Introduction
Data center is a physical facility having an organization’s IT infrastructure, the
servers, storage systems and networking equipment to manage and store data. It helps with
critical services like cloud computing, data processing, disaster recovery. Power, cooling,
and security are robust systems in data centers to keep servers running high uptime, high
reliability, and high scalability because the need to process and store data is growing.
Businesses and digital services around the world rely on them (Oró & Salom, 2022).
Company Introduction
DataScape Solutions is the leading data center infrastructure consultancy firm for
design and implementation of data center infrastructures. DataScape Solutions is a leading
partner with businesses and organizations that provide open-concept data centers focusing on
innovation, reliability and scalability to handle this rapidly growing demand for secure, high-
performance computing environments. Our team of industry experts with deep expertise
comes together to produce data centers that are designed to be optimal for business service
operations, and to enable cloud services. Working hand in hand with their clients,
government agencies and private sector companies, we work towards bespoke, future proof
data solutions for the organizations' strategic goals and global standards. Our design
methodology ensures that every project contains the most up to date technologies,
architectures, and practices to create secure, efficient, and sustainable data centers that can
accommodate current and future business requirements.
Project Scenario
DataScape Solutions is hired by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry
(MITI) Malaysia to design open concepted data center for any Malaysian organization. Our
team was given the responsibility to develop a data center for in house use or for a client who
is located in cloud space. This data center will become a scalable, high performance hub for
data center management and security of critical information as data demands increase. Our
design will have advanced technologies, efficient network architectures, adaptable solutions
all of which will allow maximum flexibility, security and accessible to future technological
and business breakthroughs. We will work to deliver a data center that satisfies industry
standards and operational excellence from initial research to final deployment.
Business needs
Power System: Reliable and scalable power supply is required to power it relentlessly. The
needs of the business include implementation of redundant power systems and back up
generators along with energy efficient technologies in order to fulfill the clients’ needs and
reduce downtime.
Site Selection: Accessible, secure, and environmentally favourable location then earlier on
in the process, need to be chosen. The site itself must be strategically located to be physically
secure, scalable and comply with regional regulations with minimum operational risk.
Cooling System: Hardware requires efficient cooling to keep performing its mission at peak
performance, and to prevent itself from overheating. To keep energy efficient and reliable,
the company has to implement the most advanced cooling solutions known as precision air
conditioning or liquid cooling.
Raised Floor: One fundamental design need for efficient cable management, good airflow
and easy maintenance is raised flooring. This will leave flexibility for future upgrade and
modification.
Disaster Recovery: Ensuring business continuity requires the company to design data
centers with strong disaster recovery systems. They include backup solutions, offsite data
replication and taking contingency plans (i.e. backup or away from datacenters) around
emergencies such as power failures, natural disasters, or cyber attacks.
Performance and Scalability: Encryption, firewalls, threat monitoring, biometrics,
surveillance and other physical security, and the ability to scale resources and integrate with
cloud systems to grow and become more efficient are all ways that a data center must be
secure.
Objectives
To offer routing strategies and scenarios whereby future scaling can be provided for
as data volumes and computational requirements increase.
To optimize energy consumption in the context of data center with energy protection,
innovative cooling systems, and renewable power solutions.
To support this, application of multilevel security measures, physical safeguards and
means of encryption.
To enable easy integration by creating a cloud environment that would cater for
operations both internally and externally.
To sustain operating efficiency, the company has to adhere to the global standards and
embody model habits in design and implementation.
Project Limitations
Budget Constraints: Lack of funds reduces the possibilities to use certain improved devices
or expand specific characteristics of the application.
Time Constraints: Heavy schedules can impact issues such as design, testing and
optimization depth.
Regulatory and Compliance Restrictions: There are some states’ regulations, and it can be
standards, that may restrain some options in design, for example, data protection or
localization.
Physical Space Limitations: This is because the size of the available space for the data
center may limit the total design and expansion.
Technology Compatibility: Problems of installing new technologies to combine it with the
pre-existing legacy systems are likely to cause some scale of cost overruns.
