Data Center Strategies for the CIO
When should a data center manager consider consolidating an existing data center?
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| Clay Ryder | |
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When it leads to enhanced business, operational or financial performance. Keep in mind that equipment refresh is inevitable in any organization and refresh cycles are an excellent time to consider the
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value
of consolidation to state of the art platforms. While hardware driven refresh can be a more
optimal time to plan consolidations, however, software driven hardware obsolescence can demand
strategic reconsideration of platform loyalty. Also, consider that power and real estate
considerations are becoming key drivers for many organizations data center strategies. Does it make
more sense to consolidate existing space or build out from scratch?It depends upon the situation. Generally most organizations have too big of an investment in existing infrastructure and cannot justify developing a complete replacement infrastructure and then cut over once it is complete. Hence this can be an incremental process.
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Nevertheless, consolidation is a realistic option that generates benefits for most organizations
of any size. Small firms may be able migrate/consolidate onto one server whereas mid sized and
larger firms can reduce the number and complexity of all servers deployed. Standardization of
platforms, either all at once, or over time has considerable benefit, especially for smaller
organizations. How does a data center manager recoup the initial investments after a
consolidation?
IT staff often spend a majority of their time and resources simply keeping things running-- and
business disruption is a very significant threat. By consolidating and simplifying the
infrastructure, personnel can be redeployed to more valuable activities. Now operational costs
should be reduced which will help offset the initial investment but over time expenses should be
recouped over the life of consolidated infrastructure. Additionally efficiency and simplicity can
be used as competitive differentiators. Is there a different approach to consolidating servers vs.
applications?
Yes, it depends upon the focus of the initiative. For an organization that is further along the
path of service-oriented
architecture (SOA), the focus is more likely on applications as opposed to servers. But the
creation of virtualized environment with servers will aid the movement to SOA or provide
opportunities for application consolidation. This is especially true if there were multiple servers
supporting the same specific application workload. What should be the first steps when approaching
a large scale consolidation project?
Assess present and future IT needs. Map needs onto an architectural strategy to choose the IT
strategy for the next several years. What hardware and software has reached a mandatory refresh?
Are there opportunities for optional strategic refresh?
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