The Evolution of Green Data Centres:A Practical Guide

Abstract

With an increased demand for services, more and more IT hardware is being deployed in data centre facilities. As a result, concern current focuses on spiralling energy consumption and costs, and dwindling capacity, and data centres are attracting increased scrutiny from CIOs, CFOs, the general public, politicians, regulatory bodies, lobbyists and mass media. Cost and corporate responsibility have produced pressure to make data centres “greener” and ecologically friendly, reduce carbon emissions and develop sustainable IT policies.

Researched over a period of five months, this timely report is the first ever to analyse the drivers and issues confronting data centres in their quest to go green, and describes the practicalities of implementing green strategies. Public pressure, legislation on statute books (and the unknown requirements yet to be defined and imposed) have collectively shifted the green argument to the forefront, and MNCs, a key user of data centres, are already making the enforcement of environmental objectives a key part of business competitive strategy:

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that most of the large tenders in the Data Centre space issued since the end of 2006 include environmental impact and corporate responsibilities as essential assessment criteria.”

The report provides a comprehensive review of the drivers behind the “Green Data Centre”, assess the current trends in facilities design, and the advances in Data Centre related hardware and services. The report includes case studies of environmentally friendly Data Centres and can be used a reference by a wide audience.

Defining the characteristics of green data centres - and potential advantages to companies adopting these policies - the report assesses inefficiencies in the data centre (“an average Data Centre is using around 50 times more energy than an office block”), server proliferation and rising data centre density. 2010 is looking to be a point it says, at which power and cooling costs will overtake hardware expenditures.

However a range of initiatives are under way and detailed in the report, much of it originating in the US, including the Environmental Protection Agency' s (EPA) Energy Star programme and the LEED Building programme. The viability of “green” Data Centres is assessed from both design and technology perspectives and vendor responses to the environmental issues facing the Data Centres is included. Building design is also discussed, and the report includes case studies of Fannie Mae and Highdeal, the first certified green data centres in the US.

The core of the report looks at the practical implementation of green data centres and takes readers through the processes they must address in formulating green strategies across a wide range of criteria. An outline list of recommendations for data centres to follow is included. The report also documents the range of power resources available including the experimental.

“Unfortunately,” says the report, “there is no single recipe how to get to the green Data Centre nirvana,” however a series of recommendations are provided for data centre managers. Green is becoming a significant factor in designing new Data Centres as well as refurbishing existing facilities. The main driving forces however are operational cost savings, and the threat that companies may be penalised in the future for excessive carbon footprints.

Before embarking on any change or new build, the report recommends firms to conduct due diligence to ensure they future proof as much as possible and mitigate costs that may be incurred later for failure to comply with carbon emission legislation, as well as keeping track of emerging standards.

Overall the report neatly brings together a global purview of the evolution of green data centres, and the many issues involved in the current debate and offers a methodical review and recommendations of steps for data centre managers to take in their quest to be “green”.

• First Green Data centre prospectus
• Market drivers for Green
• Key issues in going green
• Initiatives underway globally
• Practical guide to going Green
• 22 Tables and Charts
• 136pp

• Data Centre operators
• Colocation and Hosting Companies
• Integrators
• Infrastructure and Connectivity Providers
• Blade Server Suppliers
• Power, Heating and Cooling Suppliers
• Security service providers
• Application service companies
• Regulatory Organisations
• Law Firms
• Consultancies
• Financial and Investment Services Organisations