Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Legacy IT budget cuts boost data center investment plans

  New data center investments can come from legacy IT spending cuts, something most U.S. agencies haven't done well in recent years. Continue Reading

• How do you verify a HA server or cluster is working?

  I want to ensure server high availability in my production IT environment. Is it better to test server HA and risk disruption, or trust in the systems' reliability? Continue Reading

• What switched PDU should I buy?

  Our latest firewall/VPN firmware upgrade left CPU usage at 100%. A malfunctioning DHCP-Server means people aren't getting IPs. I have to pull the plug to restart the firewall. What size switched PDU do I get? Continue Reading

• Cut data center sprawl to improve IT capacity

  This guide offers tips and strategies to corral all types of sprawl -- VM, server and automation -- as well as other drains to data center resources. Continue Reading

• Who controls big data implementation?

  In the rush to capitalize on big data, enterprises can pitch a battle against their own IT departments. In these conflicts, no one comes out the winner. 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

• A cloud migration plan for conservative data centers

  Enterprises migrating to the cloud prefer a slow and considered approach that protects sensitive data and ensures performance levels.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

• 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

• Integrated systems test prevents data center downtime

  Some colocation providers say the best way to prevent data center downtime is to regularly pull the plug and see what happens. (Hopefully, nothing.)Continue Reading

• Do I need another VM host server?

  Operations manager Adam Fowler explains the many factors that determine a VM host server's ability to increase its workload and whether you need to buy additional equipment for your VMs.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

• 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

• Virtualization's random I/O rewrites the data center storage script

  Should data center managers pine for the good old days of direct-attached storage? Or is adding a little flash the way to counter-act the fundamental storage changes wrought by virtualization?Continue Reading