What is a Data center?
A Data center is a space that houses computer systems and components like storage and telecommunications devices. Most data centers feature backup power supplies and data communications connections, environmental controls like air conditioning and fire suppression, and a security system. Large data centers consume tremendous amounts of energy at industrial scale.
Data centers became important with the rise of the Internet in the late 1990s. To establish their online presence, companies required continuously operating IT systems. Early data centers were called Internet data centers (IDCs) because deployment on the Internet was the primary goal here. Data center providers would sell these Internet solutions commercially. As the Internet grew these facilities continued to scale to meet the increasing operational needs.
Over time, more firms switched to the use of private data centers and began managing their own stacks to met their unique needs. Today with the cloud, the pendulum is swinging back the other way. Initially called Cloud data centers (CDCs), data centers for the cloud are simply referred to as data centers. Companies are now provisioning the resources of large, managed data centers to many different consumers at once.
What do I need to know about Data Centers?
Continuity is a primary concern for IT operations specialists who manage data centers. Companies and customers expect an extremely high degree of reliability for their information technology. The backup and redundant systems deployed at data centers ensure that IT operations will not cease due to a single hardware or software failure. Backup generators, high-powered cooling systems, and heavy-duty fiber optic cables are some of the tools that data centers use to maintain the integrity of their systems.
The security of information is another major concern. Securing the physical facility that houses these technology systems is a critical task. Software security on services that happen to the cloud is equally important. Businesses and governments rely on cloud computing for critical functions and hold data centers to high standards for security, uptime, sustainability, and compliance. Professional groups like the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) publish rigorous standards documents for the operation of data centers.
Where are Atmosera’s Data Centers?
Azure has more regions globally than any other cloud provider. That gives you the scale and resiliency you need to bring your product direct to consumers around the globe while complying with the necessary local regulatory structures.
Regions
According to Microsoft, “A region is a set of data centers deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and connected through a dedicated regional low-latency network.”
Azure is now available in 50 regions around the world and over 140 countries. This industry-leading scale puts the power to deploy applications right in your hands.
Geographies
According to Microsoft, “A geography is a discrete market, typically containing two or more regions, that preserves data residency and compliance boundaries.”
By building in these geographies, Azure allows users to easily access different compliance and data-residency regimes for their applications. Azure’s geographies are built to perform, even in the event of a complete region failure. Azure’s IT infrastructure ensures applications are always on.
Availability Zones
According to Microsoft, “Availability Zones are physically separate locations within an Azure region. Each Availability Zone is made up of one or more data centers equipped with independent power, cooling, and networking.”
These specialized zones are another option that increases flexibility. The most critical applications can be run on these low-latency environments for maximum performance and the smoothest testing.
What benefits do Atmosera’s Data Centers provide for clients?
Mix and match options for full resiliency.
With Regions and Availability Zones from Azure you get high availability along with disaster recovery and backup.
Develop and deploy with confidence.
The overlapping infrastructure available through Regions, Geographies, and Availability Zones are the basis of Azure’s industry-leading global infrastructure.