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Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• Five quick data center best practices

  Some controversial topics leave data center managers with lingering questions, but DCIM and power and cooling queries were met with best practice tips at AFCOM. Continue Reading

• IT automation changes the game, but limits remain

  Automation tools give admins ways to automate routine or even complex tasks, but some limitations mean IT must keep their hands on the wheel. Heuristic automation will take over areas where traditional deterministic rule sets cannot keep up. Continue Reading

• Data center physical security gets a tougher look

  Organizations seeking colo data center space are now asking more questions -- many of them detailed -- about the physical security of the data center. Continue Reading

• Six ways to lower IT infrastructure costs

  It's the right time for another round of IT cost-saving initiatives, and here are six areas where data center managers can reduce IT expenses. Continue Reading

• Intro to machine learning algorithms for IT professionals

  Machine learning -- supervised and unsupervised -- tracks data patterns that help businesses build improved predictive models and make smarter IT decisions. Continue Reading

• Server performance and benchmark testing guide

  The right back-end servers, tuned for maximum efficacy, make the difference in business-critical applications and services.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

• How the brave virtualize DNS, AD and other core IT services

  Critical IT infrastructure services -- DNS, DHCP servers -- don't need to live in the physical realm.Continue Reading

• Consolidating operating systems

  This chapter examines the role of operating systems within a multi-vendor data center, and how software and personnel are intertwined within an organization. In an ideal world, training wouldn't be attached to a tangible cost. Since expenditures do ...Continue Reading

• Build Linux from scratch to improve admin skills

  There's a sure-fire way to increase your knowledge about the Linux kernel and how to troubleshoot Linux servers: Build one yourself.Continue Reading

• How does a wholesale data center differ from retail?

  One offers more control, while the other offers more flexible space. If you're considering a colocation facility, how do you decide between wholesale and retail?Continue Reading

• Five COBOL interview questions to land a new job

  Time for a new job on the mainframe? Brush up on your COBOL basics and prepare for these strategic interview questions.Continue Reading

• Guide to software-defined everything in the data center

  It's time to start thinking about a software-defined infrastructure in the data center. Here are benefits of software-defined architectures, tips for implementation and tools to help.Continue Reading

• Checklist of IT KPIs for responsive data center ops

  The right metrics, aligned with business needs, strengthen data center monitoring and capacity planning. KPIs orient IT performance to specific goals.Continue Reading

• Data aware storage yields insights into business info

  Storage isn't just a bunch of dumb disks anymore. In fact, storage infrastructure is smarter than ever.Continue Reading

• How SDN in the data center shapes Ethernet's future

  Ethernet's future lies in smarter software working alongside new materials and silicon advances. SDN and NFV promise exceptional flexibility and management.Continue Reading

• Give the Linux quagga router a try for SDN

  The open source quagga router is garnering attention as a flexible choice for SDN. It's easy to set up with the right hardware.Continue Reading

• How do I avert database security issues in match/merge?

  Our IT organization needs to secure customer names, but also needs to conduct searches on the entire customer database to match and merge records.Continue Reading

• Cutting data center power costs

  Reining in energy costs is one of the top concerns for data center managers everywhere. And since power consumption represents a significant cost for organizations, data center managers need to have solutions in mind when they get called into ...Continue Reading

• TCO (total cost of ownership)

  Total cost of ownership is a calculation to assess direct and indirect expenses and benefits related to the purchase of a product or infrastructure component.Continue Reading

• Suss out, solve pesky server utilization problems

  If it's time to tune your data center hardware, consider fixes like DRAM expansion, SSDs or container virtualization.Continue Reading

• New eco UPS systems save energy, minimize operational risks

  Eco UPS installations promise higher energy efficiency in the data center, with new designs that respond quickly to an outage.Continue Reading

• Guide to managing data center costs and the IT budget

  Daily data center operations, upgrades and purchases cost a business a lot of money. Save some dough -- and get value for your IT spend -- with these tips.Continue Reading

• What are the best ways to prep for CompTIA exams?

