Data center location selection criteria

Selection of a data center site is tough because it takes into account the technical requirements and business decision-making process. the technical requirement is considered to be done by engineers and it should comply with the design criteria. the business decision-making criteria are done by senior management which takes into consideration the return on investment per cost, prestige, and location.
- business owners always prefer the business considerably over the technical evaluations. so these studies must be done to ensure high availability, proper management, required availability, and low operation cost. in addition, the site must satisfy the present and future utilization and requirements effectively and those must be kept low as possible without affecting quality.
- there are two types of hazards that affect the selection of the site which are natural and man-made. natural hazards such as (flooding, typhoons, etc.). man-made hazards like ( flight paths, tunnels,, etc.).
- the location of the data center should also be far from emergency services like (fire, police, and medical facilities). also, it should be near public transport and public roads. in addition, it must be far from high-risk buildings like( embassies and government buildings). convenience shouldn't overrule security.

-the building of the data center must be built from scratch as it will reduce the constraints of buying or renting it. if you want to buy or rent, you must look at the history of the building and don't ask the sales guy. building codes and standards are the rulers of selecting the place of the data center. don't install the data center on the highest floor or the ground or the basement because of flooding, potential water leakage, and security reasons. floor leading can be very heavy. ensure there is stabilized power and adequate circuit breaker rating.