Spinworks understands that your data center is critical to every aspect of your operations. That awareness is a key component of how we approach your project—whether you are constructing a new data center or expanding your existing one.

In partnership with your facilities and information technology (IT) department, our hands-on experts will assess your company’s requirements— and develop a plan that meets your needs, budget and timeframe. We then oversee every aspect of your data center project.

The data center is the building, or portion of a building, that houses computer rooms and support facilities. Traditionally, there were no design guidelines for data centers. That changed in 2005 with the deploy of TIA/EIA-942: Telecommunications Infrastructure Standards for Data Centers, which was developed to ensure uniformity in design and performance. It was created for data center designers who are early in the building development process. A good part of the standard involves facility specifications, functional areas, and equipment placement in a hierarchical star topology.

The standard includes:

• Data center spaces.

When planning a data center, plan plenty of “white space” or empty space to accommodate future equipment. The basic elements of the data center include:

• Entrance Room: It’s recommended that this be outside of the computer room for security.
• Main Distribution Area (MDA). This is in a centrally located area to house the routers and switches. It includes the main cross-connect (MC) and may include a horizontal cross-connect.
• Horizontal Distribution Areas (HDA). There may be one or more HDAs, which serve as the distribution point for horizontal cabling. The HDA houses the horizontal cross-connects and active equipment, such as switches.
• Equipment Distribution Areas (EDA). These are where the horizontal cables are terminated in patch panels. See” hot and cold aisles” on the facing page.
• Zone Distribution Area (ZDA). This is an optional interconnection or consolidation point between the EDA and HDA for zone cabling.
• Backbone and Horizontal Cabling.
• Equipment Distribution Area Outlet.

• Architecture (gypsum boards, Raised access floor systems, General construction services)
• Cabling infrastructure
• Pathways and spaces
• Power Redundancy
• Network design
• Topology
• Racks and cabinets
• Access Control Systems
• Electrical Power
• Environmental Monitoring Systems
• Fire protection
• Security Systems