Many
companies are looking for ways to expand its business while also delivering
better services to its customers without any added cost. They look at their data
centers, which are the backbone of the online services, data hosting and backup
services it provides its clients, a significant areas where costs could be
trimmed. Traditional fixed-structure data centers often lack energy efficiencies
and require a large amount of capital upfront, so many companies are adding
prefabricated modular data center to its portfolio.
The modular prefabricated model allows a company to customize each module to match the respective data-center environments that its customers needed. Being able to have four data centers with four different types of cooling systems, for example, is a huge selling point.
Modular data centers come in two forms: containerized or prefabricated. Fitting all software and equipment into a trailer-sized unit, containerized data centers are customized to support a companys specific power conditions or cooling-method needs. Prefabricated data centers are shipped to the customer site with the majority of construction completed offsite; these modules are designed to be deployed within a building or computer-like powered shells.
Containers are more for specific-use cases. For example, the military prefers container data centers, which can easily be moved from one site to another.