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Data center budget and culture

• Colocation vs. cloud: Quiz yourself on these workload expansion options

  Colocation or cloud? Data centers have plenty of expansion options beyond building a new facility. Learn about each option -- and test your knowledge -- with this quiz. Continue Reading

• How to successfully perform a data center upgrade

  When data center hardware becomes outdated, there are a few options. Here are ways that admins can ensure that a migration is efficient and downtime is minimized. Continue Reading

• Is your data center certification knowledge up to date?

  While the Uptime Institute was once the standard for data center certification, challenges from Switch, OSDA and others threaten to shake up the market. Take this quiz to certify your knowledge. Continue Reading

• Five questions to guide a cloud vs. on premises debate

  Don't blindly jump on the cloud bandwagon. Before you move a workload to cloud vs. on premises, ask yourself these five questions, and prevent a complicated reverse migration. Continue Reading

• How to convince execs they need HCI products

  Is your enterprise considering a move to HCI? Evaluate scalability, automation and cost concerns, and be ready to discuss them with management to get the HCI ball rolling. Continue Reading

• IBM Strategic Imperatives mark a transition into software and services

  IBM's Strategic Imperatives are slowly morphing the server hardware stalwart into a software and services company. But IBM still needs hardware to complete the transformation.Continue Reading

• Top data center industry news stories so far in 2017

  The data center market moves quickly, so it's important to stay abreast of the latest news. See which product launches and emerging IT strategies made headlines so far this year.Continue Reading

• Manage colocation costs to avoid billing surprises

  If colocation is in the cards for your organization, investigate your provider's SLA, set a firm budget and continually monitor costs to avoid unexpected fees.Continue Reading

• How hyper-converged systems change IT management

  Implementing a hyper-converged infrastructure product is a big decision and one that needs to include a discussion about how you'd manage it after it arrives in the data center.Continue Reading

• Advisory board: Learn from these top data center challenges

  For many, time is the ultimate teacher. Explore the top data center challenges and lessons learned from our advisory board members in 2016, and how they plan to move forward.Continue Reading

• Evolving DCIM market shows automation, convergence top IT's wish list

  Growth continues in the DCIM market, but shows signs of slowing down, as IT teams look for a new generation of tools that can help them consolidate management tasks.Continue Reading

• Open source technology gains steam in data center, but challenges loom

  Despite new developments with the Open Compute Project and other groups, challenges remain when it comes to open source implementation in the data center. Explore them with these FAQs.Continue Reading

• Data center strategies to extend your facility's life span

  When a data center is running at its limits, an organization has tough calls to make. To buy time and plan what's next, consider some modest upgrades to cooling, power and more.Continue Reading

• Construct a winning data center project plan

  Before embarking on new data center projects, such as an upgrade or move to the cloud, clearly define all goals and expectations -- and not just for IT.Continue Reading

• What happens when disaster recovery policies go up in smoke

  Starting with an alarm and ending in disaster, one data center fire nearly wiped out an entire operation. Ultimately, poor design and budget choices were to blame.Continue Reading

• How to succeed in an ops career without really trying

  An ops career can be stressful if you don't approach decision makers, vendors and end users with flexibility and realistic expectations.Continue Reading

• Innovation, automation keep down outsourced data center bills

  Renewals for data center outsourcing deals during the past year reveal a drop in prices, thanks to increases in automation, and server and storage demand.Continue Reading

• Trip back to earth solves a cloud vs. data center debate

  When the leader in online deals started to hit the big time, the company realized cloud computing was no longer its best option and began to move into its own data center space.Continue Reading

• Explore data center procurement decisions

  IT buyers know that other IT pros often are the best sources for data center procurement advice. Survey results suggest what's important in server, storage and other important requisitions.Continue Reading

• New data storage methods broaden IT horizons

  Data center managers have more choice than ever with SSDs, object storage and more, which means evolving ideas about the best methods of data storage.Continue Reading

• Budgets prompt data center vs. colocation discussion

  Rather than spending another budget cycle struggling to fund the data center, start outsourcing selectively -- and improve at the same time.Continue Reading

• IT cost management shaped by data center spending

  Reduce server costs and data center operations expenditures by investing in the right areas, such as networking and storage.Continue Reading

• Hidden colocation cost drivers that add up

  These unexpected charges and fees can balloon colocation costs for enterprise IT organizations.Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery cost savings trump efficiency

  IT organizations face an impasse, requiring fast RTOs and high efficiency but balking at the high disaster recovery cost.Continue Reading

• Cost-cutting tricks for your data center labs

  These IT cost-cutting tricks applied in data center labs can result in big savings.Continue Reading

• Should I use a battery cooling system in the data center?

