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Are there too many options for outsourcing data center operations?
This article is part of the Modern Infrastructure issue of March 2013, Volume 2, Number 3
Outsourcing data center operations has become mainstream, but that doesn’t mean it's simple. As a former data center owner and provider, I appreciate the value of outsourced data centers. Done right, outsourcing simplifies a very complex part of business, saves money and provides greater flexibility and reliability. But it does create a new set of challenges that need to be understood and managed. Take expansion. Last summer, one of our customers, a law firm, was presented with the right of first refusal for an expansion less than 60 days after signing a lease. The firm hadn't even started moving, and it was already being asked to decide whether to expand its footprint. Business model and market inconsistencies The seeds of today’s push toward data center outsourcing were planted nearly a decade ago, when many of today’s dominant data center providers established models that provided economies of scale for their customers. Ever-increasing equipment densities, increased use of server virtualization and the rising price of energy ...
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Features in this issue
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Hybrid cloud architecture is goal for IT in public-private debate
Hybrid cloud is more than a stepping stone for enterprises making moves to cloud, says BMC CTO Kia Behnia. It’s the final destination.
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BlackBerry 10 OS and BlackBerry Enterprise Service by the numbers
The company formerly known as Research In Motion attempts a comeback with the BlackBerry 10 OS, which boasts thousands of apps and a unique interface.
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Coming up with a new configuration and change management plan
That old configuration and change management plan was unwieldy and out of reach, but the need for having one hasn't gone away.
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Developing an effective change management process requires tenacity
Companies seeking an easy way to manage and monitor changes in their environment have a variety of tools to choose from to assist IT shops.
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Examining vendor offerings in converged infrastructure market
IT departments looking to make their lives easier are looking to the converged infrastructure market for the simplicity these platforms can deliver.
News in this issue
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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.
Columns in this issue
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Big data platforms may not play well under current IT rules
IT must learn to juggle current systems and new big data platforms or face the chaos of disparate systems.
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Are there too many options for outsourcing data center operations?
Outsourcing data center operations is popular among businesses seeking flexibility and low costs, but the plethora of providers muddies the water.