A decade ago, the term "mission critical facilities" related to such things as hospitals, power stations and military installations. It is testimony to the role Information and Communications Technology now plays in our lives that today the term is used almost exclusively for data centers.

Data centers have become the information processing nerve centers and storage cores of corporate, institutional and governmental entities worldwide. The process of selecting a data center can be complex and time consuming because of the number of options available and the downside of getting it wrong. This paper is intended as a high-level primer for selecting the right data center. It outlines the key parameters to be considered by decision makers tasked with evaluation and procurement of data center facilities to meet their organizations' needs.