How Do You Define an Efficient Data Center?

We hear it all the time. “I want my data center to run more efficiently.” Or “What solutions do you have that will drive efficiency?” What we assume is that everyone has the same definition of efficient and that their measurement of success is the same.

When it comes to data centers, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some may only consider the amount of power and cooling being used. Others think it’s all about using whitespace. Several will focus on the processing and network connectivity.

In our recently published paper, “The Connected and Efficient Data Center,” we take a look at how data center owners and managers need to think differently, more holistically, about what constitutes efficiency.

For example, if the focus is on power and cooling, which typically represents 25 to 40 percent of a data center’s monthly OpEx, then 60 to 70 percent of costs are somewhere else in the business.

The costs for cooling and power may be high because of the estimated 15 percent of servers that either unused or underutilized. Or the fact that asset management isn’t seen as part of an efficient data center, so there are “ghost” servers that are not being used yet are still drawing power and incurring software license fees.

Modern tools such as data center infrastructure management (DCIM) and automated infrastructure management (AIM) are available making it easier to manage the growing complexities of the data center. From power and cooling to network connectivity to capacity management, data center professionals now have greater visibility and insight into how their data centers are performing - providing a more holistic view of their data center.

Tell us your definition of efficiency in the comment section below.

And if you are attending the AFCOM Data Center World conference in Las Vegas, March 14-18, 2016, stop by CommScope’s booth 918 to see holistic data center solutions in action.

About the Author

Dave Tanis

David Tanis is the Director of Strategic Enterprise Marketing at CommScope. Dave joined the team in April, 2005 and has overall responsibility for driving solutions and product marketing for enterprise customers throughout North America. Dave has over 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry. He joined AT&T Network Systems in 1984 as Product Engineer and held a number of positions in their manufacturing facility in North Andover, MA, USA. He joined Lucent Technologies in 1996 and assumed the role of EMEA Technical Manager for Optical Fiber and Cable in 1998. With the acquisition of the Lucent Optical Fiber and Cable business by Furukawa and CommScope in 2001, Dave assumed the role of EMEA Technical Director, OFS. Dave continued in this role for OFS until April 2005, when he joined SYSTIMAX Solutions as EMEA Technical Director. Dave has published several papers in various industry trade journals and is a regular presenter at industry conferences. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University in the USA.