Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Does a mainframe cloud exist, and is it practical?

  The mainframe is IT's original cloud, and there are still ways to float cloud operations onto big iron today. But is it pragmatic? Continue Reading

• Buy the right cloud hardware for your IT applications

  Cloud applications typically rely on x86 scale-out servers. You can optimize a cloud data center deployment and buy hardware for special use cases. Continue Reading

• Must-know x86 processor features of 2015

  Processor design philosophies are changing, and new instruction sets are adding speed and security so long as the software on top knows to take advantage. Continue Reading

• Announcing the 2015 Impact Awards winners

  Modern Infrastructure's 2015 Impact Awards winners represent the best IT products for cloud and data centers, from AWS services to cooling containment. Continue Reading

• Eight data center technologies to test in the new year

  As the hype from 2014 dissipates, the new year rings in hot new technologies. IoE, hybrid clouds and other tech innovations make the data center run more efficiently. Continue Reading

• Linux network configuration turns positively wicked

  Wicked replaces a lot of old Linux network configuration commands and utilities in SLES 12, making the OS more cloud friendly.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

• Network security professional says no to certs, yes to SDN

  Who needs security more than the government? Military man and network security pro, Brad Casey, talks certs and why sometimes, you just need to flip a switch.Continue Reading

• TIA standards, new ideas shape data center cabling

  TIA data center standards address cabling systems with performance, budget and future plans in mind. New concepts bear consideration as well.Continue Reading

• IBM z/OS Connect boosts mainframe communication with apps

  IBM's z/OS Connect is a fresh way to tie in mainframe processing with Internet applications. See what it does and how it overlaps with existing software.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

• Vendor lock-in still issue in new data center servers

  With converged infrastructure, data center servers are stepping back to the mainframe ideals of self-contained computing -- with a few differences.Continue Reading

• Comparing vendors' chassis server architecture scalability

  The Cisco UCS and IBM/ Lenovo Flex System approach network architecture in significantly different ways. What do you need from a chassis server?Continue Reading

• How will the future of IoT impact data centers?

  With the streams of data being used and stored, does the data center have space for the future of IoT?Continue Reading

• Can vendors go unescorted in a secure colocation center?

  You've sentenced your production servers to five-to-life lockdown in a secure colocation cage. Who's allowed to visit them?Continue Reading

• SLES 12 anchored in enterprise Linux server availability

  SUSE's latest version of its enterprise Linux server OS defaults to Btrfs, with several features targeting always-on service.Continue Reading

• Vulnerability scanner tools in the data center

  If you're wondering whether to use a software- or hardware-based network vulnerability scanner, take a look at your budget and network deployment.Continue Reading

• How does an Open-IX data center cert stack up to Uptime Tiers?

  The Open-IX data center certification aims at resiliency through self-declared certification and an annual renewal process, rather than proprietary oversight.Continue Reading

• COTS servers signal better TCO than converged systems

  Enterprise IT shops have new choices: Converged systems simplify management and scaling, while commercial off-the-shelf servers tailor resources without vendor lock-in.Continue Reading

• Big data survey reveals why IT is -- or isn't -- on board

  A survey reveals businesses are jumping off the fence and into big data's yard. But while more are investing, some remain skeptical of the benefits.Continue Reading

• Which IBM 3592 tape cartridge has the highest capacity?

  There are a bunch of IBM 3592 'J' tape designations. How do you order the right capacity for your tape drives? Do you take compression into account?Continue Reading

• DAS vs. SAN cost debate revised with new cloud options

  DAS is cheap, SAN is expensive, and neither quite meets the needs of most enterprise data centers. Storage admins can look to cloud and virtualization for a little relief.Continue Reading

• MLAG installs flatten network without a forklift upgrade

  Hierarchical networks cause undue latency as well as bandwidth and port loss. MLAG removes potential STP problems and gives you a flatter pre-fabric network.Continue Reading

• Is mainframe application migration a good idea?

  I currently have banking applications on a mainframe platform. Is it possible to move them onto servers? What are the adjustments and risks involved?Continue Reading

• Five new IT metrics fill the gaps in data center tracking

  Traditional data center metrics don't follow the "no man left behind" rule. Gaps in IT metrics let some costs fall by the wayside.Continue Reading

• The virtual GPU offloads intense processing to the data center

  Whether adding virtual GPU is going to be an expensive nicety or a core support pillar for the business comes down to the applications using it.Continue Reading

• FC over Ethernet lowers costs by merging SAN/LAN data centers

  Fibre Channel over Ethernet simplifies the data center and lowers costs by merging storage and data networks. And it doesn't take an all-or-nothing upgrade strategy.Continue Reading

• How do you define data center size, density?

