How to design and build a data center in 8 steps

Why data center design is important

Data centers have evolved beyond being merely digital storage for an organization. They are the beating operational heart as more businesses transition to cloud-based workflows and increased global collaboration.

The rise of generative AI applications contributes to a significant surge in data center equipment demand, as more organizations implement them in their businesses. Data equipment sales have reached an all-time high, underscoring the crucial role of data centers in achieving business objectives.

Here are some of the key reasons why data center design is essential:

• Data security: Data center business operations contain mission-critical information and assets that can cause a significant impact if compromised. Well-designed facilities often feature safeguards and robust data center security architecture to help protect systems and minimize downtime.
• Performance: Optimized data centers offer improved performance, including enhanced connection speeds and increased storage capacity. Where center layouts are optimal, there is more efficient cooling, minimizing system overheating and simplifying maintenance through easier access points.
• Usability: Designing a data center around usability can help maintain and scale systems while also facilitating easier personnel training. Better usability comes from well-placed racks, cabling, data systems and cooling equipment.
• Scalability: Data center designers often need to consider scalability in parallel with growth demands. Effective data center design and construction enable the adaptation to changing company demands, providing scalable and flexible infrastructure.
• Sustainability: Many data operations are resource-heavy, consuming significant energy to maintain optimal efficiency. Planning and sourcing energy-efficient elements, such as airflow management systems and cooling racks, can help reduce carbon footprints.
• Costs: Well-designed data centers can reduce costs across the board, minimizing energy usage, maintenance requirements and new hardware investments. As data centers become increasingly important to a business, they can also play a crucial role in shaping cost-effective operations.

Key components of data center design

A well-designed data center features several key components that work together to create a more efficient operation. The elements required for a better facility range from the data center building’s location to physical security.

Below are the key design components of a data center.

Layout

The layout refers to the arrangement of data center architecture and components within the premises. Effectively planning where everything goes can help ensure that you’ll have sufficient cooling for equipment and the required sizing to run and maintain the facility.

Key elements to consider in the data center layout plan include racking for equipment, airflow patterns for cooling and arrangements for power and connectivity cables.

Location

Choosing the correct location is imperative in a data center’s design. Several geographic factors can help make building the center smoother and optimize your data operations.

First, consider access to resources when selecting a location, including water and electricity. You’ll need an adequate supply of both to ensure the data center can run at optimal levels.

Good connectivity is another aspect to consider as data center administrators will want to place the location near fiber connections. It ensures stable internet access to maintain uninterrupted data operations.

Ultimately, the most effective data center construction practice is to build in areas with a low historical record of natural disasters. As the loss of data can be detrimental to an organization, administrators don’t want to put their data centers in areas at risk of fire, flood, earthquake or storm.

Compliance

Before building your data center, ensure that your planned operation complies with local laws and regulations. Not only does compliance help make your data center structure more reliable, but it also mitigates any legal or operational obstacles.

Data center standards encompass data privacy, as exemplified by the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) in the United States and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. Always check local laws, regulations and permit requirements and plan data center construction accordingly.

Data center infrastructure

The primary component of data center construction is the infrastructure that supports the operation. It’s the equipment that stores, processes and transmits data between the organization and the center, being essential to day-to-day business activities.

Data center infrastructure design to consider includes:

• Servers: The hardware that performs essential computing tasks hosts all the organization’s applications.
• Cabling: Used to connect data center assets, such as servers, internet and power.
• Racking: Units that hold and organize the hardware in a data center, optimizing space and access points.
• Storage and backup: Storage units for company data, such as hard drive arrays or enclosures.
• Network equipment: Hardware and software that help manage and protect the data center, such as routers, switches and data management platforms.

All of these elements are core aspects of a data center’s setup and efficiency. Consider the best equipment to meet your organization’s data needs.

Physical security

Modern data center buildings face an increasing number of security challenges, making it more critical than ever to implement physical security measures to protect an organization’s data.

Data centers are vulnerable to intrusion by unauthorized personnel, who could compromise sensitive company data and information. There are also internal physical security concerns, such as rising temperatures or sudden server failures, which can cause operational roadblocks.

Consider advanced data center security cameras and access control systems in your design to mitigate physical threats.

Power supply

Keeping a data center online is the primary concern of administrators. A good, reliable power supply helps ensure that even in unforeseen scenarios affecting energy, data remains online and accessible.

Data center power designs should outline primary and backup sources. Those include generators, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and power distribution units (PDUs) to keep your data center online.

Cooling system

Servers and disk arrays need cooler temperatures to function optimally. Data center interiors should incorporate cooling systems to ensure equipment operates within the ideal temperature range.

Cooling systems include air conditioning units, liquid cooling and rack-mounted fans. Administrators planning to scale data centers could consider more advanced methods, such as liquid immersion, for high-performance computing.

Management

All data center build-outs will require a practical, intuitive and scalable data management platform for optimal data operations. They help administrators and team members oversee and maintain connections between the servers and the organization’s operating locations.

Choose a data center infrastructure management (DCIM) tool that fits your company’s needs and growth targets.

Eight steps to design and construct a data center

Designing and constructing a data center can be a highly complex process that requires meticulous attention to detail, encompassing everything from materials to operations. 

Consulting data center construction specialists can be the most practical way to ensure the setup is optimal, scalable and compliant.

However, understanding how to build a data center can help leaders and executives make informed decisions on optimal operation and scaling with demand.

Find the eight steps in how to build a data center below:

1. Consider the needs for your data center

The first step in data center construction is to assess both your organization’s current and future data needs. Leaders and decision-makers will need to consider growth targets and expectations to design data center architecture that scales with demand.

