What Are the Key Features of a Reliable Chicago Data Center?

Data centers are a core part of modern business operations. That means it’s vital that businesses can rely on them. With that in mind, here is an overview of the key features of a reliable Chicago data center.

High availability and redundancy explained

Here is an overview of the 10 main reasons why high availability and redundancy are vital to modern businesses.

Service continuity: High availability ensures that services remain operational without interruption, which is critical for businesses that operate across different time zones or provide real-time services.

Failure isolation: Redundancy helps contain system failures by isolating problems to specific components, preventing a single fault from affecting the entire business operation.

Data protection: Backup systems and redundant storage protect against data loss caused by hardware failure, cyberattacks, or accidental deletion, safeguarding critical business information.

Regulatory compliance: Many industries have to meet strict uptime and disaster recovery measures. High availability and redundancy help meet these legal and contractual obligations.

Customer retention: Modern customers expect uninterrupted service. Reliable uptime strengthens customer loyalty and prevents users from switching to competitors after service disruptions.

Financial stability: Downtime can result in lost transactions, fines, and reputational damage. Investing in redundancy and availability protects revenue streams and reduces unexpected financial losses.

Cyberattack resilience: Redundant systems enable faster recovery from cyberattacks, such as ransomware, limiting business disruption and reducing potential data exposure.

Disaster recovery readiness: Natural disasters, fires, or regional outages can cripple operations. Redundancy ensures businesses can quickly restore services from backup locations.

Scalability support: High availability frameworks make it easier to scale up resources without downtime, helping businesses meet growing customer and workload demands seamlessly.

Effective staff deployment: Staff can focus their efforts on value-add tasks instead of being held up by unreliable infrastructure.

Key features of a reliable data center

All reliable data centers typically have the following 7 key features.

Resilient design

Facilities are built in geologically stable areas with low risk of natural disasters. They are designed to be scalable and flexible so they can easily and quickly adjust key resources such as power, cooling, and space without impacting performance.

Redundant power systems

Reliable data centers use backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and redundant circuits to ensure continuous power, even during outages.

Advanced cooling and environmental controls

Maintaining optimal temperatures and humidity levels is crucial. Reliable centers have redundant HVAC systems and real-time environmental monitoring to prevent equipment failure. They also need to be equipped with advanced fire detection and suppression systems to control fires quickly before they cause serious damage.

High network connectivity

Multiple network carriers and redundant fiber connections ensure high-speed internet access and prevent downtime due to a single carrier failure.

Robust security and compliance

Strong security measures like biometric access controls, surveillance cameras, 24/7 security staff, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems protect both the physical and digital environments. Compliance certifications are objective proof of security standards.

Disaster recovery and backup systems

Reliable centers maintain robust disaster recovery plans, off-site backups, and regularly test their recovery processes to minimize data loss during incidents.

Constant monitoring and support

24/7 monitoring and rapid response teams quickly detect and address potential issues, ensuring minimal service interruptions.

DataBank’s commitment to reliable data centers

Here are the five main ways DataBank demonstrates its commitment to reliable data centers.

Universal data hall design (UDHD)

This agile framework allows for rapid and efficient deployment of new data center capacity while accommodating a wide range of workloads.

By enabling flexible configurations within the same data hall, UDHD ensures scalability and resilience, allowing DataBank to adapt swiftly to evolving technological demands without the need for extensive retrofitting or redesign.

Redundant power and cooling systems

DataBank’s facilities are equipped with N+1 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) configurations and on-site backup generators with dedicated fuel supplies. This setup ensures continuous power availability during grid failures.

Advanced environmental controls maintain optimal temperature and humidity levels, preventing equipment overheating and ensuring consistent performance. ​

Effective security and compliance measures

Adhering to industry standards, DataBank’s data centers maintain certifications such as HIPAA, HITECH, PCI DSS, SOC 1, SOC 2, and SSAE 18. Advanced security measures, including biometric access controls, camera monitoring systems, and 24/7 security personnel, protect hosted infrastructure against physical and cyber threats.

Comprehensive resilience testing

To proactively identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities, DataBank conducts thorough resilience testing. This process includes simulating stress conditions to assess the data center’s response and resilience. The testing process is divided into planning, execution, and analysis phases, ensuring a structured approach to resilience assessment. ​

Robust disaster recovery and backup strategies

DataBank implements comprehensive disaster recovery plans that outline steps to restore IT infrastructure and services after disruptions. These plans include maintaining both on-site and off-site backups, utilizing cloud-based services, and regularly testing recovery procedures to ensure quick and accurate data restoration. ​