  With shifts in the scale and density of data centers, one industry organization is drawing up ways to standardize how we talk about data center size and power needs.Continue Reading

• Meet the application-minded IT infrastructure architecture

  A core-and-pod architecture segments the data center's resources by application. Could your IT organization benefit from the scalability and automation that pods promise?Continue Reading

• A data center checklist for facility design and IT ops

  Choose the right data center provider or facility now, and prevent costly errors and inadequate services later.Continue Reading

• Can I sell this land as data center real estate?

  I have one acre of real estate located near multiple data centers that cater to the financial community. Can the property, with a 35,000 square foot building, host a data center?Continue Reading

• Brush up on COBOL basics

  COBOL might be one of the oldest programming languages, but that doesn't mean developers know all there is to know. We have expert insights on COBOL basics.Continue Reading

• In-rack and in-row cooling options for any data center

  Say no to CRAC and consider more selective data center cooling options. In-rack and in-row cooling systems are efficient and optimally dispel heat.Continue Reading

• PCI Express' speed to usher in a new server era

  PCIe speeds of 20, even 100 Gbps enable the plug-and-play server flexibility and scalability that data center managers only dream of, and at a bargain.Continue Reading

• Flash runs past read cache

  Just because you can add a cache doesn't mean you should. It is possible to have the wrong kind, so weigh your options before implementing memory-based cache for a storage boost.Continue Reading

• In-line deduplication for a smaller data footprint

  Big data and massive data volumes are now staples in a data center, but dedupe and compression are storage techniques that diminish the overwhelming data trail.Continue Reading

• Liquid immersion cooling relief for ultra-dense data centers

  Direct liquid immersion cools servers and paves the way for the next generation of ultra-dense systems. It's not air, and it's not water -- the future is oil.Continue Reading

• Impact Awards: Vote for the best data protection solution

  Vote for the best data protection solution in the 2014 Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards. The winner exemplifies what data protection should be in a data center: a way to simplify and improve capabilities.Continue Reading

• Impact Awards: Vote for the best converged infrastructure

  Vote for the winner in the Best Converged Infrastructure category in the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards.Continue Reading

• Impact Awards: Vote for the best software-defined infrastructure

  Vote for the best software-defined infrastructure product in the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards.Continue Reading

• Weigh your various data center cooling options

  Not interested in moving to Antarctica? Consider other cooling options by analyzing these pros and cons for methods like in-row coolers and free cooling.Continue Reading

• It's time for new data center servers

  Outdated data center servers can set your IT organization back, stifling business innovation and productivity. It's almost 2015 -- don't get caught with old hardware.Continue Reading

• Interxion exec Ian McVey talks data center fundamentals

  Interxion exec Ian McVey shares why the data center building blocks add value to an organization -- proving that, no matter how abstracted, servers with blinking lights still matter.Continue Reading

• IBM's CICS TS update ties mainframe into mobile

  IBM CICS TS 5.2 includes several updates and options designed to attract mobile-friendly applications onto the mainframe for back-end processing.Continue Reading

• COBOL compilers improve big data, OLTP applications

  Application development tools optimize code only so much. For the most efficient code on intense apps, a COBOL compiler is still the go-to tool.Continue Reading

• Networking expert Carrie Higbie shares advice for newcomers

  Carrie Higbie, networking expert, brings her long-term data center experience and sense of fun to SearchDataCenter's advisory board.Continue Reading

• Converged infrastructures belong on IT budgets this year

  Despite its initial cost, a converged infrastructure prevents a lot of the frustration of a heterogeneous data center, saving money long-term.Continue Reading

• Leaf-spine networks take the lead

  Leaf-spine networks are replacing traditional three-layer designs. Get the basics explained here.Continue Reading

• What's the best data center network topology?

  You need to know these most common data center network topologies, and check out a host of alternative topologies waiting in the wings.Continue Reading

• The case for a leaf-spine data center topology

  Three-layer network designs are last season's topology. The leaf-spine model is coming in hot, but can the advantages made data center designers forget about the weaknesses?Continue Reading

• How do I improve OS performance in a mixed data center?