Technical Goals
Technical goals encompass reliability, security, scalability, integrity, throughput and
data integrity for the best performance of a system (Spacey, 2017). Based on these technical
goals, DataScape Solutions will design advanced data centers to accommodate businesses
with secure, scalable, and high-performance data centers to facilitate smooth growth.
Reliability
Reliability tops the list for data center design at DataScape Solutions. To achieve this, we
interlink the function by adding redundant links, critical devices, and essential service
modules to ensure optimal operation in unforeseen failure or high demand situations.
Scalability
DataScape Solutions makes it scalable in a way that ensures it can handle the growing
demands of the businesses. Because we have load balancing, dynamic content replication and
VLAN capabilities, our data centers expand seamlessly and we can add value added services
as the client changes.
Manageability
A core focus at DataScape Solutions is effective manageability. What we offer are
independent management platforms to help simplify device monitoring and control for data
center teams and users alike, to simplify the management of equipment from disparate
vendors to provide clarity on the status and connectivity to that equipment.
Performance
DataScape Solutions conveys that high performance means data is delivered quickly
and minimally latency. With this, operations of applications will run smoothly, there will be
good user experience as well as efficient handling of real time business processes.
Security
Every DataScape Solutions design is secured. We have strong physical security taking
the form of biometric controls and surveillance which combined with our network security
policies are meant to prevent cyber threats and unwanted access to sensitive data.
Data Integrity
DataScape Solutions lives and dies by data integrity; we store it exactly as it is
received and retrieve it the same way. By making this commitment, data is assured
consistency, accuracy and reliability throughout all operations.
Business Strategies
Business strategies including optimisation of infrastructure, improved system
performance, cloud adoption, robust cybersecurity and automation will be the focus for
Datascape Solutions. The intent behind these is to enhance business development, security,
and scaling, and to optimize operations.
Make It Robust
Datascape Nexus will ensure resilience through redundant systems, disaster recovery
plans, and 24/7 monitoring. With its failover mechanisms and high availability, customer
trust will remain intact during any disruptions.
Make It Modular
The Datascape Nexus adopts a modular architecture, allowing for seamless scalability
and resource flexibility. Prefabricated modules and virtualization enable cost-effective
growth aligned with market demand.
Make It Flexible
Datascape Nexus offers adaptable solutions through virtualization and hybrid cloud
integration. This ensures services meet diverse client needs while maintaining
competitiveness in dynamic markets.
Standardize
By embedding international standards into the Datascape Nexus, we ensure
efficiency, reduce errors, and produce consistent high-quality output, leading to lower
operational costs.
Promote Good Habits
Datascape Nexus fosters a culture of continuous improvement by providing secure,
reliable, and innovative infrastructure. This supports productivity, innovation, and strong
customer and partner relationships.
Justification for Technical Goals and Strategies for Data Center
The technical goals and strategies that are being implemented at DataScape Solutions
are geared towards addressing the changing needs of modern businesses, as it has an effect
both for operations and growth. Reliability is more important in order to limit downtime and
not interrupt business continuity and customer confidence. Scalability means our
infrastructure can grow to accommodate new clients without ever knocking our infrastructure
down. Centralized monitoring tools are used to manageability. There are fewer complexity in
terms of teams operational process. Performance features are overemphasized as process time
is reduced to the millisecond and served every millisecond for accurate real time and user
satisfaction. Security is undertaken to protect sensitive data from the external threats to
ensure client confidence in the integrity of their data. Through commitment to data integrity,
we ensure that if data is used to make a decision, it is consistent, reliable, and helps reduce
errors. And besides, it contributes to the adoption of business strategies such as systems
robustness, modularity and flexibility, that make possible to face and make quickly
noticeable market changes and client demands and, the standardization reduces costs and
improves service quality. A culture of continuous improvement is a good way to take the
innovators edge, and enhance long term relationship with clients, positioning DataScape
Solutions as a reliable and forward thinking partner in data management.
