Hyperscale vs Enterprise Data Centers: Key Differences, Benefits & Which One You Need

Have you ever looked at a huge building that was built for a corporate entity such as Google or Amazon and wondered what was inside the building? I used to think that all of these buildings were simply very large rooms that contained very large amounts of computers. However, when I was given an opportunity to tour a "normal" company data center, I came to the realization that all data centers are not the same. Actually, there are some drastic differences between hyperscale and enterprise data centers.

What is a Hyperscale Data Center?​

Hyerscale data center makes me think about the fact that there are some very large technology businesses like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo that provide their services to large populations via the internet (e.g., how are YouTube and Instagram available 24/7?).

• Hyerscale data centers are designed for handling "the traffic" of millions of users at one time.
• Hyerscale data centers are also designed to grow rapidly by adding additional computers as necessary.
• Hyerscale data centers are responsible for many services, such as, but not limited to, AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Meta.

Finally, they utilize intelligent automated systems to provide power, cooling, and safety/security.

In conclusion, huge amounts of land will be utilized for these data centers measured in acres and more power will be utilized per data center measured in megawatts. Unbelievable, huh?

Enterprise Data Center​

Now consider Enterprise data centers - as smaller, tightly controlled environments that are much focused.

When I visited an enterprise data center at a financial institution I found it to be an extremely clean, organized, and secure.

Enterprise data centers:

• Only serve one company.
• Host internal business applications and house sensitive customer information.
• Have a high priority on security, safety, and reliability.
• Take more time to grow, more deliberately.

Enterprise data centers will not serve billions of users, but provide much greater control.

Which is Better?​

The answer is: both are good.

Which is right for you depends on your needs.

If you need a hyperscale data center:

• Large amounts of power.
• Users all over the world.
• Rapid business growth.

If you need an enterprise data center:

• A high degree of control.
• Safety and security.
• Customized to the specific needs of your business.

Also, many companies are taking advantage of both types of data centers in combination - this is called hybrid and it works really well.

In conclusion, this is not a competition between hyperscale and enterprise-level data centers. The correct answer is to choose the type of data center that best meets your needs.