  We took on a legacy data center and now, planning for performance optimization is a necessary evil. How can we corral OS sprawl?Continue Reading

• Tour a unique high-performance computing center

  The MGHPCC is the high-tech jewel of a western Massachusetts mill town. It stands out for its green facility and innovative cooling techniques. Take a tour of the facility and see just how advanced their design is.Continue Reading

• EVO:RAIL, SDDC take over VMworld 2014

  VMworld took to the data center this year, making waves with software-defined infrastructure. But not everyone was on board with VMware's trajectory.Continue Reading

• Is an OpenFlow switch the only option for SDN?

  Our network team wants to start implementing software-defined networking. Do we need to use an OpenFlow switch? Are there other SDN switch options?Continue Reading

• It's time for a denser server rack design

  A few of the server racks in your data center went over 8 kW/rack, and the world didn't end. So what's next?Continue Reading

• Centralized versus rack-mount UPS in telecom rooms

  How does a rack-mount UPS stack up against a central data center UPS for telecom rooms? Money doesn't necessarily mean power.Continue Reading

• Business application hosting on-premises vs. cloud options

  Is it better to look for a SaaS version of an app, put it in your own data center on existing equipment, or host it at a cloud provider for a mix of flexible scaling and IT ownership?Continue Reading

• Keep your server sharp and upgrade memory techniques

  It's about memory, remember? This guide covers the server memory choices -- flash, DIMMs, multi-channel -- that might solve problems in your IT shop.Continue Reading

• What should I look for in mainframe tape products?

  We use an IBM System z mainframe and it's time to update some aging tape drives. How big of a difference is there between the tape storage products on the market?Continue Reading

• What mainframe storage basics should admins know?

  Tape, disk, virtual disk and other storage media all work with my mainframe, but how do I decide which is the best option for storing data?Continue Reading

• Don't pull the trigger without a converged infrastructure comparison

  A lot goes into the decision to use converged infrastructure. Some factors are subjective while others involve straightforward cost calculations.Continue Reading

• Linux mainframe faces off against the server farm

  It's a faceoff: Linux on z vs. other server distributions. See what the pros say about Linux mainframe and decide if it's right for your IT shop.Continue Reading

• The processor problem: One size doesn't fit

  Conventional x86 processors try to do everything, but they are power hungry and performance inefficient. Stripping down processors to get the necessary functions for the required tasks saves power and speeds performance. This is the new emphasis in ...Continue Reading

• SDN networks set cloud apart from the old data center

  SDN networks are dynamic, automated and segmented by software rather than physical routing. And they solve several common data center networking problems.Continue Reading

• Uptime's guide to data center assessment and optimization

  Even the best data center design drifts from its opening day to the present. Uptime shares its recommendations to map cooling power to today's IT load.Continue Reading

• What to look for when buying data protection software

  A data center's value is in the corporate information it stores and protects. Buy tools that support a data-centric, compliance-oriented architecture.Continue Reading

• Powerful Linux performance tools that go underutilized

  There are some powerful Linux performance tools available to system administrators -- the problem is knowing how to use them.Continue Reading

• Denser is better: Increased storage and server density

  For storage and servers, being dense is good. Careful planning can maximize the benefits of greater computing densities while minimizing potential risks.Continue Reading

• Data center density heats up

  Data centers are growing denser and more efficient, with more cores per processor, fewer servers per rack and a new rule of thumb: Hotter is better.Continue Reading

• A data center regulatory compliance primer

  Regulatory compliance puts rigorous and sometimes unclear demands on the data center. Here's how to approach regulations like SOX, HIPAA and PCI DSS.Continue Reading

• Does data center size matter in virtualization, DCIM decisions?

  Are you big enough to take advantage of DCIM or virtualization for the power and cost savings? When it comes to certain moves, size is an advantage.Continue Reading

• Hold on loosely: Data center outsourcing in the modern age

  Wholesale colocation solutions often provide organizations with a number of financial and logistical benefits. But data center outsourcing, though a potential boon for companies, is a complicated matter for IT. Understanding the outsourcing process,...Continue Reading

• Share data at all levels with IBM's name/token service

  IBM name/tokens are popular for sharing data among mainframe programs, but little problems can add up to a performance hit.Continue Reading

• To converge or not: Drama-free infrastructure solutions for IT

  Some IT pros look at mainframes as converged infrastructure. Some see the flexibility and scalability of server farms, or outsourcing to MSPs and CSPs, and ask, why bother investing in more data center infrastructure? What are the use cases for a ...Continue Reading

