Which two statements describe the business value of data centres?

The business value of data centres stems from their role as the central nervous system of an organization's IT operations. They enable the delivery of all IT services, from internal applications to customer-facing websites (A). They are also fundamental to data protection through security measures, backups, and disaster recovery capabilities (A). Furthermore, data centres are designed and operated to meet specific regulatory and industry compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS), mitigating legal and financial risks. Their inherent redundancy and resilience ensure operational continuity, allowing the business to function even during adverse events (B).

C. They only serve as storage locations: This is a gross oversimplification. Data centres are active hubs for computing and networking, not just passive storage facilities.
D. They reduce IT agility: A modern, well-architected data centre, particularly one using virtualization and automation, is a primary driver for increasing IT agility.

1. Koomey, J. G. (2007). Estimating total power consumption by servers in the US and the world. Stanford University. This foundational work establishes data centers as the core infrastructure for "delivering information services."

2. Uptime Institute. (2021). Annual Data Center Survey 2021. Report. Section on "Resiliency and downtime" discusses the critical business need for operational continuity and how data center design directly impacts it. (Note: Uptime Institute is a de facto industry standard authority).

3. Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2016). Cloud Computing: Implementation, Management, and Security. CRC Press. Chapter 2, "The Business Case for Cloud Computing," contrasts cloud with traditional data centers, highlighting the latter's role in ensuring security, compliance, and business continuity.