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Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• SUSE makes Btrfs stable, flexible SLES file system of choice

  Btrfs proves a viable and more flexible file system for production Linux servers, with proper configuration and setup. Continue Reading

• Data center water usage whets appetite for change

  Will drought dry up the digital economy? With water scarcity a pressing concern, major data centers are re-examining water use for cooling. Continue Reading

• Managing shadow IT risk to the business

  With more users turning to external IT platforms to meet business needs, IT professionals must take steps to start managing shadow IT. Continue Reading

• Stop being IT heroes and take the low-key approach

  It's fun for IT to save the day, but a low-key approach is the most effective way to get things done. Continue Reading

• How learning Linux jumpstarted my career

  Choosing an alternative to Windows 98 and learning Linux -- back in the 90s -- led Jack Wallen to his current career. How did you get started with Linux? Continue Reading

• ITSM tools no silver bullet for data center service delivery

  ITSM tools can simplify and streamline the service delivery process, but don't forget the critical steps that also must be taken to help IT meet businesses' goals.Continue Reading

• Network bottleneck looms when data center storage improves

  The high-IOPS, low-latency potential of SSDs moves bottlenecks to the network. SDN offers provisioning adjustments to avoid any slowdown in the data center.Continue Reading

• Is IT service continuity only for the rich?

  Technologies like cloud and virtualization mean IT service continuity no longer requires an extra data center or two.Continue Reading

• External penetration testing still critical in cloud

  By moving to the cloud, a business can offload some responsibility for lost or stolen data, but external penetration testing in the data center remains critical.Continue Reading

• Get the best mix of servers and storage in the data center

  A fleet of servers is only as good as its connected storage. The right storage design for your data center depends on cost, simplicity and performance requirements.Continue Reading

• Expect big changes from Red Hat Satellite 6

  Red Hat overhauled its Satellite server management tool in version 6, which means a lot more functionality and features but a complex adjustment period for server admins.Continue Reading

• Improve data center energy management with this guide

  The revised 2015 version of the E.U.'s best practices guide for data centers provides up-to-date tips on data center energy management for everyone.Continue Reading

• Software testing techniques to address distributed databases

  Data that lives across multiple IT infrastructures makes software testing difficult. New technologies in virtualization offer some relief.Continue Reading

• Connectivity to remote offices drives vWAN development

  Remote offices demand connectivity with the central data center, data-rich services, and cost-effective IT deployments. Enter the vWAN.Continue Reading

• Extend UPS battery life, avoid catastrophic data center failure

  Are you managing your UPS battery life expectations? Just because the warranty says it will last doesn't mean you should take their word for it.Continue Reading

• Expert tips for a next-generation data center

  There are many steps between where your data center is today and its ideal form in the future. These tips will help guide your journey.Continue Reading

• Data center spending continues climb, led by power, DCIM

  Purchases of racks, cabling, power equipment and data center infrastructure management software top the list for data center spending.Continue Reading

• RHEL developer preview moves ARM servers closer to reality

  RHEL on ARM servers has developers envisioning new apps, but the hardware and software ecosystem for 64-bit ARM is still just a vision.Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Mount file system Linux systemd's way

  Forget about /etc/fstab and autofs. There's a new Linux system around. Systemd manages mounting and automounting of file systems differently.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

• 'Kip and Gary' brings data center jokes, stories to life

  No such thing as a funny data center? One comic artist created 'Kip and Gary,' a cartoon duo who make data center horror stories hilarious.Continue Reading

• A few ways to configure Linux firewalld

  The method for configuring Linux servers' firewalls changed with RHEL 7 and other new distributions. Learn how to set up firewalld, and what to avoid.Continue Reading

• Controversial hot aisle containment practices

  Is your hot aisle too hot for OSHA? New data center trends are causing concern. You might need to adapt to adhere to the law.Continue Reading

• Controversial data center building and operation practices

  Is key-swipe entry monitored by anyone? Do your retrofit plans include an economizer? See why many facility trends -- and laws -- are causing concern.Continue Reading

• What to look for in a Tier III data center provider

  Don't believe just any sweet-talking colo provider claiming to be Tier III. Make sure you're getting what you pay for with a true Tier III data center.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

• What's the highest server temperature you can handle?

  There's no correct inlet air temperature for all servers. Age, performance and design help determine how much heat your server can handle.Continue Reading

• PowerShell tutorial for Windows server admins

  A lot has changed with PowerShell 4.0. Whether you're new to the CLI or want new tricks in your server administrating bag, now's the time to bone up.Continue Reading

• DevOps and Agile IT save mainframe training from skills quagmire

  The problem isn't that new hires aren't familiar with the complex, custom daily tasks of mainframe ops. The problem is that you're still doing them.Continue Reading

• The past, present and future of top data center components

  Data centers have come a long way, and we still have pretty far to go. Take a look through data centers then and now, and see what's ahead.Continue Reading