Data center consolidation: 10 takeaways from the pros

Data center consolidation: 10 takeaways from the pros

Adam Trujillo, Assistant Editor
Data center consolidation can be an effective way to cut costs by eliminating obvious wastes, such as paring down the application portfolio, eliminating unused files, and retiring or putting to work under-utilized hardware. However, cutting costs by way of consolidation requires more work than simply reducing server and software sprawl: it requires planning and lots of it.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of your data center consolidation, a host of issues must be considered:

  • Changes in the physical space between servers and users
  • Virtualization consideratons,
  • Flexibility to accommodate future changes,
  • Planning for possible technical issues,
  • Changes in local and market costs for labor and materials,
  • Changes in users' experience and expectations,
  • Security.

    In short, planning is the key. The articles here take a closer look at some issues with and examples of data center consolidation. They not only present information about data center consolidation from a rhetorical perspective, they also explore what some institutions have done well, what can be done better, and what shouldn't be done at all.

    Data center consolidation case studies

  • U.S. Census reins in data center sprawl.
  • University shrinks two data centers into one in 24 hours
  • Monsanto scraps server sprawl
  • Data center consolidation saves Oregon millions
  • Wisconsin: A state of consolidation

    Data center consolidation advice

  • Four mistakes to avoid during data center consolidation
  • HP's data center consolidation provides management insights
  • Consolidation and virtualization: The same, but different
  • Are consolidation cost savings worth the effort?
  • Consolidate painlessly and save money

    This was first published in September 2006

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