Creating Data Center with Technical Goals and Strategies
To build a data center at DataScape Solutions, we will leverage strategies for
reliability, scalability, security, performance, manageability, and data integrity. For instance,
the data center will ensure redundancy of its critical components by utilizing modular
designs, load balancing and VLAN capabilities to fuel the smooth scaling with the growing
business needs. Management will enjoy centralized monitoring and control systems;
hardware and network optimization will guarantee high performance and low latency
operations. Physical and network security will prevent unauthorized access and data integrity
protocols will make sure data will be stored consistent and accurate. Furthermore, the
modular, flexible approach will allow the system to respond to market changes, as well as
comply to international standards, which will simplify process of processes, reduce costs,
and improve overall quality of service. A culture of continuous improvement will keep
providing new ideas, increasing productivity and strong customer relationships.
Data Center Tier System
The Uptime Institute developed the Data Center Tier Classification to measure and
rank the reliability, performance, and redundancy of data centers around the world. It gives a
clear format to judge whether the performances are suitable for the operational requirements
towards any business can pick data center suitable for its need. The system groups data
centers into four tiers based on their infrastructure. Tier I is the level that provides basic
infrastructure and Tier IV the level with the maximum amount of redundancy and fault
tolerance. This classification will assist businesses to trade off uptime, scalability and
operational resilience when it comes to migration from standalone data centers to hybrid or
cloud (Velimirovic, 2021).
Tier I
Figure 1: Tier I data center (Ferreira et al., 2018)
The simplest is Tier I, with only a single path for power and cooling, no redundancy.
Since that means if either there’s a failure in power or cooling systems, the data center will
be down. It has 99.671% uptime meaning about 28.8 hours downtime per year. Small
businesses or non critical operation that does not care about uptime use Tier 1 data centers.
Tier II
Figure 2: Tier II data center (Ferreira et al., 2018)
Tier II gives redundancy to the system. That includes N+1 redundancy - there is at
least one additional component (for instance power or cooling) in case of failure. 99.741%
uptime on the same tier plus roughly 22 hours of downtime per year. However, if reliability
is still not as important as some other characteristics, then Tier 2 may be more suitable for
medium sized businesses since reliability is not critically needed for daily business.
Tier III
Figure 3: Tier III data center (Ferreira et al., 2018)
Tier III adds reliability, owning concurrently maintainable components. Power and
cooling systems are dual powered and have multiple paths to give to allow for maintenance
without taking the system down. At this tier, you’ll get 99.982% uptime, or just 1.6 hours of
downtime per year. For enterprises that need high availability and can't suffer from their
operations going down.
Tier IV
Figure 4: Tier IV data center (Ferreira et al., 2018)
It defines reliability and fault tolerance of Tier IV. It fulfills the redundancy of 2N: all
components are duplicated and it is fully fault tolerant. This tier means that there's no reason
for the data center to fail. With 99.995% uptime, Tier 4 data centers tolerate only 26.3
minutes of down time a year. This tier is essential for missions critical organizations such as
financial institutions or healthcare providers who cannot afford even a few minutes
downtime.
Comparison of Different Tier System
Table 1: Comparison of Different Tier System (Rybakova & Kagan, 2020)
Tier Selection for DataScape Solution
Based on the project scenario, Tier III is the most suitable choice for the data center
design. DataScape Solutions found Tier 3 to be a balanced cost effective and high reliability
tier that fit well for the proposed data center. Tier III provides 99.982% uptime, N+1
redundancy and concurrent maintainability, while providing a continued balance between
cost efficiency and reliability for at least two critical components, which can be removed or
replaced without requiring the system to be shut down. Tier IV provides highest level of fault
tolerance, however, it would lead to such high costs and complexity that it will not be
feasible in terms of project's need for operational efficiency and scalability. Tier III ensures
data center complies with security and operational excellence standards of the industry,
making it a preferred choice for a data center with flexible and reliable environment to
support the very near future technological advancement. The alignment of this tier is a
perfect fit with DataScape Solutions commitment to crafting secure, efficient, and future-
proof data centers to achieve the strategic objectives of businesses and global standards.