  Do battery cooling cabinets save money over cooling batteries within the whole data center?Continue Reading

• Can I use Mikrotik vs. Cisco switches in a data center?

  I'm purchasing rack-level access switches for an enterprise data center, and weighing Cisco vs. Mikrotik, which is less expensive.Continue Reading

• Moving out to a colocation provider

  Colocation has solidified itself as an attractive outlet for IT, and, unlike the cloud, allows admins to continue to manage their own systems. Colo customers can also take advantage of services that mimic outsourcing, from basic offerings to full-on...Continue Reading

• Purging zombie servers saves AOL money, energy

  AOL shares the lessons it learned from a project to rid its data centers of 14,805 zombie servers that saved the company about $10 million.Continue Reading

• Bright data center ideas that lacked staying power

  The data center has seen its fair share of failed attempts to uproot traditional thinking. New ideas for power, cooling and maintenance top the list.Continue Reading

• Data center components that deserve an upgrade this year

  In the next 12 months, consider making a few component upgrades to the data center. Our advisory board explains which ones are the most important.Continue Reading

• Pop quiz: Know the ABCs of data center spending

  There are a lot of acronyms that define data center spending, but which letters will save you money? See how well you know IT budget vocab.Continue Reading

• Is geothermal cooling a viable data center option?

  We are looking at a building surrounded by several acres of land for a new data center. Should we consider geothermal horizontal loops for cooling?Continue Reading

• How do I size the physical server to host virtual machines?

  I want to convert a physical machine to a virtual machine. How can I select and size the right server infrastructure to host VMs?Continue Reading

• Blade server cost, performance guide purchasing decision

  The TechTarget Server Hardware Survey reveals how data center pros buy blade servers, and what they plan to purchase in the next year.Continue Reading

• Identify risky data center providers before it's too late

  These tips from a data center design expert will keep you from partnering with an inadequate cloud hosting or colocation provider.Continue Reading

• Explore information technology budget plans for 2015

  The TechTarget IT Priorities Survey asked how companies plan to spend 2015 IT budgets, and if IT teams expect more money allocated to technology this year.Continue Reading

• Sourcing the modern data center

  Significant IT expenditures can represent a make-or-break moment for the department, especially in this economic climate. In terms of selecting data center hardware, planning can go a long way, and selecting the right mix helps to minimize waste and...Continue Reading

• Multi-vendor data center

  There are a number of ways for IT to ease the process of managing a multi-vendor data center. This e-book series examines the best practices for vetting vendors, integrating new technology into the data center and training personnel effectively on ...Continue Reading

• Should you ionize air in the data center?

  Is air ionization in the data center justifiable for preventive equipment maintenance? Is it worth the hassle and cost?Continue Reading

• IT holds the key to business process improvement

  IT isn't a monolithic cost sink. Instead, it is a department that can shape digital initiatives and improve business processes.Continue Reading

• How to buy a server

  Upgrade choices, resiliency features and even purchase negotiations determine how much buying servers will actually cost.Continue Reading

• Colocation services vs. cloud hosting -- which should you choose?

  Colocation facilities have a reputation as just a roof over your servers' head, so why move into colocation space when you could go straight to cloud?Continue Reading

• Modernizing the IT governance framework for fun and profit

  IT governance frameworks should protect the business, but they're often barriers to innovation. It's time to rethink governance mandates.Continue Reading

• Does SSL decryption deserve a place in the enterprise data center?

  Many companies use SSL decryption to monitor network traffic and add another layer of security, but what does it actually do for data centers?Continue Reading

• On-premises build offers better data center costs, security and control

  When it came time for a new data center, VSE decided -- after much research -- to build rather than outsource, and repurpose its old equipment for DR.Continue Reading

• Five examples of doublespeak from cutting edge technology vendors

  The terms used by vendors to describe cutting edge technology are often colorful. Here are five examples and the truth behind the tech.Continue Reading

• Changing vendors: Avoiding pitfalls, IT vendor contract negotiations

  Negotiating IT vendor contract terms is crucial for protecting business continuity, physical property and intellectual assets when contracts end.Continue Reading

• Server refresh options: When to rent a server vs. when to buy

  Companies looking to replace old hardware must consider long-term goals and evaluate financing options when deciding whether to buy or rent a server.Continue Reading

• Containerized data centers: Is a box a good fit?

  Data centers in shipping containers caught on as Microsoft deployed a data center in the equivalent of a parking garage. But should you be considering this option in your future data center design? Learn what two experts think about data center ...Continue Reading

• Lower disaster recovery costs with open source replication tools

  Lower the cost of disaster recovery replication with open source DR tools like Rsync and distributed replicated block device, or DRBD.Continue Reading