The following data center infrastructure trends to watch out in 2017, revealed by Vertiv, formerly Emerson Network Power, will be useful for CIOs and data center operators.
“In our 2016 trends, we focused on disruptive macro trends, such as evolving cloud models and the role of social responsibility. This year, we’re focusing on the technology advances in infrastructure that will enable edge, enterprise, colocation and cloud data centers to adapt to change in 2017 and beyond,” said Gary Niederpruem, vice president, global marketing and strategy of Vertiv.
Connectivity at the edge
Distributed IT and the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are pushing IT resources closer to users and industrial processes. Network closets and micro data centers are growing in number as internet-connected sensors and devices proliferate and remote users demand faster access to information. Organizations will turn to pre-configured micro data center solutions that support fast deployment, standardization and remote management across distributed IT locations.
Enterprise CIOs will re-evaluate existing network closets and remote IT locations to ensure that power and cooling provisions are meeting the criticality of these locations. Enterprises started to provide localized collection and analysis of real-time data from connected sensors and devices.
Thermal management expands
To reduce energy costs, enterprise CIOs have displaced traditional approaches that focused on delivering “maximum cooling” with more sophisticated approaches focused on removing heat efficiently.
Increased use of advanced economizer technologies and the continued evolution of intelligent thermal controls have enabled resilient thermal management strategies that support PUEs below 1.2.
Water consumption and refrigerant use emerged as important considerations in select geographies. Data center operators are tailoring thermal management based on data center location and resource availability.
CIOs are finding that new technologies that leverage evaporative and adiabatic cooling that use water to cool the surrounding air are delivering highly efficient, reliable and economical thermal management.
An open-loop chilled water-based system uses about 4 million gallons of water to cool 1 MW of IT capacity in one year. New technologies featuring pumped-refrigerant economizers that use no water and introduce no outside air into the data center will save over 1 billion gallons of water in North America in 2016.
Security in data center management
Cyber attacks accounted for 22 percent of the data center outages, according to the 2016 Ponemon Institute Cost of Data Center Outages study.
Data center CIOs are adding security to their priority list to identify vulnerabilities and improve response to attacks. Management gateways that consolidate data from multiple devices to support DCIM are emerging as a potential solution which can identify unsecured ports across the critical infrastructure and provide warning of denial of service attacks.
DCIM in demand
DCIM is continuing to expand its value, both in the issues it can address and its ability to manage the increasingly complex data center ecosystem. Operators are using DCIM to address data center challenges, such as regulatory compliance, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), and managing hybrid environments. For colocation providers, DCIM is a valuable tool in analyzing their costs by customer and in providing their customers with remote visibility into their assets.
DCIM has emerged as the precursor to IIoT in the data center, delivering the visibility, increased coordination across systems and support for automation that are at the core of the IIoT value proposition.
Alternatives to lead-acid batteries
New solutions are emerging to the weak link in data center power systems as operators seek to reduce the footprint, weight and total costs of traditional valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, which are becoming a viable option for the data center, will be used to handle row- and room-level requirements.
Alternatives to lead-acid batteries are emerging that can reduce footprint, expand runtimes and enhance sustainability.
Integrated data center design
Speed-to-market is one of the key drivers of the companies developing the bulk of data center capacity. Data center CIOs are utilizing a turnkey approach to data center design and deployment that leverages integrated, modular designs, off-site construction and disciplined project management.
editor@infotechlead.com
