Putting Data Centers Into Perspective

By Andy Kober

Data centers have certainly been in the forefront of news with battle lines clearly drawn regarding their construction.
Unfortunately, much of the hyperbole concerning data centers has come from social media experts who, more often than not, have little real expertise concerning them, so let’s discuss data centers to include what they do, why they are needed, what is driving the need for more, and why people are opposed to them.
WHAT does a data center do?
As the name implies and simply put, data centers store, manage, and distribute information. While that might be an over-simplification, it is essentially true.
They can be owned by a single company, or multiple companies, serving the information technology needs for one company or multiple companies. In some cases, a company will construct a data center and rent or lease space and infrastructure to other companies. This is best visualized as an enclosed mall or strip mall constructed and owned by a single company who then leases spots for retail establishments.
Data centers contain computer servers and other information storage devices, much like home computer systems but on a much larger scale though this would be comparing a pup tent to the One World Trade Center with 105 stories.
These data centers also incorporate all the electronic and mechanical devices designed to protect the data they contain.
WHY are data centers needed?
Just in the last 40 to 50 years, we have moved from keeping information on paper stored in massive reference books – encyclopedias, to early analog computer systems with information kept on tape or disks, to true digital storage which now allows for massive amounts of information to be kept on much smaller storage devices.
However, the sheer volume of information to be maintained is staggering, and the volume of information is not only growing daily but changing daily as well.
The result is that larger and more information storage facilities are needed today, and that need will grow — not incrementally — but in leaps and bounds.
The need for more and larger data centers has rapidly grown obvious and private enterprise is struggling to meet the growing demand.
WHAT is driving the need for data centers?
One might blame the need for more data centers on the development and growth of artificial intelligence and while that is certainly part of the issue, it is far from the total cause.
Growing use of the internet has become an integral part of our lives. Again, 40 to 50 years ago we watched local television and listened to local radio via signals sent through the air, got much of our news from newspapers, and received bills and paid them via the post office. That was then.
Today, we stream news and entertainment, watching and listening to what we want on our schedule. We do this using our smart televisions, computers, tablets, smart phones, and smart watches. And today most people receive and pay bills along with sending and receiving mail online — using the internet.
In our hands, we hold a smart phone or smart watch with capabilities beyond anything imaginable 40 to 50 years ago, including the ability to remote lock, unlock, and start our cars. Infotainment and security systems in newer cars are data hungry, and driverless cars even more so. We can remotely view security cameras in our homes, on our properties, and in our businesses. We can adjust the heat, air conditioning, check the refrigerator, and turn lights on and off with our homes – and so much more – via the internet.
Almost anything and everything imaginable is at our fingertips. But all this requires the unimpeded flow of information and data storage, and the need is rapidly outpacing available space which is why more and larger data centers are needed.
NEXT week we will note some of problems involved with data centers and there are quite a few, some of which social media experts have not even considered and could become very important.
That’s my opinion.
Andy Kober can be reached by email at andykober@hotmail.com