There is no question that within the coming years technological components and methodologies will be adjusted and updated, leading to changes within the data center sector. According to recent data center research from Gartner, operators and organizations in the industry should take a few steps to better plan their facility strategies to address changes in technical, fiscal and service delivery.
At the most recent Gartner Data Center Conference, the firm identified certain forces that will shape their data center strategies. These factors will drive changes in design, development and management methods, stated Gartner research vice president Rakesh Kumar.
“These…critical forces are the major factors to consider when developing a data center strategy,” Kumar said. “Individually and taken together, they will determine the appropriate level of risk, cost and agility that data centers will carry and provide for the business.”
Manage Growth Through Analysis
One of the firm’s suggestions is to manage data center capacity growth by analyzing data. Within the next five years, there will be a considerable rise in hardware capacity, including storage, server and networks, which will impact system traffic, facility floor space, power and cooling. Gartner predicted that there will also be a significant increase in demand for storage and backup arrangements, which must receive more consideration in the future.
Consolidation and Rationalization
Gartner also recommended deploying a continuous change program for the data center’s consolidation and rationalization efforts. Although consolidation has been a hot topic of late, many organizations have yet to realize the full advantages due to the complexity of demanding, multi-year campaigns.
“Organizations should position these activities as a continuous change rather than a one-off project,” Gartner stated.
By making these efforts ongoing projects, organizations have the opportunity to constantly optimize hardware and the overall facility, improving the infrastructure and operations. Furthermore, TechGig stated that these efforts can allow the facility to run at an optimal level for operational costs.
Modernize Facilities
Data center operators and employees should work to modernize their facility infrastructures to ensure the structure can keep up with the capabilities of new hardware and systems. TechGig also noted that data center technology arrangements will experience an increase in energy consumption due to growth in server volume. Without taking steps to make these improvements, legacy systems may hold the facility back from taking full advantage of boosted equipment capacity.