Here are the primary factors to consider before building a data center:

• Assess current and future data needs
• Pinpoint the ideal location for your data center
• Factor in growth projections
• Consider how integrating and upgrading new applications and workflows will affect computing needs
• Review the available budget against data center requirements

Before proceeding to the following steps, ensure that your center has clear definitions of its requirements, which will serve as the foundation for planning and design.

2. Design the data center’s infrastructure

The next step is to outline your data center infrastructure needs. Once you have a location, you can factor in how you could apply available resources to construct the most optimal premises for both equipment and personnel.

Here are the key considerations when designing the data center’s architecture:

• Temperature: The location must remain cool for the data equipment to function optimally. Design the available space to allow maximum possible airflow, considering air conditioning units and server racks with fans.
• Noise: Data center buildings can become particularly noisy due to the simultaneous operation of numerous fans and cooling units. Staff building and maintaining the data center may want to design adequate space between racks to provide efficient service.
• Power distribution: Check the location’s power supply and make provisions to integrate primary and secondary energy sources. Ensure that power sources are safe to use and scalable with growth.
• Access control: Design access control points to protect equipment in the data center. Entry and exit points should have security systems in place to only allow authorized personnel and provide activity logs to oversee who enters the premises in case of anomalies.
• Lighting: Most lighting in data centers is low unless there is a human presence nearby. Design the facility for low lighting with sensors that can brighten only areas that require maintenance or attention.
• Sustainability: Building and maintaining a data center can be costly, requiring energy-efficient options not only for budget reasons, but for environmental impact. Integrate sustainable equipment and resource solutions wherever possible on-site.
• Maintenance: Design equipment placements to leave enough space for personnel to access servers or storage units for maintenance. Data centers that facilitate quick resolutions to hardware issues perform better.

The data center infrastructure will vary with your organization’s storage and performance needs. Once decision-makers have established the physical assets required, ensure the size specifications account for the considerations above.

Create a data center diagram for the location that the team can use for construction.

3. Assess regulatory and compliance frameworks

Before executing the plan for data center development, it’s vital to verify that the construction complies with all local laws and regulations. It helps ensure the facility adheres to safety and reliability standards, as well as that it operates legally.

Regulatory and compliance frameworks to verify include:

• Any local building or zoning laws
• Data privacy and any necessary industry certifications (e.g., GDPR, FISMA)
• Environmental sustainability regulations
• Consumer laws that may apply to building data centers

Consulting with local legal counsel or firms that specialize in building data centers can help clarify any necessary compliance requirements for your facility.

4. Purchase data center equipment

Once you’ve established the systems and equipment you’ll need in your data center, begin to look for vendors or suppliers that deal in data center infrastructure components. 

Select a vendor that meets the required specifications and budget for equipment, ensuring they have a proven track record of maintaining good customer relationships.

To recap, the data equipment mentioned earlier in the guide, the essential purchase checklist includes:

• Servers and racking: Purchase servers and racking that meet performance requirements, also offering the flexibility and scalability your organization needs.
• Network support equipment: Ensure the purchase of compatible networking equipment, such as cabling and routers, to support the business’s operational needs.
• Data storage and backup systems: Data centers need the most reliable storage systems and backup solutions to maintain uptime. Purchase units that have proven reliability, intuitive recovery capabilities and the ability to scale in capacity.
• Power supplies and cooling equipment: Energy-efficient and environmentally friendly power supplies and cooling equipment can help reduce your budget while providing the necessary cooling solutions for data systems.

5. Install and configure equipment

After the materials and equipment have arrived on site, you’ll need to set them up to run according to performance requirements. Place the relevant goods in their designated areas according to the design plan, then begin the installation and configuration of the systems.

The data center’s construction process should include:

• Setting up the shells in the server buildings, including racks, cabinets and cooling systems
• Installing and configuring power sources
• Implementing a cable management system
• Installing and testing data hardware (servers, storage and backup systems)
• Integrate the chosen data management platform with the hardware for optimal performance
• Configure data protocols such as pathways and storage

6. Set up the network and test

Setting up and testing the network is a crucial step in data center design, as system performance relies on a high-functioning network infrastructure. You’ll want to ensure high-speed connections with fiber-optic cables, protected by firewalls and other robust cybersecurity measures.

Conduct a thorough speed and security test of the network to ensure optimal performance before commissioning the data center for general organizational use.

7. Implement a physical security system

Start finalizing your construction by implementing a data center physical security system according to your budget and needs. Standard physical security equipment in data centers includes both security cameras and access control systems.

CCTV cameras with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and heat detection capabilities can provide more than just visual oversight of the facility. They can offer measurements of critical metrics for the data center’s health, such as temperature, predictive maintenance for equipment and sound detection.

Access control systems in vulnerable areas of the data center can help minimize unauthorized access and protect valuable data. They can also provide activity logs to help identify which personnel performed duties where, should there be a need to address a specific scenario in the facility.

Protecting your data equipment is crucial to ensure consistent uptime and mitigation of intrusion or compromise.

8. Plan for maintenance, scaling and sustainability

The final step to data center design is to develop a workable plan for maintenance, scaling and sustainability efforts. Administrators can utilize either their integrated security technology for predictive hardware maintenance or establish a routine schedule for personnel to check system efficiency.

Regularly analyzing data center requirements through DCIM analytics and operational reporting can help gauge scaling and sustainability needs, enabling informed action as needed.

Design, build and protect your data center for operational efficiency

Data center development can be a complex process. However, curating a high-performing, scalable facility can have positive impacts on your operations and overall business.

If you aim to design and build a data center tailored to your specific needs, consulting with professionals is recommended due to the highly technical nature of the construction process. However, the above 8‑step plan can provide you with an idea of how to effectively create and protect a data center that facilitates the desired growth for your business or organization.