The Internet of Things Revolution and the Challenges It Brings to Data Centers

There’s a new wave of technology that is set to invade our lives called the Internet of Things (IoT). With the expectations and opportunities innovation brings, there are plenty of challenges, too. The biggest challenge the IoT wave will bring along is storing the huge amounts of data that is guaranteed to be generated. At the forefront of tackling this issue is the trusty lieutenants of the tech and business world – data centers.

The core IoT challenges for data centers

Data centers have promising projects linked to the deployment of the IoT, and, of course, there’s a long list of challenges, too. Here are the most prominent challenges facing data centers in the IoT revolution:

• Storage: Gartner predicts that IoT numbers will reach 26 billion units by the year 2020. This, of course, translates into revenue in excess of $300 billion for all those associated with the technology. It also means mammoth amounts of data and the need to store them. Data centers will be primary resources responsible for the storage of this data, but they’ll need to figure a good way to scale with that amount.
• Investments: Getting ready for the barrage of data requires data centers to invest in additional infrastructure, ranging from new server technologies to other necessary groundwork. This means more money.
• Network: IoT will transfer significant amounts of data to a data center, data that will need to be stored and processed. The bandwidth capabilities of a data center will therefore require a massive transformation compared to current standards.
• Capacity planning: Data centers today handle their capacity planning on fairly simpler levels. The dynamic nature of IoT data will bring with it complexity and automated tools will need to be put into action.
• Protecting consumers: The term data and everything associated with it are in the eye of the storm today. Privacy concerns are a worrying aspect of technology and, with the IoT wave, this element is only going to be under more inspection. Data centers will have to comprehensively tackle the possibility of breaches.

At Lifeline Data Centers, we keep a keen eye on developing technologies and the opportunities they bring. This enables us to expand our own business and infrastructural boundaries, too. We have foreseen the IoT revolution and the challenges it will bring, and are equipped to handle them well, offering comprehensive solutions to our clientele. Contact us today to learn more about our capabilities.

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.