Data center operations and best practices

Server vendors must innovate to stem bleeding

Tier-one server vendors are offering a few choices to stop sales from evaporating, including their own cloud-based products.Feature

Can traditional server vendors survive the cloud push?

In the era of virtualization and cloud computing, can the traditional server vendors survive extinction?Feature

Colocation facility selection requires careful planning

In part two of a series on choosing a data center colocation facility, find out how to compare features accurately.Column

Using a Bloom box in the data center: What could go wrong?

Though the Bloom Energy Server shows promise as an alternative way to power the data center, reliability issues may hamper widespread adoption.Answer

Five data center upgrade strategies to modernize your facility

These five data center upgrade strategies can revitalize older data centers and stave off expensive construction projects.Tip

PUE metric helps keep data center energy use in check

The PUE metric helps smaller enterprises measure data center energy use to determine if various efficiency initiatives are worth pursuing.Tip

Server vendors must innovate to stem bleeding

Can traditional server vendors survive the cloud push?

Scaling up your data center when demand exceeds computing capacity

How to perform due diligence on sources of used IT equipment

Used IT equipment can help a business cut capital costs, but be proactive to protect yourself from dishonest gray-market sellers.Answer

The 2011 enterprise IT job market: Predictions and areas for growth

While 2010 was big for virtualization in the data center, the IT job market this year will see a surge in demand for cloud architecture and security knowledge, among other skills.Tip

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an ecology-oriented building certification program run under the auspices of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)... (Continued)Definition

Does SAS 70 certification mean better data center security?

SAS 70 Type II certification has become a necessary evil for data centers that handle public companies' data. Some IT managers say SAS 70 compliance has helped improve IT security processes, but not everyone agrees.Article | 05 Nov 2009

Data center automation helps one small company comply with SOX

For small public companies with limited IT resources, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance presents a significant burden. One company uses data center automation tools to ease compliance efforts.Article | 13 Mar 2008

Change management software eases PCI compliance burden

Change management software can help data centers satisfy PCI compliance efforts -- but change processes need to be in place first.Article | 05 Mar 2008

IT priorities in 2008: A truly new year

IT managers say shoring up infrastructure -- with server virtualization, disaster recovery initiatives and data center construction -- is the central priority for 2008. Web 2.0 and green computing remain back-burner concerns.Article | 16 Jan 2008

data center services

Data center services is a collective term for the supporting components necessary for the proper operation of a repository for storage, management and dissemination of data organized around a body of knowledge or pertaining to an enterprise... (Continued)Definition

Mainframe change management tools ease compliance burden

Mainframes host a bulk of the critical data important to compliance auditors, but data center managers have had to rely on brute force and aging tools.Tip

Change and configuration management cut firm's downtime

State Street Corp., one of the largest financial firms in the country, implemented change and configuration management software and hasn't had any configuration-related downtime since.Article | 13 Apr 2007

Time to deal with daylight saving

Daylight-saving time starts two weeks early this year. To prepare, data centers managers must patch their systems – or risk facing "multiple little aggravations."Article | 01 Feb 2007

Companies turn to IT cost analysis via SaaS model

IT departments are turning to new SaaS-based tools to map costs to providing IT services to the business, helping companies identify how to cut expenses.News | 29 Nov 2010

Old-style rules and red tape derail private cloud project

Despite one IT architect's best efforts, his private cloud project was felled by unnecessary regulations and an ossified corporate IT culture.News | 02 Nov 2010

Uptime Institute unveils data center Operational Sustainability standard

The Uptime Institute's Operational Sustainability standard measures the effect of data center staffing, processes and more on reliability; the metric may fill a gap but also spur controversy.Article | 24 May 2010

NYSE, colocation providers battle it out on data center regulation

The New York Stock Exchange wants the federal government to impose data center regulations on colocation providers, which has colos crying foul.Article | 05 May 2010

green computing

Green computing is the use of computers and related resources in an environmentally responsible manner. This involves the implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as proper disposal of electronic waste (e-waste)... (Continued)Definition

