Data Is King

“Data center” once meant a standalone facility in some isolated location. Still true. But a data center can also be a building on a campus, and even a floor or room within a building. More often than not lately, we think and speak in terms of data architecture. 

Data Strategy Insider’s Wayne Eckerson defined data architecture. He explained that more than merely a data warehouse, different from a data platform, data architecture is “a living, breathing organism that detects and responds to changes, continuously learns and adapts, and provides governed, tailored access to every individual.” 

Ten Characteristics of Modern Data Architecture: 

01. Customer-centric 
02. Adaptable
03. Automated 
04. Smart 
05. Flexible
06. Collaborative 
07. Governed 
08. Simple 
09. Elastic
10. Secure 
11. Resilient (bonus)

The last two, “secure” and the bonus “resilient,” are two characteristics that are directly underpinned by lightning protection and grounding systems’ application and function. 

As the type and variety of “data centers” has increased, so have the demands of the systems that protect them. “One size” doesn’t fit all. 

Be it a data center, server farm or another electronics hub, lightning is a real and consequential risk. Electrical current interrupts and degrades sensitive data, when that data is “at rest” and “at work.” Correspondingly, lightning threatens other essential systems, like HVAC, which impact data integrity. 

Early on, data center lightning protection utilized, almost exclusively, straightforward grounding systems. Today, Guardian designs include a static floor ground mat and a traditional on-roof lightning protection system as just two of the elements in a single integrated solution. 

Technology officers should undergo a thorough audit to understand all the ways lightning can damage a structure and adversely impact EDI. Project Manager Greg Fair said, “The job is to design and install a system that protects against all those potential current intrusions.”