Logicalis US to CIOs: Step Up to the Data Center of the Future Today

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The pressures on today's data centers are building. Mergers and acquisitions are packing more technology into tighter spaces, growing computational demands are creating crowded equipment racks, and staggering power and cooling requirements are crippling budgets. A high percentage of data centers are reaching the end of their lifecycle and are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.  As a result, Logicalis US, an international IT solutions and managed services provider (www.us.logicalis.com), is urging CIOs to begin building a roadmap to the data center of the future from where they stand today.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130828/MM71035LOGO-a)

[Watch a short data center video: http://www.ict-log.us/qW4jg.]

"The overall technology in the IT infrastructure has moved so rapidly that data centers are struggling to keep up," says Bob Mobach, Practice Director, Data Center Solutions, Logicalis US.  "Taking an inventory of where you are today and where you want your data center to be in the future – creating that roadmap – is an essential first step in safeguarding not only your computing resources, but your company's future."

Four Keys to Your Company's Future Data Center

With careful planning, today's data center assessment will roll seamlessly into tomorrow's design and build, and possibly a future relocation and migration or an adaptation to a data-center-as-a-service (DCaaS) model.  Logicalis experts have identified four keys to designing and building a high-performance data center that will guide each decision along the way.

1. Location: More and more, expanding data centers are moving to places where they can have large areas of space, reduced energy costs and high-transport fiber-optic networks.  To know where a company should be headed requires assessing traditional IT spaces, redeploying those IT spaces as needed, and considering alternative options like data center as-a-service in the cloud. A geographically dispersed U.S. footprint with good access to low latency fiber networks through diverse carriers is key.
2. Conservation: Data centers are one of the largest consumers of energy in the world.  Taking a proactive approach to the organization's data center strategy can save significant costs.  Cooling alone, for example, makes up nearly half of the total energy spend in the data center, so the amount of energy used in the data center is fast becoming one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to IT and planning an organization's IT future. Beyond first steps like aisle containment, good conservation includes reviewing legacy cooling systems for potential updates to high-efficiency modern systems that can adapt to changing compute loads and provide free cooling capabilities to bring the PUE down.
3. Automation: Simplifying maintenance in the data center is also growing in importance – whether that simplification is achieved by outsourcing backed by an SLA or an on-premise solution. It is also becoming increasingly important for data centers to be lights-out, which requires automation through the use of web-based tools that can control and operate the data center without IT pros' pagers going off all weekend long. Investing in Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software is the key to building a proper online Configuration Management Database (CMDB) capable of interacting with IT Service Management (ITSM) and operation platforms.
4. Communication: Assessing a company's data center means examining its present location, its level of automation, and its energy consumption, but equally important is closing any communication gaps that exist between the facilities team responsible for the physical data center and the IT team responsible for the technology inside.  Once conversations are underway about the keys to designing and building a high-performing data center, it's often a good idea to involve the CFO as well, so everyone is on the same page about the company's IT future from the start. Integrating functions between facilities and IT can better align the business and manage operating costs.

Want to Learn More?

• Visit Logicalis' data center microsite here: http://www.ict-log.us/qW4jg.
• Access a host of resources with valuable information about the data center of tomorrow here: http://www.ict-log.us/qW543.
• Download a copy of Logicalis' white paper, "Advanced Technologies Make Thinking about Disaster Recovery a Lot Less Scary: Why You Should Reevaluate Your DR Strategy Today" here: http://www.ict-log.us/pdPGR.

About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications and collaboration; data center and cloud services; and managed services.

Logicalis employs nearly 3,500 people worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design, specify, deploy and manage complex ICT infrastructures to meet the needs of almost 6,000 corporate and public sector customers.  To achieve this, Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM, CA Technologies, EMC, NetApp, Microsoft, VMware and ServiceNow.

The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of over $1.4 billion from operations in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific and is fast establishing itself as one of the leading IT and Communications solution integrators specializing in the areas of advanced technologies and services.

The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges, with revenues of over $5 billion.

For more information, visit www.us.logicalis.com.

Business and technology working as one

To learn more about Logicalis activities through a variety of social media outlets, click here.

Media contacts:
Lisa Dreher, VP, Marketing & Business Development,
Logicalis US
[email protected] 425-201-8111
www.us.logicalis.com 

Karen Franse, Communication Strategy Group for Logicalis US
[email protected] 
866-997-2424
www.gocsg.com

SOURCE Logicalis US

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