As the name suggests, a data centre is a centre for data, i.e. a location which contains data. It can also be seen as a factory that produces data. In other words, a data centre is a building or part of a building that houses computers, network devices, data storage systems, and other associated hardware.
Data centres are the foundation of the cloud and cloud services. That is why there are strict requirements regarding how modern data centres are built and operated in terms of security, access control, redundancy concerning power supply and internet access, and so on. Many suppliers have therefore specialised in building and operating data centres, while other companies, such as Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon and Google, deliver the data technology itself.
Data centres are very energy-intensive, as computers and other hardware generate a lot of heat. As a result, a lot of energy is required for cooling purposes. Most of the major cloud service providers require the power that is used for data centres to come from renewable sources.
Cegal has a hybrid data centre which enables our customers to combine multiple external data centres. This data centre provides services from Cegal's data centre, Microsoft's data centre (Azure), and any third- party data centre that the customer wishes to include.