Network Topology
Network topology is the structure of a network in terms of the arrangement of nodes, devices
and links and. It defines how data is to be transmitted in the network hence defines its
performance, usage capacity, reliability and manageability. Choosing the right network
topology and its plan is the foundation in making communication smooth, fast and reliable
especially when redundancy is very essential (Khan, 2024).
Bus Topology
In bus topology, equipments are connected point to point on the backbone signal cable
that acts as the communication path. This is a cable where by data is transmitted in a
sequence and at the end of the cable there are terminations that help minimize reflections.
This topology is easy to implement and also inexpensive, thus most suitable for small
networks. It also has relatively low cabling needs that make installation easier than in other
topologies of the network. However, they criticised it for its main weakness resulted from the
concentration of connection cable- the Backbone cable- as once it gets damaged, the whole
network collapses (Ashtari, 2022). Further still, the more the devices connected, networking
becomes worse because the traffic loads on the medium rises.
Figure 5:Bus Topology (Virima, 2024)
Star Topology
In the star topology, every device is tethered to a central hub or switch and the
hub/switch controls the flow of data to its required destination. This design is very
dependable and simple to debug because the failure of one device is not necessarily fatal to
the others in the network. It is also highly scalable; in a way that amends or deletes any
device without even affecting the running of the network. However, the central point acts as
a single point source – if it fails then the entire network does not function. However, this
topology may be more costly than simpler ones due to the central hub and related
physiognomy (Zenarmor, 2024).
Figure 6:Star Topology (Conceptdraw, 2024)
Ring Topology
A ring topology determines nodes’ connections through a circular course with every
node connected with its adjacent nodes only. Communication within the network is
unidirectional, or bidirectional where a dual-ring configuration further improves network
resilience. This access topology provides equal resource provision to all the devices and thus
is suitable for networks that must offer consistent performance. Secondary backup rings
increase dependability while using two rings as an option path in the event of the primary
link’s failure. There is, however, one major disadvantage to the topology: all nodes in the
ring; if one node fails the fault implies an entire network until bypass mechanisms have been
put in place (Khan, 2024).
Figure 7:Ring Topology (Keary, 2024)
Mesh Topology
The mesh network configuration connects every device, providing numerous paths in
which signals can travel through. This design also offers the best fault tolerance, or in other
words, if a connection has been lost, the data can be routed through another path. The
redundant links also enhance delivery of data as it is made efficient to even the clients during
peak periods. The great deal of cabling and complicated connections mean it is quite difficult
to apply in large networks. These factors cause it to be applied mainly where reliability
counts than the cost of the component (Singh, 2024).
Figure 8:Mesh Topology (Edrawsoft, 2024)
Hybrid Topology
Hybrid topology is a combination of one or more networking topologies to develop
those that suit the organization’s needs, such as star, ring, or mesh. This approach has an
immense flexibility, within a network, organizations can always design it for its operations.
So it is not only ideal for big or complicated networks but also for companies that are
experiencing network growth. Nonetheless, the major issues which combine the topology
often include; the complexity when implementing hybrid topology and a higher cost
incurred. Joining various types of topology can be quite challenging and requires extra
equipment and planning making the design and costs of the network to go high (Khan, 2024).
Figure 9:Hybrid Topology (Virima, 2024)
Network Types
Local Area Network (LAN)
Figure 10: Local Area Network (Sathish, 2013)
A Local Area Network (LAN), as the name suggests, is a network where devices are
connected cut off a limited geographical area like a office complex, school, or a campus. It
makes efficient sharing of resources such as access to printers, files and the internet in a very
efficient manner. LANs are prevalent because they offer extensive connectivity and are
relatively cheap; they are private and best suited for a small to medium networks.
(BasuMallick, Spice works, 2022).
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Figure 11: Wide Area Network (Howard, 2024)
A WAN extends geographically across a broad location area such as several cities, regions or
even countries hence the acronym-Wide Area Network. Since it enables communication and
exchange of information between remote locations it plays an important role in today’s large
international companies and organisations. WANs use the public or leased transmission
media including satellite links, fibre optics or telecommunication links. WANs have been
designed to afford long distance connectivity, and to support extensive operations; yet they
have lower transmission rates in comparison to LANs and MANNs (BasuMallick,
SpiceWork, 2024).
