New end user standards of satisfaction are forcing the traditional data center network structure to change. This presentation discusses the new multi-tiered structure that will define data center networks in the coming years.

1. The Right Data Center for the Job: The
Stratification of Data Center
Responsibilities
Chris Crosby, CEO, Compass Datacenters

2. About Us
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• Compass Datacenters provides dedicated data centers
• Built using our patented architecture
• Uptime Institute Tier III certified design and constructed
• LEED certified
• Wherever you want it
• Controlled by you
• Ownership or lease
• Operations and security
• Expansion
• Simplify Capacity Planning
• Growth in 1.2MW Increments
• The building is the standard unit “Everything you want in your next data center. It’s in here”

3. Accelerated Evolution
• Rapid period of change
• Old rules no longer apply
• Structure
• Roles
• Decision making
• Data center role shift
• All-in-one versus matching need
• Avoid load group mistmatch
• Scale matters
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4. Driving the Change
• Convergence of data types
• Large rich packets (video)
• Billions of small packets (IOT)
• Value of data
• Inverse relationship with latency
• End user requirements/expectations
• Data must be as close to end user as possible – generational shift
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5. Not Ready for Primetime, Part 1
• The mega data center can’t do it all
• Geography
• Can’t get close enough to the customer
• Latency becomes a serious issue
• Applications processing capability
• We used to call billions of tiny packets DOS
• Now it’s business as usual
• “Intelligence” isn’t distributed
• Network
• Fat pipes are no longer enough
• Latency matters
• Hetero v. Homogeneous
• The big guys build for single apps
• Too expensive/inefficient for most enterprises
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6. Not Ready for Primetime, Part 2
• Existing “network” structures
• Single data center
• 2-level (maybe)
• Centralized with DR with usually some synchronous requirements
• Centralized w/big pipe to regional
• Regulatory environments pushing for more
• Not optimized for “next generation”
requirements
• Difficult to hold “localized” content
• Design didn’t anticipate volume
• Ability to process volume in real time
• Even if it isn’t your app set, it will affect the
public network
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7. The Stratified Structure
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• Hierarchical structure
• 3 levels
• Data center(s) at each level have specific function
• Based on division of labor
• Improve processing capability
• Distributed throughout the structure
• Better support for converged architecture
• Mission critical at all levels
• Why?
• $10M - $20M investment in just a few
racks of gear
• Even the “cloud” has 10-20 racks that run
all the commodity infrastructure

8. Cost of Redundancy versus Software
• Mission critical at the edge
• Cost to put into the software versus the cost to put it
into the hardware
• Just like in your car, what you can afford today is
different than 5 years ago
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Cost
Time
Data Center
Software

9. Roles
• Centralized hubs
• Primary applications processing/storage points
• Applications are “non-divisible”
• Edge data centers
• Regional centers
• Support one or more micro DC’s
• Perform regional processing/cache function
• Ex: Determine what goes upstream
• Micro data centers
• Initial interaction point
• Repositories for high demand content
• Located to provide lowest level of latency
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10. The Stratified Structure
• Requirements
• Flexibility
• Must be able to adapt to shifts in demand
• Dynamic
• 80/20 rule
• Security
• At all levels
• Ability to identify attacks
• Dynamic re-routing of traffic
• Mission critical at all levels
• Maximize uptime
• Protect high cost equipment
• Converged equipment = more expensive
• Tier III/IV (hub)
• If size dictates, commodity compute storage at
hub
• Tier III (edge, micro)
• Geography
• Data centers located where they are needed
• Especially at edge, micro levels
• Location decisions driven by customer locations
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Commodity Level
Converged Level
Not a return to the IT closet, true data centers at the edge

11. Planning for Stratified
• From tactical to strategic
• More than we need a new data center in Cleveland
• Need to think in 5-10 year periods
• Not 12-24 months
• Impact from outside, NOT just inside
• Security
• Network
• Considerations
• Applications
• End users
• Locations
• Requirements
• Expectations
• Network
• Technical and financial
• Management and control
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12. Summary
• Nature of data forcing the change
• Majority of existing data centers/networks not ready
• Stratified networks will become more prevalent
• 2 major considerations:
• Keep data closer to users
• Lowest possible latency—generational shift in workers
• Data center roles will become more specific
• Based on hierarchical location
• Planning will have to change
• Tactical to strategic
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