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Green IT - Save the Environment and Save Cost
How Green is your data centre? |
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Data centres are one of the most significant energy consumers in an enterprise's IT infrastructure, so measures to reduce energy consumption of data centres will have a positive impact on enterprises and the environment. Data centre experts are now under pressure to develop "green" data centres. Research House Gartner reveals that "during the last five years, the power demands of equipment have grown by five or more times."
Wharf T&T & COL, experts in data centre services, would like to share some tips with enterprises on how to develop a "GREEN" data centre:
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"Green IT" starts in the data centre... | |
| Optimising power utilisation with the right equipment and right technology |
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In taking a green approach, your evaluation of the equipment and technology you use is no longer just a price versus performance comparison. It is important to incorporate the total costs of the environment into the calculation, which then also includes costs for energy consumption.
For example, while air conditioning is mandatory for cooling data centre hardware, some data centres have introduced technology that can help improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Although initial expenses for these systems are greater than the traditional air conditioning, these constitute major long-term energy savings, which also lead to cost savings. Look for vendors that can help you identify exactly the required power consumption necessary and give you professional advice on the most suitable technology to meet your needs.
Select equipment based on life cycle costs that take into account the energy usage of servers. For example, the most important data, or the most mission critical data should be placed on the highest performance and most expensive storage. In turn, do not use expensive energy-consuming disks to store information for compliance, when a simple disk is good enough to serve your purposes.
Make sure you use suitable technologies and products to become more green. More importantly, use the technology and products you choose appropriately through configurations by enabling green controls, to truly maximize the green effect. The best idea is to consult your data centre consultant for the most appropriate technology and equipment that best meets your needs.
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| Outsourcing data centres |
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Outsourcing data centres to IT experts is definitely more attractive than owning one. Lower costs, reduced complexity, and allowing flexibility are the key drivers to outsource your data centre operations. However, the idea of driving green incentives through the outsourcing data centre operation is also a good reason for most enterprises. Outsourcing this operation has provided enterprises with several technological as well as business benefits.
From the technological aspect, outsourcing has enabled the company to meet its massive data transmission requirements without worrying about power consumption and cooling requirements. The IT vendors work out the "power" and "heat" requirements for enterprises through advanced monitoring and intelligent control systems.
As for the cost-savings aspect, smart vendors also help enterprise get better performance out of fewer servers by using technologies such as workload balancing and server virtualisation. IT vendors can give organizations advice on cutting half of the equipment without any discernible impact on performance.
The average data centre is a voracious consumer of energy and a major contributor to a company's carbon footprint. For companies that have made a serious commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), green IT certainly helps project a positive image on your organisation's environmental footprint. Outsourcing your data centre to an expert might even result in a data centre that not only performs better, but is more environmentally friendly and more cost efficient.
Utilise the expertise that exists outside the IT department in your company. Call Wharf T&T & COL's Data Centre experts at 2118-3888 to start your "GREEN" plan!
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