The benefits of ITIL implementation in the data center

Guide

CMDBs and ITIL

Guide

ITIL certification benefits

Guide

ITSM best practices and change management

Organize your IT processes and implement a service management focus in the data center with this section on ITSM best practices and change management, the second installment of our guide on ITIL processes in the data center.Guide

Making ITIL processes work for your data center

In this guide to ITIL processes, you'll learn about the benefits of the ITIL framework and how to make it work for your organization. You'll find advice on CMDBs and ITIL, change management and ITSM best practices, and the benefits of ITIL certifications. Also, find out how some IT departments successfully implemented service management structures in their data centers.Feature

Determining capital expenditures versus operating expenditures

What factors do you take into account when determining capital expenditures versus operating expenditures?Answer

Embracing chaos theory as part of enterprise IT strategy

Enterprise IT strategy has long been based on straight-line extrapolation, but the industry must learn to embrace chaos if it hopes to thrive.Opinion

Embracing chaos theory as part of enterprise IT strategy

Green Grid: Go back to basics to make energy-efficient data centers

The Green Grid helps data center operators measure and compare their facilities to make for a greener IT.Podcast

How much do you know about 'big data' infrastructure?

Take this quiz to see if your data center's 'big data' infrastructure will hold up.Quiz

Basic or robust: Find the DCIM system that works for your data center

Each DCIM system features a number of tools to help monitor and manage data center facilities. Evaluate your needs and use this tip to help figure out the right DCIM system for your business.Tip

Facilities management team to the IT department: Let's work together

For the business to run smoothly, facilities management and IT must learn to use automation tools to cooperate.Tip

The changing face of ASHRAE data center environmental standards

A brief history of ASHRAE in the data center. How have its data center environmental standards evolved to meet modern reliability requirements?Tip

IPv6 transition may catch IT shops by surprise: Ask the Expert podcast

The switch from IPv4 to IPv6 reaches beyond your network and into the cloud. Is your data center ready for the IPv6 transition?Podcast

data center infrastructure management (DCIM)

Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) is the convergence of IT and data center facilities functions within an organization.Definition

Modern Infrastructure: May 2013

A few big server hardware vendors have ruled the world of enterprise IT for years, but can vendors like HP, IBM and Dell survive today's cloud push?Magazine

Colocation facility selection requires careful planning

In part two of a series on choosing a data center colocation facility, find out how to compare features accurately.Column

Colocation facility selection requires careful planning

Cloud unearths hidden benefits of data center colocation services

There's more to data center colocation services than trimming facility costs. A colo with cloud services adds security and speed to your enterprise.Tip

Choosing between colocation services or an on-premises data center

Here are a few collected tips that might help you choose between data center colocation services and building a new data center on-site.Guide

From the front lines: How to select a colocation facility

The basic idea behind every colocation facility is the same, so follow these six guidelines to figure out which colo is right for your business.Tip

The benefits of insourcing data center operations

Though outsourcing data center operations works in some scenarios, insourcing might still be the best solution for many IT shops.Opinion

From the front lines: How to select a colocation facility

The benefits of insourcing data center operations

Q&A: Markley looks to lighten load as an IaaS provider

Interest in cloud continues to gain traction, so how does a small infrastructure services provider compete with the Amazon Web Services of the world?Q&A | 01 Apr 2013

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Recycling servers: Exploring the biodegradable server

Steve Bigelow weighs in on a question about the potential of fully recycling servers with biodegradable chassis.Answer

Wondering what to do with old servers? Recycle, reuse or virtualize

If you're worried about what to do with old servers, there are three major options: Virtualize, repurpose or recycle. Our expert weighs in on each.Ask the Expert

How to securely dispose of data before server donation

Here's some expert advice on preparing old systems for server donation and refurbishment.Ask the Expert

IT equipment recycling: What do you do with old servers?

