Saving the Data Center through Sustainability
Businesses’ unquenchable need for the most reliable, swift, and secure information means they are taxing data centers’ resources at an alarming pace. That’s putting added pressure on data center managers and facilities professionals to find ways to reduce resource consumption that not only adds incredible cost to business operations, but also threatens irreparable harm to natural resources. For example, data centers today consume more than 2% of all electricity generated in the United States.*
InformationWeek presented these insights at their executive simulcast this past Tuesday, after bringing together executives from Gartner, Siemens, and a variety of leading-edge companies to talk about “empowering the data center and the people who manage them.”
Many of iVEDiX’s partners are facing the challenges of Green IT head-on, from eco friendly cooling infrastructures at University of Rochester to solutions that offer tangible sustainability at Siemens Global. The technologies being turned out by these industry innovators are astounding, but what can we do today without investing millions of dollars in updates for our infrastructures? Further, how will these changes impact the future? We’re taking notes from Carl Claunch, VP & Distinguished Analyst at Gartner, to inform the following best practices:
Are You Full of Hot Air?
Half of a data center’s power is used for cooling with traditional cooling systems that use air circulation. The problem? Air is better at insulating heat than it is at removing it. Gartner has proved that even techniques such as grouping hot and cool together are less cost efficient than channeling free air. Though it doesn’t work in every climate, Claunch does suggest using mother nature for heating and cooling your data center.
Are your Eyes Bigger than your Stomach?
Today’s most progressive companies are handling their Big Data with the efficiency some of us can only dream of. At Facebook Inc. there is one Server Tech for every 20 to 24 thousand servers, and that’s because they’ve simplified. If you have the option, restricting the types of machines in your data center may be the first step toward engineering your environment for efficiency.
Did you Fill Out your TPS Report?
Achieving data quality is largely about reducing duplicity to increase efficiency. In the same way, we can automate IT itself. Merely shaving off seconds in performance time can have a big economic payoff for your department. Taking steps toward enhancing performance will also spotlight areas for improvement, so you can limit errors.
When you are looking to your IT department or data vendor to consult on the best technology for your business, be sure to consider Green IT. The technologies in this field are rapidly changing, and it only takes a few years for multi-million dollar systems to become obsolete. Sustainable systems, on the other hand, are more forgiving. They can save your company capital in the long run, and offer your business the greatest return on investment. In other words, they can offer a better future.
How is your organization contributing to Green IT? What other recommendations would you add to this list?
