- By 2008, 50% of today’s US data centers will have insufficient power and cooling capacity to meet the demands of high-density equipment.
- Through 2009, energy costs will emerge as the second-highest operating cost (behind labour) in 70% of Data Center facilities World Wide
Source: Gartner 2007; Meeting the DC power and cooling challenge
Server manufacturers have developed a laudable, but limited, response to the growing need for greater levels of energy management in Datacenters. And the latest hardware uses leading-edge technologies to reduce the energy consumption of individual machines.
While this is an excellent use of technology, there is an unspoken and naive assumption - that the growth in demand for server resources has to be never-ending, leaving users with only one option: to purchase more servers. This strategy involves not only an ongoing capital outlay for the hardware but also many less obvious costs, such as additional software licence fees, additional infrastructure management costs, increased maintenance and support and additional investment in human resources, including training. There can also be costs associated with the safe and environmentally sound disposal of old, under-performing systems.
An alternative approach is to put the "Business", in the position of managing server demand so that the need to upgrade existing resources is drastically reduced, if not removed altogether. Being able to apply policy-based controls, not only to the issue of which users get the best service levels but also to the total workload on the site, gives businesses the opportunity to manage, by policy, overall energy usage and set it against the value of the visitors to the site, and ultimately to the business.