The Aerodynamic Data Centre
- Is your data centre operating efficiently, or on
life-support?
- Are your IT staff writing processes or building
business logic?
- How confident are you that the data centre will scale
to meet changing business needs?
A well-maintained and “aerodynamic” data centre operates at peak
efficiency, maintaining the optimal balance between server and
storage technologies, space, power usage, heat produced, and the
cooling necessary to prevent overheating. There are five
fundamental principles that underpin an aerodynamic data centre
infrastructure.
Architected
While data centre technology is getting
increasingly complex, an efficient data centre is defined by a
simpler architecture. A fully integrated compute system (rather
than individual server, network, and storage components) enables
the delivery of “IT as a Service” within the business based on a
single service catalogue. This may be achieved through a validated
design (such as Vblock or Flexpod) or we can create a bespoke
design that extends the life of the existing technology.
Automated
Automated configuration can change an IT
organisation’s approach from reactive to proactive. The result is
more time for innovation, less time spent on maintenance, and
faster response times.
Integrated
Application silos were in the past thought to
be a good idea. They have failed in execution because they are
over-provisioned by necessity, they impede resource sharing, and
they limit flexibility and agility. All of this reduces a data
centre’s efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Secure
Security within the data centre is no longer
limited to the perimeter. In a world where multi- tenancy is on the
rise exponentially, it is imperative to ensure that shared
resources are secured right through the perimeter, edge, remote
access, virtual networking, server and storage.
Flexible
The present day data centre is driving the ability for business
to move away from the standard operating environment (SOE) and
tailor their service offerings to meet a world that offers mobility
and freedom of choice, such as “BYO” environments.