection with an approach.

Factors to Consider

DR site is very crucial for any business as it will help to keep business running in adverse scenarios. DR site selection is crucial decision as it will impact availability of services to client, RPO/RTO requirements and service performance. Some of the factors which need to be considered are:

1. Data Center Tier – 

Data-center tiers are divided across Tier 1 (basic data center with availability of 99.67%), Tier 2 (redundant infrastructure components with availability of 99.74%), Tier 3 (has all attributes of tier1 and 2 and in addition has multiple distribution paths, dual powered etc. with availability of 99.98%) and Tier 4 (has all capabilities of prior tiers with completely redundant and highly available infrastructure and availability of 99.995%). Based on the requirement of various applications and availability, DR site tiers have to be decided.

2. Distance from Primary Data Center – 

Another factor which will help us determine site for DR is the distance between primary and DR site. This is crucial since it will affect latency and performance of applications. As an illustration, if DR data center is housed at a larger distance, client will not be able to mirror data in real time in an effective manner. This will cause a risk that data will be lost if we need to switch to DR site in event of a disaster. On other hand, if distance is too small, data-backup will be efficient but it will pose other threats.

3. Seismic Zone Details – 

Seismic zone is a region where seismic activity remains fairly constant. Each nation has divided entire area in various zones and the data is readily available in public domain. From DR site selection perspective, Primary and DR sites should be preferably in different seismic zones as it will help to curb issues arising from various seismic activities. 

4. Environment Details – 

Next factor to consider is environment details of the area, these could be weather details, environmental hazards etc. This will help to plan out various things like resource availability, environmental cleaning mechanisms (if required), site construction and maintenance etc.

5. Third party services availability – 

For any data center site, we require to interact with a number of third parties and service providers like utilities, telecom etc. This will become more critical in case of a DR site, as the site is not up and running for 100% of the time. Two important considerations are Availability of service (whether service is available 24X7 for 365 days or for some limited period) and SLAs (what are the SLAs for the services provided by third parties? This is critical parameter as based on this, company will confirm on the SLAs with business and its customers).

6. Accessibility of Data Center – 

Next factor will be accessibility to DR site. This will become crucial in case disaster occurs and we need to switch operations to DR site. If the site is accessible, operations can be resumed faster. This will focus on Modes of transportation to reach DR site, Proximity to airport etc.

7. Capacity Available for Further Expansion – 

Capacity and scalability of DR site has to be looked into considering future growth plans.

8. Network Latency – 

For DR strategy to work as per requirement, data has to be copied from primary data-center to DR. Network latency plays a major role in this and becomes a crucial factor while deciding for DR site.

9. Cost Implications – 

Last but not the least is cost implications of building a DR site at a particular location. This involves both CAPEX and OPEX. Once factors are finalized for DR site selection, next action will be to select a site based on it. Next section defines about the approach for the same.

DR Site Selection Approach

Approach for selecting a DR site is very similar to ones which we use for making most of business decisions. It includes data collection, followed by assessment and decision. Before a company starts the process of site selection for its DR Data-center, company should have made a decision on Primary data-center site and DR strategy is in place. Post this, below approach will help to select a site for DR Data-center :

Step 1 – Requirement gathering: 

During this phase, DR strategy and policies formulated by company should be well understood. In addition to that various application requirements w.r.t. RPO/RTO and SLAs have to be collected and documented. 

Step 2 – Assessment: 

Post data collection, next step is to assess the requirements and finalize various factors that need to be considered for site selection. Some of the above mentioned factors will help on the same. Weighted score method can be used to work on various options that are available for DR site. Below diagram depicts an illustrative weighted score method for site selection.

Step 3 – Decision/Report: 

Based on analysis, weighted score method and experience, final decision need to be taken for DR site selection.In summary, selecting a DR site is an important step in customer’s journey to build a world 

class infrastructure for servicing its customers. With a well-defined DR strategy and site selection process, it will become easier for companies to succeed in its business goals.

