Data center is a complex dedicated space or a facility that centralizes an enterprise’s IT operations and equipment. It comprises of networked computers and storage that enterprises can use for organizing, processing, storing, and disseminating large data sets. Some of the computing facilities data centers are equipped with include servers, switches and firewalls, routers, along with support components such as fire suppression facilities, backup equipment, and air conditioning.
According to the top data center consulting service providers, data centers are designed for capacity, performance and reliability. Thus, they use substantial amount of energy which significantly increases the capital and operational expenditure of enterprises. This leverages enterprises with the need of enhancing their data center’s efficiency.
Some ways enterprises can enhance their data center’s efficiency include:
- Reducing Energy Consumption from Cooling Systems
According to technical experts, typical data centers usually consume major amounts of available power with their cooling systems. It is claimed that concerned authorities estimate their power consumption when their cooling systems are running at peak load, which leads to miscalculations and overspending. Thus, in order to reduce costs and energy consumption, enterprises should eliminate their cooling system’s inefficiencies. They can also opt for cooling systems that makes greater use of the outside air.
- Virtualization of IT Systems
Poor server utilization is one of the biggest contributors to resource wastage in data centers. According to IT experts, virtualizing these respective servers reduces this wastage. It is claimed that server virtualization can increase the overall utilization of resources from 10% to almost 50% with dynamic management systems. This also reduces power consumption and saves considerable amount of rack space.
- Data Management
As per an audit conducted by the leading data center solution provider, data centers comprise of significant amount of unusable data. According to data experts, data-centric procedures like modifications, backups and archives may result in duplication of many files. These obsolete files are then stored in enterprise disks and can be eliminated to save the storage space.
- Other Ways
Some other ways to increase the efficiency of data centers include:
- Matching server capacity to load capacity in real-time
- Determining actual power consumption with laboratory tests
- Elimination of transfer switches
- Minimizing electrical conversion losses
- Constant monitoring and tuning of servers
Data center is the powerhouse of all enterprises. Thus, it is important for enterprises to develop appropriate techniques and strategies for increasing the overall productivity and efficiency of their data centers.