When it's time to replace old servers, make IT equipment recycling and disposal an important factor in your technology refresh decisions.Tip

precycling

Precycling is the practice of avoiding the acquisition of unnecessary items that will eventually have to be recycled or dealt with as waste.Definition

downcycling

Downcycling is a recycling practice that involves breaking an item down into its component elements or materials. Once the constituent elements or materials are recovered, they are reused if possible, but usually for a product of lower value than the original one.Definition

upcycling

Upcycling is the practice of creating a useable product from waste or unwanted items or adapting an existing product in some way to add value. The purpose of upcycling is reducing waste and improving the efficiency of resource use.Definition

Reallocating unused server and storage hardware

Virtualization’s abstraction of resources offers strong reasons for keeping old equipment past its usefulness for primary workloads.E-BOOK

ARM server

An advanced RISC machine (ARM) server is an enterprise-class computer server that employs a large array of ARM processors rather than a complement of x86-class processors.Definition

A server processors roadmap for 2011 and beyond: Intel vs. AMD

As AMD and Intel make plans to improve its server processors, efficiency and superior virtualization capabilities will make these technologies more powerful than ever.Tip

Thanks to recent storms, the data center recovery plan gets a facelift

Recent natural disasters inspire some IT pros to start working on a new data center recovery plan.News | 06 Mar 2013

Thanks to recent storms, the data center recovery plan gets a facelift

SearchDataCenter's top news stories of 2012

From IT personnel contending with a natural disaster to fanfare for a powerful new Intel processor, here are the most popular data center stories from 2012 as chosen by our readers.News | 19 Dec 2012

Two data center hosting companies, one building and Hurricane Sandy

Updated: Two data center hosting companies make their home in one building in Manhattan, which flooded Sunday.News | 01 Nov 2012

brownout reset

A brownout reset is a circuit that causes a computer processor to reset (or reboot) in the event of a brownout, which is a significant drop in the power supply output voltage.Definition

Safer failover testing procedures for the data center

Questioning 99.999% uptime: When are four nines enough?

In some super-important industries, 99.999% uptime should be the goal. But most companies can tolerate a little more downtime.News | 27 Sep 2012

Data protection strategies for the modern data center

Data is now the fuel that drives business, so a natural disaster, a malicious hacking attempt, a systems failure or even an inadvertent it error can bring business operations to a grinding halt if critical information is lost or in a holding pattern awaiting restoration. Access this expert e-book to discover a group of tactics that can provide a well-rounded way to protect data. Learn more about remote data protection strategies, storage management, disaster recovery and how your organization can meet compliance requirements.E-Book

Carbonite, Rhapsody, Activision choose data center colocation

Three household names that chose a data center colocation facility offer advice on how to select a colocation provider.News | 25 Jun 2012

Data center pros push systems automation limits with Chef

Data center pros push Opscode's Chef beyond simple configuration management.News | 21 Jun 2012

Do you have the IT skillset for these five hot data center jobs?

With technologies such as cloud computing in the limelight, data center pros need to upgrade their skillsets to catch the latest wave of innovation.Tip

DevOps movement could boost IT operations' image

The DevOps movement has undeniable momentum. Could IT operations harness the power of its success?News | 31 Jan 2013

DevOps movement could boost IT operations' image

How streamlined IT service operations are doing more with less

Today's IT service operations teams have adapted management techniques and employed new technology to meet budget challenges head-on.Feature

Memorable technology quotes from Gartner and AWS re:Invent

These technology quotes overheard at Garner events and AWS re:Invent show the diversity of IT personalities.Opinion

Memorable technology quotes from Gartner and AWS re:Invent

How streamlined IT service operations are doing more with less

How traditional IT shops can be more like public cloud providers

Want your data center to be more like an agile public cloud? Here’s how cloud providers handle apps, "big data," data center hardware and IT staffing.News | 05 Dec 2012

Employment survey says IT job satisfaction is all about the work

Despite long hours, tight budgets and steep technology learning curves, our employment survey shows it's the work challenges that keep IT pros happy.Survey results

Interop 2012 conference: Overheard from attendees

This installment of Overheard, from Modern Infrastructure, covers the recent Interop and Microsoft Exchange conferences.News | 15 Nov 2012