How to Build an Energy Efficient Data Centers

While there are active discussions about green data center initiatives across the IT space, a large number of enterprises are unclear in framing strategies for a greener approach.

An effective green data center strategy doesn’t just involve the implementation of distinctive technologies or design parameters, but should also constitute the following key fundamental elements-:

Measuring the energy usage- Computing the energy consumption of a data center comes as the first step towards building an energy efficient data center. Availing a breakup of power consumption by individual IT equipments in a data center will help an organisation reduce its monthly power bill significantly by limiting the equipment usage when not required.

Executive Support- The senior management needs to be open to such initiatives. This campaign requires dedicated support in terms of allocating specialised resources and funds to the implementation team to let such initiatives see the light of the day.

Server Virtualization- Server virtualization helps in reducing the power consumption of a data center significantly by running multiple applications on a single physical server. It also helps an organisation reduce its data center space by cutting down on the number of servers, as different applications do not require separate physical servers.

Data Center Cooling- Maintaining an optimum temperature for a data center gets crucial as most data centers operate at maximum capacity to keep the risk of a malfunction to its minimum. Considering an intelligent cooling system which makes use of outside air for a better airflow can help achieve an organisation with significant energy savings.

Uniform IT policy- Implementing a green data center strategy across an organisation will involve a uniform IT policy in place for every business unit of the organisation. It will also get important for an organisation to place a single experienced IT team to manage the entire data center operations to achieve maximum efficiency.

Global IT giants like Microsoft, Facebook and Google have already taken a lead in reducing the carbon foot prints of their data center operations by setting up carbon neutral data centers and using renewable energy sources like wind and solar power for IT operations.

Having said that, it also gets important for organisations to avoid a one size fits all approach while implementing green data center strategy. Businesses should increasingly focus on tying up with experienced technology partners who can help identify and implement technologies to reduce operating costs and increase data center efficiency.