Data Center: 5 Simple Ways to Trim Server Management Cost

Data Center

You will need to consider the amount being spent on the output of energy if you are being held back by the cost to be incurred on a green data centre implementation. As estimated by studies electrical power to the extent of 12 billion kW hours are used and gradually usage has been expanding to more kilo watt hours. 

Companies hence require identifying different ways to cut down on costs, and find alternative sources of energy that are greener. A few simple steps will need to be followed if a greener data centre is required.

The first thing is to get involved. The returns on investment to be reaped will be higher in the long run with a work environment that is quite comfortable to work upon. 

Cooling systems need redesigning

Use hot isles for enclosing servers so that you can concentrate on direct cooling onto the racks. Ensure that there are proper ducts for air and also reduce loss of airflow by having holes in the ceilings, walls, floors and sealing sealed.

 Consider your redundancy again

If redundant heating and cooling systems are used by companies then power in double amount will be needed. The systems are prepared for peak performance and growth. However where the flow of power is maximum power to just a fraction of the amount is put to use. Bills get inflated since this practice is not sufficient. Hence whenever it is possible, have the redundancy cut down so that based on the current needs you can operate instead of future needs projection.

Energy efficiency needs evaluation

Energy bills need to be added up and you will need to find out from where the energy comes as well as its distribution in the company. To reduce usage a road map will need to be planned. The evaluation done initially provides a baseline for ROI calculation after changes are implemented.

Adjustable equipment usage

Modular and scalable Data Center can be implemented for needs during peak power and growth. In a smaller space more power for computing is needed so that it is possible for servers with scalable blades to concentrate and also need lesser power for cooling down. 

Storage virtualization

Underutilization of many servers exists since they are loaded with software that is required for just some time. With this applications become mobile and thereby unnecessary servers get shut down. Server space is kept track of and applications are remapped to various physical locations as required for attaining efficiency to the maximum. 

Appliances that use star rated energy need to be considered. Besides this legacy servers can be recycled or donated. Systems that are archaic are not as efficient as new ones so money can be saved by purchasing new systems and older ones can be decommissioned. 

Recycling of computer equipment can be done and toxic remains can be disposed of.  Conduct a research on alternative source of power and ensure the management also gets involved, in your effort towards a green data centre.

6 Steps to Select Optimum Data Center for Your Business

Processing and data storage management are an important part of each and every business having a requirement of IT facilities and data centers, in all types of businesses. Centralized systems of IT are provided by data centers which require operational and power cooling system beyond parameters of the typical design. 

Data Center

Density of cooling and power is more which makes it necessary to have improvements continuously. Optimizing the existing equipment’s performance, getting the outdated systems organized, prioritizing replacement etc is the main goal of any redesign or design of a system. 

Evaluation of Existing Facilities

The existing facilities evaluation is necessary with proposed improvements in targets to reduce use of energy and emissions of carbon into the atmosphere. There are a number of reasons to improve a data center’s performance at a data center company. 

Increase in Resilience and Reliability

When there is continual supply and in IT services the downtime is zero then it results in better resilience in any business. When both reliability and resilience is increased it results in greater facility use and accessibility. For the future there is better adaptability. 

In operations the data services and applications are critical. If nobody is allowed easy access to the system of electronic funds transfer or it is not possible to send an email then there is no point. If there is failure in facility then business aspects can get affected.

Greater integration of all components of the system

If the facility existing data center India is assessed then it will lead to better integration of all the components of the system. Implications of power demand and cooling need to be best understood besides systems of management behind each and every process for increasing the potential of data processing. To achieve the best of results a holistic approach will be needed in all data center system aspects.

Enhancing Operations

If data center’s performance is enhanced it allows future expansion and lots of flexibility. Energy and operating costs decrease and there is decrease in greenhouse emissions of gases besides anticipating a carbon economy in future are the benefits. 

Keep reviewing and improvise accordingly

In a normal operation consumption of energy is 35 to 50 times more by data center facilities and adds to the carbon dioxide in the environment as compared to office spaces that are similar sized. It is not uncommon to have demand for power, more than 100 w/sq. for IT equipment as a move is made towards the future. There is only going to be a rise in capability of transfer and data storage requirement.  

Understanding the assessment process

It is necessary to identify whether the driver for making the improvements in the budget, the servers that have been overloaded or the corporate policy for saving energy, management of systems and energy use analysis will prove to be beneficial for businesses. 

Process of assessment can be best understood first in a data center colocation including where utilization of energy is done, current operation of the system, etc and then determine where all the facility of management, systems supply and management can be fully optimized. 

10 Common Data Center Surprises for Your Business

Data centers offer more surprises that one can ask for. A few tips are available so that IT managers get prepared for certain nasty surprises so that downtime can be minimized.  The common surprises can help the professionals in IT to anticipate any kind of issues and help them get prepared with technologies that are appropriate enough. Besides this they get prepared with the best of practices and solutions.

