Virtualization: Does Real Estate Factor In Your Cloud Computing Decision?
August 3, 2011
Here’s a new one: When you think of cloud computing and virtualization and contemplating whether you should jump in or not, do you ever think about real estate?
Forrester (News – Alert) Research has published a report titled, “Build or Buy? The Economics of Data Center Facilities,” that looks at “current trends including power and cooling considerations, the consolidation/virtualization movement, and modular data center design,” according to this Carousel Connect blog…
The report has some very important points that need to be considered if you’re thinking about leasing a data center versus making a capital investment in your own. “Leasing, as you might imagine, carries many of the same benefits that you could see from cloud computing infrastructure,” the blog explains, adding that some of those benefits include “a predictable operating expense model, flexibility to bring on additional capacity as needed and on a relatively short notice, a more cost-effective power and cooling infrastructure (after all, these spaces were built specifically with this in mind) and management services, if desired.”
Not to say there aren’t advantages to owning instead of leasing. Of course having your own data center gives you some benefits you don’t get in a lease arrangement, such as complete control, a much lower risk than what might be associated with a leasing arrangement and the ability to retrofit existing space for a new purpose, if necessary.
As the blog states, vendors are also addressing some of the arguments in favor of leasing, “such as the ability to deploy new capacity quickly, and flexibility about where a data center is located.” In fact, the blogger notes that “heck, you could even put your data center in the parking lot, if you really needed to do so on a temporary basis.”
Back in April, TMCnet reported that that Carousel Industries, a company which provides data networking and virtualization solutions, had been named 2010 Emerging Partner of the Year by Polycom (News 
– Alert), a global telepresence, video and voice communications provider. The recognition was given in association with TEAM Polycom 2011, the company’s partner conference. It recognized Carousel Industries for its “outstanding sales performance and excellence in meeting customer solution, service and support needs.”