Defining an Efficient Data Center

If a data center is able to run on very little power and optimizes cooling, would you consider it efficient? If you said yes, think again. In his blog, Nathan Benton digs a little deeper into what makes a truly efficient data center.

EfficientDCWhat is an efficient data center? The easy answer is one I get most often: a data center that uses the least amount of power and has the most efficient cooling system. But is that the most accurate answer? It depends.

I believe that in order to answer the question fully, you need to take a holistic approach when defining the term. The focus should not only be on power and cooling, but also the other key components of the data center’s physical infrastructure including:

  • Space
  • Connectivity
  • Infrastructure Management

At the 2015 Uptime Institute Symposium I will cover this topic during my presentation, “Redefining Efficiency in the Data Center – How Do You Measure Up?” The symposium takes place May 19-21 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, and my presentation will be Thursday, May 21 at 11:40 a.m. PST in Grand Ballroom G. I will discuss how focusing only on the power aspect of the data center might cause organizations to miss an opportunity to have a truly efficient data center.

If we focus only on power savings when defining efficiency we tend to ignore many other benefits we can achieve by taking into account the entire physical infrastructure. Other efficiencies include:

  • Deploying cabling infrastructures faster that cost effectively scale to higher speeds.
  • Managing capacity both at the rack and white space level as well as smartly expanding critical space.
  • Delivering the most efficient infrastructure/change management that reduces the time and effort needed to deploy new resources within the data center.

A connected and efficient data center is an all-knowing, agile, geographic and proactive facility that can help you improve your utilization of power, processes and scalability.

If you are attending the Uptime Institute Symposium, I hope you can stop by my presentation Otherwise, if you have any questions about achieving an efficient data center, leave a comment below and I will be sure to respond.