How to Move Towards a Lean and Green Data Center

Changing technology in data centers makes existing infrastructural assets obsolete, resource-guzzlers before they play out their natural life-cycle. This can decrease efficiency in the data center, leading to resource waste.

Most data centers develop issues such as server sprawl, replacing machines that are never decommissioned, and aging power infrastructure over time. The fact that the data center has to function on a 24×7 basis makes changing anything difficult, but data centers cannot afford to risk obsolete and monumental waste in the form of real estate costs or power bills.

However, data centers can make a switch over to a lean, green and efficient infrastructure without any disruptions to operations. The savings alone would more than make up the upfront investment and would allow the data centers to offer clients better pricing. Here are some ways you can make your data center leaner and greener:

Conducting a thorough equipment inventory regularly helps to weed out any servers that are not performing any function but are continuing to draw power, not to mention old and inefficient power-guzzling monsters. Companies have eliminated as much as 25% of their data center equipment this way. This reduces both power and real estate costs.

Replacing aging blade servers with new models can offer power savings of about 40%. Modernizing the storage area network, scrapping aged uninterrupted power supply for newer more-efficient systems, or ripping out unnecessary cabling would bring in further energy savings and reduce the demand for space.

Redesigning the data center layout to a hot-aisle/cold-aisle setup would reduce the need for cooling power by half and increase efficiency by about 40%. Containerizing the server racks would help to reduce cooling power even more, as the data center would then only need to cool sections of the server room rather than everything all the time.

These are just a couple of ways to make your data center more efficient. If you don’t want to do it yourself and are looking for an efficient data center solution, contact us at Lifeline Data Centers today.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.