Power is a problem. Cloud is the answer

The majority of data center operators are relying on server virtualization, hot and cold aisle containment, and power-monitoring software as means to make their operations more energy-efficient, according to an industry survey. Still, a mere 58 percent of data center operators feel like reducing energy consumption is a worthwhile goal, according to the data shared Thursday by the Uptime Institute.

The Uptime Institute, a group that measures data center performance and efficiency, surveyed 525 data center owners and operators to discover several worthwhile sentiments about power consumption, cloud computing and even server consolidation. Some of this data was released at an event it held in May, but they sent me the consolidated results Thursday. Expect to see some of these numbers in PowerPoint slides at an event (such as our own Structure 2011 event in two weeks) near you given how influential Uptime’s data tends to be.

• Spending is one the rise, with 52 percent of respondents saying their data center budget increased in 2011, and 27 percent saying it increased by more than 10 percent.
• Operators are running out of room and electricity, with 36 percent saying their data center facility would run out of power, cooling and/or space in 2011-2012.
• Expect new data center construction to continue, as 40 percent plan build a new data center, while 62 percent said they would handle demand for more data center facilities by consolidating servers.
• Some may go straight to the cloud, with one in five planning to move IT workloads to the cloud and almost three-fourths currently considering cloud computing for their data center needs. However, only 5 percent of respondents are considering or implementing public cloud computing over the next 12 months, while 42 percent are considering or implementing a private cloud, and 27 percent are looking at hybrid methods.
• Flexibility wins, with 61 percent choosing the cloud for agility compared with 25 percent looking to reduce costs. A mere 9 percent are looking at the cloud because they are running out of capacity.