  I took the CompTIA Security+ online exam once and wasn't able to clear it. How can I prepare to pass the test next time?Continue Reading

• Why big data servers stay on-premises in data centers

  Compute- and I/O-intensive big data workloads won't stray to the cloud yet as security and existing infrastructure keep analytics in the data center.Continue Reading

• Vendors race to provide big data infrastructure

  Enterprise big data workloads demand a lot from storage and network bandwidth. Storage, cloud and as-a-service vendors are developing the infrastructure to support them.Continue Reading

• SDN efforts increase agility

  Network engineers and data center administrators need to be able to respond quickly to changing business requirements, and software-defined networking helps to facilitate these responses. Agility is often used as a buzzword at higher levels of an ...Continue Reading

• Small updates meet big data center requirements

  Not all IT infrastructure projects require a large budget and lengthy schedule. These relatively inexpensive updates boost performance and reliability.Continue Reading

• What kind of VM management tools help plan growth?

  What tools can I use to manage capacity to accommodate further VM growth in a complex IT environment?Continue Reading

• Fill in skills shortages with mainframe outsourcing

  New deeply skilled mainframe staffers won't pop up overnight, so use a mix of in-house and outsourcing tactics to support another decade on big iron.Continue Reading

• What's yours is mine: Sharing DCIM

  It's hard to avoid the growing importance of data center infrastructure management technology (DCIM) within the world of IT. Data center managers are increasingly looking to merge the management of servers and facilities, and DCIM generates a number...Continue Reading

• Avoid common server racking issues

  Increasing physical demands of modern IT gear can pose problems for classic rack enclosures. Watch for these factors when buying new racks or equipment.Continue Reading

• Data center improvements extend its life 10 more years

  Space, power, cooling and equipment improvements give your data center design new life. Do it right to keep costs down.Continue Reading

• Wasted energy = wasted money

  Smart IT teams are continually looking for more ways to eliminate energy waste in their data centers. A well-run data center is one that uses only the energy it absolutely requires. Because of what they do, data centers require significant ...Continue Reading

• Make the mainframe system part of your business continuity process

  Mainframe systems need comprehensive preparations to maintain business continuity during a disaster. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to accommodate the mainframe in BC.Continue Reading

• Virtualized firewall servers and other bad ideas

  Virtualization is a great idea, but not for everything in the data center. Even if your goal is 100% virtualization, leave these servers off the list.Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery as a service wipes out traditional DR plans

  Disaster recovery planning and infrastructure builds vex IT managers. Cloud services offer lower costs and more flexibility, but not without risk.Continue Reading

• Words to go: Data center design standards bodies

  Need a handy reference sheet of the various data center standards organizations? Keep this list by your desk as a reference.Continue Reading

• Guide to building a better IT team structure

  The right IT team structure can pump up daily operations -- and morale. For a better environment, replace silos for DevOps and keep data center employees happy.Continue Reading

• Take data center efficiency to the max on three-phase power

  Three-phase circuits provide considerably more power efficiency to data center equipment, but phase balancing can trip up deployments.Continue Reading

• Master Linux service management on System V and systemd

  Managing services on Linux is an essential task for administrators. Learn to work with either System V or systemd.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

• Power and cooling checklist for a better data center PUE

  Data center power consumption eats up a large portion of operating costs. These cooling and power changes can help cut back energy use without lessening IT performance.Continue Reading

• Five tips to prep for a Sarbanes-Oxley audit

  For IT organizations in public U.S.-operating companies, SOX audits are a fact of life. Look forward to a compliance audit with these immediate and long-term preparations.Continue Reading

• Micro data centers keep businesses competitive from next door

  A fleet of micro data centers can conquer the latency and resiliency of one centralized data center. Is the edge model right for your enterprise?Continue Reading

• Can you virtualize a NetBackup master server?

