Many companies of all sizes are moving some or all of their data storage and applications to the cloud. A 2011 survey showed that if a company were only able to move one application to the cloud, then they would choose storage, which was the case with 25% of the survey’s participants. More than 38% of the large companies that participated in the survey indicated that they would likely exceed their IT capacity within the next 18 months.
Given the above, it’s not surprising that many companies choose to move their important data and applications to the cloud. It’s important to note that 82% of the companies claimed they saved money after moving to the cloud. While there are a variety of reasons for this, it may be partially due to the costs associated with maintaining on-site data storage systems and IT equipment failures.
IT equipment fails for a number of reasons. More than 65% of these equipment failures, however, are due to these three reasons:
- Inadequate air conditioning in the server room
- Air conditioning system failures
- Lack of regular maintenance
In order to address the reasons above, a large percentage of data centers are exploring their options. A recent survey showed that 80% of these centers are conducting research on whether or not they should install hot or cold aisle containment systems. These containment systems are designed to maintain the right temperature for servers while simultaneously reducing energy usage.
Air conditioning costs will vary and are dependent on the size of the server room along with other factors. An average server room that utilizes 30 kilowatts of air conditioning that operates at 70% capacity will cost $23,000.00 PA. This will also produce 243 tons of greenhouse gas.
Electricity costs are expected to rise over the next three years. These costs may rise 67% over this time period; however, these costs could be reduced by approximately 35% if air conditioning efficiency improvements are made. According to Green Computing norms, when a data center is over seven years old, it is out of date. The average lifespan of a data center, however, is nine years. If your data center’s lifespan is approaching seven years old, then it may be time consider updating it to current standards.
When updating your data center, you may want to explore the benefits of having thermal containment system. Since protecting IT equipment and the data it contains is essential, it would be a good idea to consult with an expert within this area. Since there are both cold aisle containment options and hot aisle containment options for data centers, an expert will be able to explain the differences as well as the costs associated with each. Whether cold or hot aisle containment options may be better for your business, you may realize that while hot aisle containment options involve additional construction, they may be the better choice in the long run.
