Many firms are ignoring their long-term data center requirements, even though their ageing infrastructures
are already struggling to cope with newer technologies such as blade servers.
A worldwide Aperture Research Institute survey of 600 data centers revealed that more than one-third
were over four years old. They were battling to cope with the power and cooling needs of newer
technologies such as blade servers and vitualization, but slow to respond to these extra demands on
their infrastructure. The survey found that 87% of organizations had already invested in blade servers.
"Installing state-of-the-art equipment in an ageing facility will limit the benefits that can be delivered by
the new technology, and in some cases, will overload the infrastructure to the point of failure," said
ARI principal Steve Yellen.
Two-thirds of respondents said that they are not planning to build new data centers. Because it can
take three or four years to plan and implement a new facility, ARI warned that this would leave
them ill-equipped to deal with the rising demands on the data center.
Despite the green lobby calling for more efficient power usage, ARI's research shows that power
demands showed scant sign of slowing up. More than half those firms building or planning to build
data centers expected to consume between one and five megawatts, and almost a quarter thought
they would use double that.
"You can't simply 'build' a data center overnight. Instead of fire fighting the issues created by this
short-term planning and trying to manage outdated data centers, organizations should be focused
on overall business goals and the role that long-term data center planning can have in business
effectiveness," said Yellen.