Physical Environment
ISO/IEC TS 22237-1:2018: Information technology — Data center facilities and infrastructures enumerates availability and protection classes that define different levels of recommended environment restrictions, automated support systems, and design criteria for data centers.
The ISO/IEC 22237 seven-part series is comprised of:
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-1:2018 Information technology — Data center facilities and infrastructures outlines general concepts
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-2 specifies the requirements of and provides recommendations for the location and construction of data centers in support of the desired protection class zoning
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-3 specifies the requirements of and provides recommendations for power distribution systems in support of the desired protection class
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-4 specifies the requirements of and provides recommendations for environmental control systems in support of the desired protection class
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-5 specifies the requirements of and provides recommendations for the installation, monitoring, and security of network telecommunications cabling
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-6 specifies the requirements of and provides recommendations for security and protection systems in support of the desired protection class
- ISO/IEC TS 22237-7 addresses the operational and management information (in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC TS 22237-1)
The inter-relationship of the specifications within the ISO/IEC TS 22237 series is shown in the figure below.
Physical Design
ISO/IEC TS 22237-2 specifies requirements and specifications for construction of facilities that will house data centers with criteria and classifications meant to address physical security and availability. Specifically, the recommendation and requirements focus on:
- Location and site selection
- Building construction
- Building configuration
- Fire protection
- Quality construction measures
Most consumers of cloud services do not intend to build a physical data center but want to consume services from others that have. The document declares that the guidance can be utilized for “green field” (new) construction or to evaluate an existing site (e.g., audit of cloud service provider’s facility).
As an example related to location and site selection, the elevation above sea level can have a direct influence upon system performance. Consideration should also be given to the environmental impact that the data center will have upon the surrounding environment (e.g., what alternative/renewable energy sources are available) and the possible effect that the environment will have upon the personnel related to previous use of the land area (e.g., environmental waste).
For example, Microsoft has reported being 100 percent carbon neutral since 2012, which is a commitment spanning operations in more than 100 companies. Oracle Cloud leverages state-of-the-art intelligent energy management and cooling technologies based on their industry-leading expertise and best practices to achieve high energy efficiencies.