Branch Banking (BB)

Any Branch Banking (ABB) is a facility for our customers to operate their account from any of our networked branches. The branch where the customer maintains his account is the base branch and the branch from where he carries out his transactions is referred as the remote branches. Any Branch Banking facility is available in ALL branches of Corporation Bank.

Facilities available under any BB: 

Cash Withdrawal: 

You can withdraw cash from your account from any of our Core connected branches by presenting a self drawn cheque. This facility is not extended for withdrawals by any third party. Maximum amount of cash that can be withdrawn across the Bank on a particular day is Rs One Lakh only.

Cash Deposit: 

Deposit cash for credit of your account through any of our core connected branches. Maximum amount of cash that can be deposited across the Bank on a particular day is $1500 only.

Fund Transfers: 

Instantly transfer funds between your accounts or between your account and any third party account maintained at different core connected branches. 

Purchase of Demand Drafts / Pay Orders: 

Purchase demand drafts / pay orders at any remote branch by debiting your account maintained at the base branch.

Deposit of Local Check: 

You can deposit local cheques at remote branches for crediting the proceeds after realization to your account maintained at base branches.

Stop Payment facility at Remote Branches: 

You can give instructions to Stop Payment of cheques issued by you at any of our branches by simply giving a written request. You can also revoke the stop payment instruction issued by you earlier

Repayment to Loan accounts: 

Now you can make repayments to your loans such as Home Loan, Vehicle Loan, etc. held with your branch through any of the Corp Bank Branches by Cash / Local cheque.

Types of Computer Networks.

LAN and WAN were the original categories of computer area networks, while the others have gradually emerged over many years of technology evolution. There are different types of computer networks. Some of the common ones include;

1. Local Area Network (LAN) – 

These types of computer networks connect network devices over a relatively short distance. Quite often, a networked office building, home or school contains a single LAN although it is normal to come across a building that contains a few small LANs. On a few occasions, a LAN may also span over a group of nearby buildings. Such computer networks are usually owned by one organisation.

2. Wide Area Network (WAN) – 

As the name suggests, a WAN spans over a large physical distance. It may be regarded as a collection of LANs dispersed over a geographical area. The internet is a very good example of a WAN. LANs are connected to a WAN through a device referred to as a router. In IP networking, both the LAN and WAN addresses are maintained by the router. Most WANs exist under distributed or collective ownership and management and unlike the LANs, are not necessarily owned by one organisation perfectly.

3. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) – 

These types of computer networks refer to LANs that are based on Wi-Fi wireless network technology.

4. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – 

This is a network that spans over a physical area like a city that is smaller than a WAN but larger than a LAN. Quite often, such computer networks are owned and operated by single entities such as government bodies or large corporations.

5. Campus Area Network (CAN) – 

This type of network spans over multiple LANs but is generally smaller than a MAN. You could find such computer networks in universities or local business campuses.

6. Storage Area Network (SAN) – 

This type of computer network connects servers to devices for data storage using technology such as Fiber channel.

7. System Area Network – 

This type of computer network is also referred to as a Cluster Area Network. It links high-performance computers in a cluster configuration with high-speed connections.

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Business continuity planning involves developing a practical plan for how your business can prepare for, and continue to operate after an incident or crisis. A business continuity plan will help you to:

 identify and prevent risks where possible. 

 prepare for risks that you can't control. 

 respond and recover if a risk (e.g. an incident or crisis) occurs.

Preparing a business continuity plan will help your business recover quickly if an incident does happen. You may not be able to predict every kind of incident that could threaten your business, but you can develop a plan that covers a range of incidents (e.g. natural disasters, computer problems, staffing issues). 

To get the most out of a business continuity plan, you should include a schedule for testing and updating it, making sure you take into account any changes to your business, your industry, or the location you operate in. 

Steps Regarding BCP 

  Document internal key personnel and backups. These are people who fill positions without which your business absolutely cannot function make the list as large as necessary but as small as possible. 

 Consider which job functions are critically necessary, every day. Think about who fills those positions when the primary job-holder is on vacation. 

 Make a list of all those individuals with all contact information including business phone, home phone, cell phone, pager, business email, personal email, and any other possible way of contacting them in an emergency situation where normal communications might be unavailable.