Data Center Topology
Data center topology is defined as the manner and style of designing the physical
layout of certain network infrastructure solutions necessary for data center operation,
including servers, switches, and storage. It defines how these components interrelate and
share the information that will affect their performance, future growth and stability (Team,
2023).
Centralized Topology
In centralized structure all the resources including compute, storage and networking
are located in a single central location and facility. This design makes management easy
since all activities are closely located thus showing high operational efficiency and resource
utilization. Nonetheless, its main weakness is that single point of failure can exist should the
central facility become unavailable or fail.
Zoned Topology
A zoned topology divides the data center into zones and each zone is for a particular
use such as computing, storage or network. Such a division improves performance due to
proper allocation of resource for certain functions and effective and efficient resource
allocation within the areas. Nevertheless, the coordinate of managing multiple zones and the
relatively high costs involved in configuring separated zones are major drawback particularly
for organizations with constrained budget or capacity.
Top of Rack (ToR) Topology
A Top of Rack (ToR) architecture is organized with each server rack having a switch
from which all devices are connected to an aggregation switch or core layer of the network.
This design greatly minimizes the number of cables due to aggregation of cable connections
within each rack and makes rack level management easier and faster. Moreover, ToR eases
scalability since it is possible to include new racks without interfering with the whole
network connection. Yet, one has to have a specific switch in every rack which in turn calls
for additional expenses and, overall, amplifies the costs of using this topology compared to
the centralized or less fabricated ones.
Topology for Our Data Center
Spine-and-leaf coupled with the ToR structure is perfect for the openness of our data
center. This topology offers modularity by incorporation of new other leaves to the switch
resulting to increased capacity without interference with normal functions. It guarantees the
low latency where the devices are connected with direct and fast channel improving the work
speed. The multiple redundant paths between nodes provide good fault tolerance where no
single point of failure is possible to occur to disrupt its functions. In addition, due to the
implementation of ToR the number of cables has been significantly lowered, the connectivity
at rack level has become easier to manage and troubleshoot. Therefore, by applying this
architecture, we attend to MITI’s goals of a large, protected, high-efficiency data center that
can assimilate with the clouds and adapt to future technological specifications inherent in
Malaysia’s development.
Data Centre Architecture
Data centre architecture is the design and layout of physical and logical components,
such as the servers, storage structures, networking, and other control software. Here, it
identifies how all these elements relate to one another and are structured in a way to augment
the data centre’s services and functionalities (Zhang & Chen, 2021).
Types of Data Centre Architecture
Domain-Based Architecture
Domain-based architecture is a way of arranging the data centre into different
domains or subunits that are self-contained and respond to administrative divisions of similar
functions. The amounts of servers, storage and networking resources can also differ from one
domain to the other with each domain being managed separately. It is widely used in large
companies to manage IT infrastructure efficiently and fulfil many different needs of an
organisation (Dutt, 2019).
Physical Architecture
Physical architecture focuses on how different physical components are placed in
physical and/or logical Innovative data centre groups. This includes a shelf for servers and
other related instruments, cooling system, power distribution units (PDUs), and cables. This
allows for robust customization of security policies and controls as well as the security of
resources depending on operation’s needs within respective domains (Dutt, 2019).
Virtual Architecture
Virtual architecture refers to the partial or complete abstraction of the physical
hardware resources to certain virtual environments or instances. Products like Hypervisors
deploy multiple Virtual Machines (VMs) which execute more than one operating system, and
applications on a single physical server. Cloud computing models that virtual architecture
provides include flexibility, cost effective and fast deployment of applications and services
(Dutt, 2019).
Cloud-Based Architecture
Cloud computing is an extension of virtualization to deliver configurable computing
resources and services through the networks. It covers both private, public, and the case of a
hybrid cloud computing strategy. The nature of cloud structures includes the following: self-
service, scalability, and resource usage metering (Zhang & Chen, 2021).
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Gantt Chart