  I have only seen companies deploy a NetBackup master server on a physical server. Are there any drawbacks to using a VM as a NetBackup master server?Continue Reading

• Ten ways to optimize IT team structure

  The data center teems with unpredictable equipment -- about 42U tall and prone to failure -- but is also loaded with on-board intelligence: its IT team.Continue Reading

• Can an Oracle database update from mainframe jobs?

  Can administrators set IBM mainframe jobs to update Oracle databases directly, or are there incompatibilities between the systems?Continue Reading

• Avoid growing pains with infrastructure capacity planning

  Follow these guidelines to expand data center capacity without the terror of wasted space or, even worse, tight capacity after move-in.Continue Reading

• Tips to standardize your next data center move

  With colocation and centralization on the rise, you're likely to take on multiple data center moves in your career. It's time to standardize your process.Continue Reading

• A disaggregated server proves breaking up can be a good thing

  Split up and go your separate ways for cost efficiency. With disaggregation, systems separate CPU, memory and I/O for more flexibility, no hard feelings.Continue Reading

• Make this your most modern IT year yet

  No one sticks with their New Year's resolution -- where is that gym card anyway? -- but you can pick up seven modern habits and feel good about fit, healthy IT ops.Continue Reading

• Master the art of RFP writing for data centers

  Writing a biased RFP is a great way to get everything you want, and nothing you need. If you want to address an IT or business demand, sometimes it pays to leave out specifics.Continue Reading

• Big data and analytics advice from an operations pro

  You don't need to employ special IT personnel for big data analytics. One company uses big data for developers to modify ads and find and adjust pain-points in a game application.Continue Reading

• Linux pro imparts how to get ahead in IT careers

  According to longtime Linux pro Sander van Vugt, RHEL skills will take you furthest. Follow van Vugt's 10-year plan to a successful IT career.Continue Reading

• Implement these data center security best practices

  Proper data center security standards help prevent dangerous, costly breaches to the business. Follow these steps for a safe and secure facility.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

• Three novel approaches to building a data center

  Factors from PUE and build time, to accessibility and amenities, will influence your data center design and construction decisions. Here are three routes to consider.Continue Reading

• This data center cost calculator keeps you on budget

  Calculating every data center expense can be challenging, but with the right spreadsheet -- and formulas -- you will accurately assess the total cost.Continue Reading

• Data center maps lead IT to server treasure

  Can't find the server that needs repairs or the right reboot button when the host blue-screens? A data center map is vital when disaster hits.Continue Reading

• What's the best way to measure data center airflow?

  You can't measure airflow from raised floor tiles in the same way as any other air duct. Optimize data center airflow with the right tools.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

• The value, not cost, of an IT employee

  In this new age of IT, determining an admin's worth is less about specialized skills and more about being personable.Continue Reading

• Should one person lead data center facility management?

  Dogs and cats, Edison and Tesla, oil and water, IT and facilities. Some great entities are destined to butt heads. Is it ever possible to unite them?Continue Reading

• Are new data center cabinets too heavy for the floor?

  We built a data center several years ago and are refreshing the IT equipment in it. Should I worry about how big and heavy my new cabinets will be for the existing structure?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

• 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

• IBM mainframe pricing gets a mobile discount

  IBM offers a 60% discount on mainframe transactions from mobile devices. Here's how to segregate mobile CPU usage and get into the program.Continue Reading

• A nightmare on Data Center Street

  Where data center manager monsters creep lies the scariest, ugliest, darkest sight you've ever seen. Follow the stairs through our haunted data center -- if you dare.Continue Reading

• Server form factors: A guide to rackmount, blade servers and more

  Which type of server is right for you? The data center's budget, technology and reliability will steer you toward rackmount or blade servers.Continue Reading

• Changes down the pipe for data center chiller operation

  What goes into your data center chiller might be warmer than expected, as energy use reduction efforts threaten the capacity of CRAHs and other cooling systems.Continue Reading

