Issue 1, December 2008
FOCUS THOMAS WAUN
only 24% of data center managers measure the energy efficiency of their data centers. And even more alarmingly, only 27% of data centers always remove their redundant servers
the energy efficiency of their data centers. And even more alarmingly, only 27% of data centers always remove their redundant servers. This lack of decommissioning process means many ‘ghost’ servers are left running – consuming power at a phenomenal rate.
Naturally, most data center managers place green issues as secondary to the smooth running of the data center. However, many environmentally sound procedures would prove best practice for the data centers overall. The sooner data centers realise the importance of cleaning up their procedures, the sooner they can become more efficient and more environmentally friendly, and the sooner they can make savings on the bottom line.
Green issues will continue to drive vendor marketing, but data centers will not be willing to replace old equipment until it has finished its useful life, however green the alternative. The only exception will be if energy costs rise so high that green devices can quickly pay for themselves. But data center managers need to acquire more faith in the technology first, and there needs to be a proven business case.
FOCUS: Holistic data center management: Traditionally facilities and IT monitoring were separate, will this continue to be the case?
TW: It can’t. There are too many conflicting pressures on data centers for this artificial separation to continue.
Facilities and IT are both working towards the same goal - ensuring the data center is as effective and streamlined as possible. Formalising a divide between them deepens differences that don’t benefit the data center as a whole. You can’t have one department responsible for devices, and another responsible for the power they depend upon, and expect to get optimal results from both.
In order for there to be closer collaboration, though, there needs to be better communication. Having a shared management system that provides insight into the physical resources of the data center is a good place to start.
FOCUS: What IT equipment developments (e.g. virtualization, multi – core processing) will have the greatest impact on data center infrastructure management?
TW: Every new technology has its own demands. There are the challenges of understanding how much power and cooling devices require, both according to the manufacturers’ ratings and according to their actual measured consumption. And there are the challenges of ensuring that they have the space, power and cooling they need and that they don’t disrupt devices around them.
Virtualisation increases the complexity of the data center. It can also increase the risk, because if one server goes down, it could take multiple applications with it. It will become increasingly important for data center managers to understand how the physical assets in the data center, the IT devices and the applications interact so that they can assess the impact of any outages or equipment changes, moves or installations.
High density devices and blade servers have changed the fundamental constraints on the data center. It used to be that space was the limitation. Now, you can easily fit new servers into a rack, but you have to worry about whether you’ve got enough power and cooling to service them.
Data center managers are fairly risk averse, so new innovations tend to take a slow hold on the data center. The managers like to experiment with a few devices before rolling out fully, and they’re not keen to rip and replace working equipment either. We expect to see an experimental phase of measuring the performance of multicore devices and becoming acquainted with their potential and limitation, before there is a full roll-out.
FOCUS: What will be the key concerns for data center operators in 2009?
TW: Critically, many data centers have an ageing infrastructure, with some of the newest designed six years ago. Yet the technology is becoming ever more sophisticated, and end users demand consistently high standards. This means data centers have to work extra hard to keep up and many simply don’t have the necessary infrastructure in place. Data volumes will continue to grow and data centers will increase in complexity. That will still be true in 2010, 2011, 2012 and beyond. The challenge is how data center managers put processes and tools in place that enable them to cope.
FOCUS: Will mainstream IT players such as IBM and HP expand into the market for data center monitoring and management? Do you expect consolidation in the market?
TW: Today, the market is still not well defined and evolving. IBM and HP do talk about solutions for data center monitoring and management, but with the market as undefined as it is, we don’t believe they directly overlap with our focus, within the management of the physical infrastructure of the data center.
We are currently working with both IBM and HP on integrating Aperture VISTA into their server monitoring products and IT service management products (CMDB, change management, asset management) and building go to market plans with them, so we see ourselves as partners versus competitors.
FOCUS: Why did you take the job as President?
TW: After extensive research on the company, I took the job of president because Aperture is the thought leader in this market and hands down the leading provider of software for managing the physical infrastructure of data centers. In addition, together with Emerson, the companies can deliver on the complete vision of data center infrastructure management for companies worldwide. With my executive leadership experience and extensive background in the IT industry, I see the opportunity to continue to lead Aperture in developing world class technologies for the increasingly complex data center world.
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