The digital revolution has brought about various changes which affect the way people and organizations contact their day to day business. One of those phenomenal changes has been the interception of big data. Big data refers to high volumes of computerized information which has been formatted to replace bureaucratic operational procedures.
In brief, bureaucracy refers to vast red tape brought about in the operations of an entity due to use of too much paperwork and hierarchical managerial structures. But the rise of big data as a solution to bureaucracy needed robust enterprise infrastructure to house it hence we now see the emergence of Data Centres.
So what are Data Centres and what role do they play in this digital revolution? TelOne has already built Zimbabwe’s first Data Centre and what role can it play in driving lnformation Communication Technologies within our borders?
Walter Magaya, founder of PHD Ministries tours the TelOne Data Centre in the company of the parastatal’s MD – Chipo Mutasa
A data center is a robust network infrastructure composed of high processing computers and storage devices like multiple digital array servers that businesses or other organizations use to organize, process, store and disseminate large amounts of data.
A business typically relies heavily upon the applications, services and data contained within a data center, making it a focal point and critical asset for everyday operations.
Data centers are not a single thing, but rather, a conglomeration of elements. At a minimum, data centers serve as the principal repositories for all manner of IT equipment, including servers, storage subsystems, networking switches, routers and firewalls, as well as the cabling and physical racks used to organize and interconnect the IT equipment.
A data center must also contain an adequate infrastructure, such as power distribution and supplemental power subsystems, including electrical switching; uninterrupted power supplies; backup generators and so on; ventilation and data center cooling systems, such as computer room air conditioners; and adequate provisioning for network carrier (telco) connectivity. All of this demands a physical facility with physical security and sufficient physical space to house the entire collection of infrastructure and equipment.
