The Need for Data Center Optimization

Optimization in a data center context refers to carving out cost effective ways to reduce the operational budget needs. The demand in data centers for supporting mobility, on-demand services, virtualization, scalability, flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing business operations, power reduction needs, and budget constraints have all converged to changes in data centers. So can data center optimization help? Absolutely.

Optimization aims at the following:

Efficient space utilization: Multiple data centers for a single organization can cause expense overflows and power inefficiencies. A solution for this can be ‘Consolidated data centers,’ which encompass both large and small server clusters, glass-house facilities and wiring closets. Thus, unnecessary power-sucking units can be turned to a single consolidated space, pumping the benefits back in to data centers.

Maximum efficiency with virtualization: Virtualization is a hot topic even to individual users and their personal resources as it offers much more than mere server and storage system efficiency and usage improvements.  Virtualization offers greater data center reliability, business continuity and quick provisioning of new projects.

Standardization and maximized networking: Standardizing data centers on protocols and standards – SAN for block storage, NAS gateways for translating SAN into file storage, WAFS for remote offices – is critical for optimization. Regular updates of the networking protocols should be undertaken to make the most out of capacities and bandwidths.

External clouds utilization and internal clouds deployment: Migrating selected apps to 3^rd party clouds would enable the staff to focus on mission critical development. The organization’s own internal cloud services enables enterprise to support more users and services, rethink hardware architecture, and utilize consolidated data centers.

Optimized power usage: Up-to-date cooling strategies, with technical advancements to cool when and where required.

The key to data center optimization is to ensure that you leave “no stone unturned” to reduce costs without cutting corners!

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.