• Create a SAN with the Linux LIO iSCSI target

  With the LIO iSCSI target service, Linux shops have an affordable SAN option that ranks up there with expensive proprietary storage solutions.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

• 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

• The lurking dangers of managed server hosting

  Under the allure of outsourcing the data center, IT spending changes radically and infrastructure control slips from your staff's tight grip. Are you ready?Continue Reading

• New rules of engagement for corporate data backup

  In the old days, all data was created -- and protected -- equally. In today's data center, ever-changing rosters of VMs and LUNs call for a new data backup arsenal.Continue Reading

• Make Linux troubleshooting easier

  Sysadmins need to ensure their Linux servers perform properly. Check out these tips for choosing the right tool for the job, preventing rootkit attacks and more.Continue Reading

• Five ways to maximize HPC applications' performance

  High-performance computing systems pump up the processing power in enterprise data centers, but can be hard to keep in peak condition. Five steps put HPC applications into beast mode.Continue Reading

• Fiscally in favor of sustainable computing

  Data center energy consumption is more than a sustainability issue -- it's a major cost to the business. When proposing green IT initiatives, start at the bottom line.Continue Reading

• On-server GPU additions help with big data, VDI

  GPUs offload the burden of demanding computational tasks from central processors. Integrate GPU into enterprise servers to manage intense computing.Continue Reading

• Siloing stifles data center growth

  It's time to knock down those silos, one by one. IT is transforming from a siloed set of reactive cost centers into a service provider with a focus on helping the business compete.Continue Reading

• Failure provides the best data center training

  Incompatible programming languages, limited management capabilities, outages -- these problems and frustrations of IT life actually have the most training potential.Continue Reading

• How well do you know the ITIL v3 framework?

  Test how well your team knows its roles and responsibilities with this ITIL quiz. It might help you handle future IT service problems.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

• Four benefits of agile DevOps on the mainframe

  Agile DevOps may be a new term in the old world of mainframes, but big iron benefits from the productivity and reliability it brings.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

• Set accurate service-level agreement metrics

  SLAs do no good collecting dust in an office drawer, nor are penalties effective. Make sure your SLA fits with the business' present and future needs.Continue Reading

• Scientists teach enterprises how to process big data

  Enterprise IT shops can learn a lesson in big data processing from a computing infrastructure that supports Higgs-Boson researchers and crunches numbers from the Big Bang.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

• Can multiple mainframes share IBM tape storage?

  I want to share a tape drive between the IBM System z mainframe and other IBM systems. Are there prerequisites for tape drive sharing?Continue Reading

• SUSE YaST takes guesswork out of Linux administration

  In an open-source world, it's hard for one Linux feature to make a difference in the distribution. So, why is YaST so important?Continue Reading

• Spending tips for each stop on the IT lifecycle

  Data center equipment refreshes are expensive and time-consuming, but there are ways to ease the most arduous steps of the IT lifecycle -- and possibly even make a little money.Continue Reading

• A flexible data center layout made for the new standard

  Data centers aren't the center of the IT universe anymore. With plenty of resources for hosting dynamic workloads -- cloud, colocation, as a service, or data center -- the on-premises facility layout must become equally flexible.Continue Reading

• Data center projects get lost in translation

  The reasons to virtualize 80% of servers and create fault-tolerant clusters are obvious -- right? When you're explaining the project to the CFO, it's going to take more than IT metrics to make your case.Continue Reading

• Linux experience and RHCE bring in the big bucks

  Looking for a high-paying job in a Linux data center but don't know where to start or what your certification will get you? Not just any certification pays off.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

• What you need to know about memory channel storage

  MCS is changing the way memory and storage mix. Integrate this storage technology onto servers to enhance big data and other intense apps.Continue Reading

• Could an isolated ground cause PDU failures?

  Isolated, dedicated grounds, telecom grounds -- the performance and, more importantly, safety of data center equipment -- rely on proper grounding.Continue Reading