IT managers are mostly concerned with providing effective services but efficiency is rarely a consideration for them when provisioning new IT solutions.
There is a an important difference between effectiveness and efficiency. For example, an incandescent light is very effective at providing light but as 90% of the energy it uses is converted to unwanted heat, it is not very efficient.
If an IT service implementation is inefficient then it is not cost effective and that can cause problems for the business.
Inefficiency can come from a number of factors such as poorly designed solutions, older hardware, excessive redundancy, issues with the data centre infrastructure and even legacy issues with the facility itself.
The impact on the business can also present itself in a number of ways ranging from high running costs to increased rates of failure.
Many data centre operators are looking at ways to increase the efficiency of their services. Although there are many drivers for this such as new legislation and environmental concerns, it is really about saving cash.
Increasing the efficiency of your data centre infrastructure can reduce your operating costs but it can also help data centres recover lost capacity which is another way of saving money.
Many companies are working to recover this lost capacity with airflow containment, increased inlet temperatures and high resolution monitoring.
Airflow containment is an increasingly widespread and cost-effective solution for maximising the capacity of a data centres cooling infrastructure with the most common approach being cold aisle containment.
Using containment can prevent the recirculation of hot air to the IT load which reduces the amount of energy it consumes. Containment also prevents cold air bypassing the IT load which reduces the demand on your cooling infrastructure.
Increasing server inlet temperatures can also create big savings on the operational cost of your cooling infrastructure. Higher inlet temperatures have little effect on the IT load but significantly reduce the demand on the cooling infrastructure while increasing their efficiency at the same time.
Monitoring your data centre environment is key to understanding how its resources are being utilised.
The best results are achieved when the air temperature is measured at the server inlet and increasing the resolution of your data centre monitoring gives you a better picture of how your data centre is performing.
All of these methods can be implemented relatively cheaply with existing staff resources and , by increasing the efficiency of your data centre infrastructure, you regain lost capacity which enables you to defer investment in upgrades and expansion programmes.
There is a an important difference between effectiveness and efficiency. For example, an incandescent light is very effective at providing light but as 90% of the energy it uses is converted to unwanted heat, it is not very efficient.
If an IT service implementation is inefficient then it is not cost effective and that can cause problems for the business.
Inefficiency can come from a number of factors such as poorly designed solutions, older hardware, excessive redundancy, issues with the data centre infrastructure and even legacy issues with the facility itself.
The impact on the business can also present itself in a number of ways ranging from high running costs to increased rates of failure.
Many data centre operators are looking at ways to increase the efficiency of their services. Although there are many drivers for this such as new legislation and environmental concerns, it is really about saving cash.
Increasing the efficiency of your data centre infrastructure can reduce your operating costs but it can also help data centres recover lost capacity which is another way of saving money.
Many companies are working to recover this lost capacity with airflow containment, increased inlet temperatures and high resolution monitoring.
Airflow containment is an increasingly widespread and cost-effective solution for maximising the capacity of a data centres cooling infrastructure with the most common approach being cold aisle containment.
Using containment can prevent the recirculation of hot air to the IT load which reduces the amount of energy it consumes. Containment also prevents cold air bypassing the IT load which reduces the demand on your cooling infrastructure.
Increasing server inlet temperatures can also create big savings on the operational cost of your cooling infrastructure. Higher inlet temperatures have little effect on the IT load but significantly reduce the demand on the cooling infrastructure while increasing their efficiency at the same time.
Monitoring your data centre environment is key to understanding how its resources are being utilised.
The best results are achieved when the air temperature is measured at the server inlet and increasing the resolution of your data centre monitoring gives you a better picture of how your data centre is performing.
All of these methods can be implemented relatively cheaply with existing staff resources and , by increasing the efficiency of your data centre infrastructure, you regain lost capacity which enables you to defer investment in upgrades and expansion programmes.
An Improved Architecture for
ReplyDeleteHigh-Efficiency, High-Density
Data Centers
Making the Business Case for Energy Efficiency Projects - Schneider Electric
ReplyDeleteA Piece of the Efficiency Puzzle: Integrated DCIM and Virtualization Management - Schneider Electric
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