FOCUS IT REFRESH
Issue 7, Dec 09/Jan 10
IT REFRESH – CLEAN SLATE THINKING
A holistic approach to refresh parameters is needed so variables such as economics, energy, operations and Total Cost of Ownership can be evaluated fairly. DLB Associates conducts an evaluation.
predictable span of 3-4 years. Alternately, the infrastructure supporting that same IT equipment can typically have a lifespan of 15-25 years, or even longer. Structured in terms of lifecycles, the IT equipment will see a minimum of 3-5 lifetimes while connected to a predominantly unchanging infrastructure.
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The idea of equipment refreshes within the data center environment is relatively well understood by those in the IT field. When considering the scope of the refresh activity, it may be convenient to think of IT refreshes as having a clear beginning and ending. Unfortunately, it is actually more representative to think of them in terms of both minor and major events.
In most data centers, there is an almost continuous series of incremental (minor) upgrades that occur while opportunities for significant changes to the supporting infrastructure are consequently limited. It is during the more significant (major) upgrades where it makes sense to plan ahead and exploit scenarios that may be presented.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that infrastructure supporting an IT installation is relatively static. While that outlook is true from the macro view, it is essential to consider the complete spectrum of opportunities that exist when faced with a major IT refresh.
The question to ask is, “What would I do if…?” This more holistic approach helps to remove artificial barriers erected by inhibited or constrained baseline assumptions. The development of viable options can help to qualify an organisation’s requirements for different infrastructure approaches.
In Figure 1, options have been limited to those addressing the cooling system but can
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fundamental precept of technology is that advances will quickly make today’s IT equipment obsolete within a relatively
Options overview, or ‘What would you do if?’ Topic
Cooling System Depreciation
Capital Cost Schedule
Energy Usage Cost
Operations & Maintenance Cost Carbon impact / Use
TCO - Total Cost of Ownership
Rating - 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) Option 1
Reuse Existing 50%
1 1 5 5 5 5
Option 2
Adapt Existing About 50%
3 3 3 3 3 3
Option 3
TCO Optimised Not Applicable
5 5 1 1 1 1
Figure 1: Cooling system options help qualify an organisation’s requirements for different approaches
In most data centers, there is an almost continuous series of incremental (minor) upgrades that occur while opportunities for significant changes to the supporting infrastructure are consequently limited
easily be adapted to encompass additional infrastructure elements, such as emergency power, control systems or lighting.
In this example, by removing the limitation of a nearly unchanged infrastructure, a gradually increasing scale of change and adaptation is presented.
Using example metrics such as first cost, schedule or carbon impact, a more holistic
approach can be used to gauge an organisation’s appetite for infrastructure adaptations.
One of the advantages of the IT refresh is that it may be possible to access historical data or trends of IT equipment utilisation. This data, in whatever forms it can be characterised, can be an invaluable tool for evaluating options as it can influence data points on energy consumption, operations manpower, seasonal profiles and a host of other possibilities.
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