1. Replacement of Servers by Data Center Managers

One common surprise is that servers will be replaced by the managers of data centers before the cooling systems and UPS is replaced by them. After 3 years, refreshing of server’s occurs and UPS systems are expected at times to last for years. This is an indicator that investments made in the infrastructure in today’s time can support the servers for many more generations.

2. It Is True That Predictions of High Density Come True

The other common surprise is that predictions of a high density come true. A few years back the average densities per rack were approximately 6 to 7.4 kW but surveys conducted recently have made predictions that in the coming three years, 12 kW would be the average density. This will put premium on UPS capacity and distribution of power that is adequate enough besides cooling as well to deal with increase in output of heat.

3. Data Centre and Water Do Not Mix

The other common surprise is that mixing of data center and water does not occur. Studies indicate the water incursion is the cause of unplanned outages to the extent of 35%. Valves could be leaky. Data centers can be made as no drink zones and accordingly valves can be maintained.

4. New Servers Are Power Hungry

The other common surprise is that as compared to the old server the new ones are hungry for power. Even if virtualized new servers are efficient the blade servers are more powerful and can consume a lot of energy as compared to the old servers. Inventories of servers get reduced due to server virtualization and consolidation which results in savings that are modest indeed. It is recommended that infrastructure supports cooling and also needs of power of new servers.

5. Unaffordable Downtime

Another common surprise is that the downtime is a bit unaffordable for many. Studies indicate that the outages at an average can be quite significant. Other studies also indicate that exceeding the capacity of the UPS and battery failure are the main downtime causes. If the right monitor and UPS is invested in and batteries maintained then the issues could be avoided.

6. Integration Is Imperative

Another understanding is that it is imperative to have integration. As per tradition managers of data centers have matched and mixed components from different vendors since the systems worked only tangentially with each other. With the advent of dynamic and intelligent technologies in infrastructure, in data center colocation there is a gradual change.

7. Mess Monitoring

The other common surprise is mess monitoring. Software platform of different kinds are used by managers of data centers as per survey for managing their physical infrastructure. It is recommended that for streamlining operations a single management and monitoring platform is used.

8. IT Department Runs the HVAC System

It is an understanding that the HVAC system is run by the IT department. As per tradition the data center managers and IT have worked alongside cooling and power increase support system facilities. Streamlining of the processes is being done due to increasing visibility of the DCIM solutions as well as control over infrastructure of building.

There has been an increase in management and monitoring of data that is actionable across the data center which in turn delivers capabilities in modeling that is real time. It is claimed that integration is imperative even if infrastructure and IT systems work independently for harnessing fullest capabilities.

9. Variations in IT Loads

Another common understanding is that there are variations in IT loads. To every industry there are valleys and peaks in usage of network.  If the infrastructure is scalable with controls that are intelligent enough to adjust then this ensures better operation anytime at the data center in India at all.

10. Reality to Have a Data Centre on Demand

It is a reality to have a data center on demand is another common understanding. Access to deployable, modular and integrated solutions of data center is accessible by today’s businesses. Whatever may be the issue, the solutions are just a phone call away, actually.

Why Data Center?

The IT industry has been seeing enormous growth in the recent times due to which the popularity of data centers too has increased a lot. Services available at the data centers are being considered not only by different sized businesses but also various individuals. It becomes inevitable that you select the right data center offering highest levels of security and backup.

 Data Protection the Main Focus

Data Center

For a genuine and high quality data center it is important to offer greatest levels of protection to the customer’s critical data. A good data center’s main focus is to protect the data which is the expectation of every customer. If in case there is a breach in security then it can lead to data theft which in turn leads to revenue loss for customers. 

At times there can also be repercussions of the legal kind too. It becomes imperative for data centers, hence to ensure to security measures are amply set in place. Cameras are used as part of prevention method to offer security. Customers have all the right to find out whether the cameras function efficiently, are in perfect order and also the number of cameras in place. 

Archiving Recorded Videos

Archiving of the recorded videos by the cameras will have to be done just in case a review is required. If at any point of time a breach of security occurs, then this certainly proves to be beneficial.  It is possible to find out which is the person involved in the breach and also when it had occurred.

Customers can also find out how the visitors are monitored by the data center. Things like whether visitors need to have key cards or identification with photos or whether they need to sign in, etc. Certain data centers may not have very high security measures and in such a case they should prevent entry of customers into storage spaces.  All modern data centers are using bio-metric access now a day. 

Utilization of Interior Stop Points and Checkpoints

As part of added security, interior checkpoints and stop points are well utilized by a good data center’s interior. A team member individually should man the security of the data center. For allowing parties to pass into areas of high security usage of biometric identification is also done by a data center of highest quality.  Retina scans and fingerprint scans are used as part of biometric measures by the high quality data centers. 

With such kind of security measures in place there is hardly any possibility of data theft or copying of data. At a good data center company, the members of the security team operate 24x7x365 days. If in case the security team does not offers services all the 24 hours then you will need to check out how the monitoring of the facility is done and how it is maintained otherwise.