Servers and related data center equipment are getting smaller. However, this also means they’re getting more condensed, which means heat — lots of it. Heat is the avowed enemy of the data center: For optimum efficiency, a data center needs to remain cool.
For a data center in a climate with hot summers, this can mean massive cooling costs. These costs can be so high that it makes sense to locate a server farm or data center in a cold climate with frigid winters and cool summers—the sort of climate where air conditioning is rare and the locals complain if the summer temperature rises above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Data center consulting companies are increasingly recommending locating server farms in cool climates.
Tags: Data Center Consulting, Data Centers
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A March 2011 Frost & Sullivan report points to data growth as a key issue facing IT leaders. IT leaders must address the growing demand for enterprise data storage in addition to regulatory compliance and good practice data retention and backup programs. The Frost & Sullivan report indicates that enterprise data storage needs are increasing by 40 percent per year. Check out these data storage statistics from sources listed in the Frost & Sullivan report:
- Worldwide data is doubling every 18-36 months
- By 2013 the amount of data flowing over the Internet will exceed 667 Petabytes annually
Tags: data storage, Data storage solutions, Datatrend, IBM, IBM storage system DS8000, IBM Storwize V7000, IBM System Storage, IBM System Storage DS3500 Express, IBM XIV Storage System
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Even in a wireless environment, network cabling installation is important—not only for the devices but also the data that is transferred to and from the wired and wireless networks. Datatrend experts have identified five key cabling installation areas to consider when rolling out your wireless network.
1. Secure your network. Consider a DMZ (also known as a perimeter network) to protect your wired LAN but understand what users will be doing on the DMZ. For large file transfers, a DMZ and a wired Ethernet can significantly improve transfer speeds, but security can be compromised despite the fact that a DMZ is designed to provide an additional layer of security. Consider additional wireless security—authentication and encryption schemes (See point #3). If you’re providing guests wired access, then consider a designated Ethernet guest port that bypasses the corporate LAN and routes to a guest LAN using authentication.
Tags: Network Cabling, Network Cabling Installation, Structured Cabling Installation, wireless rollout
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Managing the performance and quality of service provided by your business applications can be complicated by application silos, each with its own myopic view of the architecture on which it runs – whether physical or virtual. With limited visibility to application dependency, it becomes even more difficult to align your business applications to business needs. As a result, costs can increase and service levels could be compromised.
Tags: Application Dependency, Application Dependency Tools
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Since most people typically think of emissions as coming from transportation, industry and fossil fuel power generation, it may come as a surprise that IT and IT related products have a major impact on the environment. In a recent study, Gartner analysts disclosed that IT activity accounts for about 2% of total global CO2 emissions. That is the equivalent to the amount of pollution produced by the entire aviation industry. If the industry continues as is, greenhouse gas emissions from data centers are projected to more than double by 2020.
Tags: Data Centers, green data centers, green netowrk cabling, Network Cabling
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Recently I wrote a post on the ‘POWER of Power Services’ where I discussed Datatrend’s UNIX server assessment services and the subsequent benefits. To continue along that path, I want to share the ‘Mores’ that illuminate why IBM Power Systems outshine most other UNIX systems.
The ‘Mores’ of IBM Power Systems
1) More power
2) More speed
3) More efficiency
4) More productivity
These aspects of business are interrelated and can build on each other when it comes to technology infrastructure solutions. More processing power means more speed within the network. When servers or people can quickly access the information needed, more speed means more efficiency. When people and servers are able to work more efficiently, productivity can be increased.
Tags: Power Services, Technology Infrastructure Solutions
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As with any business, the best IT infrastructure decisions are made when decision makers have the most accurate information available on which to base their conclusion. To that end, a data center assessment is integral to streamlining and improving a network’s performance.
Before I review the WHY, allow me to take a moment to discuss the WHAT. What really is a data center assessment? A data center assessment is a thorough review of a data center’s conditions and environment. Such an analysis may involve a review of an existing data center’s reliability and points of failure, as well as a review of growth, floor space, and power and cooling needs. By examining these conditions, a business can establish facts about a network on which analysis and recommendations for management can be based.
Tags: Data Center Assessment
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Oh, what a tangled web IT infrastructure can weave! Disconnect a server in Chicago and an application at a Detroit office unexpectedly stops working. What happened?
The one unrelenting IT truth is that as a business evolves and expands, its IT infrastructure becomes more complex. Don’t believe me? How many servers does your business have? It’s a simple question that can be difficult to answer (don’t feel ashamed if you’re still working towards that answer).
Tags: Data Center Assessment, IT infrastructure
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One of the primary causes of daily disruptions and short-term challenges experienced by a supply chain is the existing infrastructure. A recent study of supply chain management activities concludes that as much as 80% of total costs for such businesses are determined by the network they currently have in place. More efficient network infrastructures not only reduce IT costs, but business costs as a whole.
Companies today need sophisticated tools to effectively consider all the options and assure the maximization of all aspects of supply chain infrastructure. This is especially when decisions involve multiple products made across various manufacturing, shipping and distribution points. The time to discover the biggest supply chain improvement opportunities is during assessment or reassessment of the infrastructure in place.
Tags: Network Infrastructure, Supply Chain Costs
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Photo Courtesy of IBM Power Systems
Are you happy with your UNIX environment? Have you thought about a better solution? Datatrend can prove how moving to IBM Power Systems from Oracle/Sun and/or HP-UX will increase performance, efficiencies and ease of management. Plus, it will dramatically reduce costs!
Datatrend and IBM have teamed up to offer a no charge ROI and TCO analysis of your existing UNIX environment (including even older IBM environments) leveraging the patented Enterprise ROI Engine from Alinean, Inc., widely recognized by Gartner and IDC as key to successful financial modeling.
Tags: Power Services, Technology Infrastructure Solutions
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