• Deploy data tiering for additional insights, reduced storage costs

  As cost and management issues diminish, more enterprises are poised to deploy data tiering technology and curb runaway storage costs.Continue Reading

• Application performance management vendors emphasize user experience

  For a complete picture, today's application performance management tools take the user's perspective.Continue Reading

• Why Facebook and the NSA love graph databases

  Graph databases play six degrees of separation to find real connections. See how IT teams can use the database approach for businesses.Continue Reading

• An object storage device for a data overload

  For rampant data growth, try object storage on for size.Continue Reading

• Feast, famine or first-rate data center capacity management

  Ever purchase a server then leave it in the box for weeks, or run low on storage before an app launches? Then focus on just-right capacity management.Continue Reading

• How many VMs per host is too many?

  The ultimate host server welcomes hundreds of virtual machines. But that doesn't mean consolidation should outrank performance.Continue Reading

• Chargeback tactics to avoid an IT money pit

  IT costs don't have to be a perennial black hole. An enterprise can recover expenses from IT, which must put on its sales hat to promote chargeback.Continue Reading

• How a Linux processor on a mainframe beats distributed servers

  Want reliability, availability, security and performance from your Linux processor? The mainframe has more under the hood for Linux workloads.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

• Test your Uptime Tier level knowledge

  You've got a lot riding on Uptime Tier-certified data centers. Take this quiz to see how well you know Tiers I through IV.Continue Reading

• I don't want a Linux mainframe -- is that OK?

  Linux on System z opens up a new option for Linux workloads in the data center, but the mainframe isn't an automatic improvement for every situation.Continue Reading

• What's happening in data center energy management

  Smart PDUs and DCIM turn on data center energy management, but that's the short-term stuff. A strong strategy will energize a data center perennially.Continue Reading

• What's the best Linux OS for your enterprise data center?

  With several updates to supported Linux OSes, how do you know which to run in your data center? This guide will help you make an informed decision.Continue Reading

• Non-mechanical options for green data center cooling

  The local climate determines which green data center cooling technologies, such as free air cooling and water economizers, will keep servers happy.Continue Reading

• Turn to in-memory processing when performance matters

  In-memory processing is faster, and vendors are innovating to make in-memory database technology cheaper and better.Continue Reading

• A software-defined networking reality check for potential adopters

  Software-defined environments moved from concept to shipping products recently, so it's time to learn about SDN vendor offerings and their roadmaps.Continue Reading

• Hyperconvergence tackles storage and server strain

  Hyperconverged systems are succeeding converged infrastructure products as the latest in all-in-one data center offerings.Continue Reading

• Ubuntu roadmap leads to cloud, hyperscale computing

  Ubuntu isn't trying to be the best Linux server OS for enterprise apps. Instead, the distribution focuses on cloud and hyperscale installations.Continue Reading

• Get comfortable with an adiabatic cooling system in the data center

  Is your data center in a hot climate? Rather than fight the environment with CRACs, take advantage of it with an adiabatic cooling system.Continue Reading

• DCIM vendors' promises vs. data center realities

  Weigh the cost, integration and staffing implications of DCIM to make a smart buy and put DCIM's monitoring and analytical capabilities to work.Continue Reading

• What's limiting on-site DC data center power supply?

  Direct current data center power supply hasn't caught on as a mainstream idea, but are the major utilities to blame?Continue Reading

• IT's vendor evaluation criteria change -- again

  IT departments want to shrink their list of suppliers -- but should it be longer? Cloud, mobility and big data have IT rethinking vendor selection.Continue Reading

• For savings, IT must recharge its approach to power usage

  Power consumption accounts for a large portion of data center operating costs, so it's important to understand power usage and efficiency when planning a new build or updating an existing facility. While you cannot eliminate power use, there are ...Continue Reading

• Converged solutions are simply not simple

  Complicated infrastructures make data center operations difficult, but they don't start out that way. The solution to fixing the infrastructure might work but might be equally complicated.Continue Reading

• Flash memory storage speeds past slow write cliffs

  IT teams once burned by flash memory storage are giving the hardware another look as new approaches arrive on the market.Continue Reading

• Chapter excerpt: Keeping Linux safe with root privileges

  Privileged users have superpowers that keep Linux secure. Learn how to configure and run commands with root privileges in this free book excerpt.Continue Reading