Design
The architectural layout of your data center will set the blueprint for how efficiently people move, work, and process equipment. Allocating a small amount of your budget upfront to design for your long-term operations can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in efficiencies over the life of the building.
Network design consists of the following three general elements:
ENVIRONMENTAL GIVENS
Environmental givens include the location of hosts, servers, terminals, and other end nodes; the projected traffic for the environment; and the projected costs for delivering different service levels.
PERFORMANCE CONSTRAINTS
Performance constraints consist of network reliability, traffic throughput, and host/client computer speeds (for example, network interface cards and hard drive access speeds).
NETWORKING VARIABLES
Networking variables include the network topology, line capacities, and packet-flow assignments.
The goal is to minimize cost based on these elements while delivering service that does not compromise established availability requirements.
The next phase of the Strategic Plan process is Equipment:
Source:
http://www.gensleron.com/cities/2015/12/18/your-secret-weapon-in-2016-the-design-of-your-data-center.html