The increased focus on efficiency within the data center world brings higher demands for thoughtful, well-planned spaces to house current IT equipment with consideration given to future needs.
The average data center is utilized at 56% capacity from a power perspective, according to a 2015 enterprise data center survey by 451 Research. So on average, 44% of the power that enterprises are allocated — and paying for — is unused.
Having the latest in equipment and technology is important for business-critical data centers. Yet, simply having these things is only one step in optimizing performance.
On a recent project status call an engineering firm’s mechanical engineer stated, “We always design for the worst case.” The focus of the call was to troubleshoot operational problems associated with an air handler that was experiencing problems due to low load conditions.
Regulatory compliance isn’t exactly the most exciting topic, but if you’re in any way, shape or form involved in the security of your data center, it is, however, one of the most important.
Recently I was participating on a panel at the Data Center Summit in San Francisco. The panel consisted of Michael Rechtin, moderator from Baker McKenzie, with additional panelist Jason O’Connell from Infinity SDC, as well as panelists from Equinix and Structure Research.
In the data center world, we read and hear so much about new technologies. We strive for the best new design criteria, appropriate tier rating, and PUE.
According to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), less than half the power used by a typical data center powers its IT equipment. The other half is used to support infrastructure that includes cooling systems, uninterruptible power supply inefficiencies, power distribution losses, and lighting.
Even after decades of collective efforts to simplify data center management, many IT and facilities teams still feel that they are struggling just to keep up with the rapid rates of change and staggering growth.