Glossary

Data center

A data center is a building or facility that houses servers, backup power, cooling, and network connections. A cloud contact center platform runs in the vendor's data center. Large companies also run their own data centers or rent space in someone else's so their data stays on their own servers.

Why it mattersThe data center determines how reliably the system runs and where customer data is stored.

Also called: Datacenter, Data centre, Server facility

Features

What's inside a data center

Servers and storageThe hardware that runs software and stores data.

Backup powerUninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and diesel generators in case of a power outage.

CoolingAir conditioning that keeps servers from overheating.

ConnectivityMultiple network links from different carriers: if one goes down, traffic moves to another.

Metrics

Reliability tiers

Data center reliability is often described by the Uptime Institute's Tier I-IV classification. The higher the tier, the more backup power and cooling and the less downtime. In a Tier III data center, any equipment can be serviced without shutting down the servers.

Comparison

Your own data center, colocation, or cloud

Your own data center or server roomThe building, equipment, and maintenance are yours. Full control, but also all the costs.

Colocation (rented rack space)Your servers sit in someone else's data center: it provides power, cooling, and connectivity, while the servers and data stay yours.

CloudBoth the data center and the servers belong to the vendor; you use a ready-to-go platform.

In CONTACT.WORK

How it works in CONTACT.WORK

The CONTACT.WORK cloud runs in our data centers in the US and the UK, along with call recordings and customer data; for disaster recovery, you can add a standby server at the price of the main one. If your data must stay with you, we install the platform on your servers – in your data center, server room, or colocation rack. Our server calculator shows how many servers you'll need.

Where to use it

Cloud vs. on-premises Compare the options and pick the right one Learn more Server calculator Find out how many servers to put in your data center Learn more Deployment options Choose cloud, on-premises, or hybrid Learn more

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