Energy Pressures

Energy costs are expected to continue to rise and energy availability may become more limited as resources are stretched. Many experts worry that power limitations will ultimately impose limits on the computing industry. According to estimates, IT infrastructure accounts for nearly 10 to 20 % of the total energy used for running a company. As global energy demand continues to grow - prices will also increase and cut deeply into corporate bottom lines. The days of being able to take power for granted in the Data Center are coming to an end.

Most Data Centers were designed to emphasize performance and availability, with little attention paid to how efficiently the data centre would deliver on those objectives. The costly operating model where all assets, including servers, lighting and cooling, are powered at full capacity 24×7 is outdated. The new operating model matches server capacity with demand in real-time and energy efficiency is a key consideration for all Data Center assets.

As much as high energy demand for processing, computers at Data Centers release a large amount of heat while in operation. A great deal of money and energy is wasted owing to ineffective Data Center management. Millions of servers worldwide are being run, managed and upgraded, without being actively used on a daily basis, resulting in high energy expenditure amounting to billions of dollars. The efficiency of a typical Data Center varies between 40% and 60%. In certain cases this could dip as low as 20% on average with the remaining 80% of energy wasted.

Managing energy actively can deliver 40% or more energy savings in the Data Center, and yet managers generally do not have comprehensive application platforms for monitoring and controlling energy. The lack of systematic analysis of energy strategies impedes the decision making process, leaving managers guessing or adopting ad-hoc strategies.