| IT departments are under increasing scrutiny | | | | environmentally-friendly data centre |
| and pressure to deliver environmentally-sound | | | | environment. |
| solutions. Large data centres are one of the | | | | |
| most significant energy consumers in an | | | | 3. Design a best practice floor plan |
| organisation's IT infrastructure, so any | | | | |
| measures that you can take to reduce this | | | | Adopting an alternating hot aisle/cold aisle |
| consumption (and therefore also carbon | | | | layout is optimal and can correct many |
| dioxide emissions) will have a positive | | | | cooling problems in a typical data centre. By |
| impact on your organisation's environmental | | | | implementing a hot/cold aisle layout, |
| footprint. | | | | equipment is spared from having hot air |
| | | | recirculated and thereby eliminating risk of |
| The construction and operation of a green | | | | an outage through device failure. Also, by |
| data centre involve advanced technologies and | | | | having a common hot aisle, you have the |
| strategies, for example | | | | ability to contain areas where heat density |
| | | | is high, such as racks with blade servers, |
| - Reducing the power consumption of the data | | | | and deal with the heat in a specific manner. |
| centre | | | | This allows for multiple heat rejection |
| | | | methods to be in use within one data centre. |
| - Minimising the footprints of the buildings | | | | |
| | | | 4. Use appropriate technology |
| - Maximising cooling efficiency | | | | |
| | | | In taking a green approach to your data |
| - Using low-emission building materials, | | | | centre, your evaluation of products is no |
| carpets and paints | | | | longer just a price versus performance |
| | | | comparison. It is important to incorporate |
| - Installing catalytic converters on backup | | | | the total costs of the environment into the |
| generators | | | | calculation, which then also includes costs |
| | | | for energy consumption. |
| - Using alternative energy technologies such | | | | |
| as photovoltaic electrical heat pumps and | | | | 5. Take a green perspective on ILM |
| evaporative cooling | | | | |
| | | | Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) is the |
| The consumption of energy is considered the | | | | optimum allocation of storage resources that |
| dominant - and often the only - factor in | | | | support a business. Every element of |
| defining whether or not a facility is green. | | | | information in an organisation has a useful |
| IT executives therefore need to start | | | | lifespan, and this can range from a voice |
| investigating alternative ways of building | | | | conversation to certain legal and medical |
| energy-efficient data centres. | | | | records. By implementing an ILM strategy, you |
| | | | have the ability to create greater |
| By following these seven simple steps, IT | | | | efficiencies in data storage, which in turn |
| executives can come closer to achieving their | | | | lead to greater efficiencies in elements such |
| vision of a green data centre: | | | | as power consumption. |
| | | | |
| Seven Simple Steps | | | | 6. Investigate liquid cooling |
| | | | |
| 1. Think green | | | | To meet the challenges of blade servers and |
| | | | high-density computing, more organisations |
| Environmental concerns are front of mind | | | | are realising the need for effective cooling |
| throughout society today, and you can also | | | | and heat management solutions. Many are |
| take a 'green' attitude towards your data | | | | welcoming liquid cooling systems into their |
| centre, both in terms of current state and | | | | infrastructures to achieve better cooling |
| also future planning. Also, many data centre | | | | efficiency, while others may find it |
| vendors and service providers are providing | | | | difficult to fathom pipes of running water |
| green alternatives - factor these options in | | | | snaking through the plenums of their data |
| when negotiating new contracts and planning | | | | centres. |
| upgrades. | | | | |
| | | | 7. Utilize greener energy sources |
| Incorporate the green vision in your planning | | | | |
| - your future will be impacted by | | | | Many energy utilities are now offering |
| legislation, standards and market demands in | | | | greener options for customers, with power |
| this area. | | | | from sustainable sources. For example, in the |
| | | | United States, the U.S. Environmental |
| 2. Virtualise and consolidate | | | | Protection Agency (EPA) has formed the Green |
| | | | Power Partnership, which encourages and |
| A virtualisation and consolidation project is | | | | assists organizations to buy green power and |
| often a step in the right direction towards | | | | reduce their impact on the environment. Major |
| green computing. Research indicates that a | | | | economies in Asia have accepted the Kyoto |
| server often only utilises between 5 and 15% | | | | Protocol to control carbon emission however |
| of its capacity to service one application. | | | | only Japan has committed to a reduction by |
| With appropriate analysis and consolidation, | | | | 2012. The awareness on social responsibility |
| many of these low utilisation devices can be | | | | and opportunity to save operational cost has |
| combined into a single physical server, | | | | raised the bar on awareness and willingness |
| consuming only a fraction of the power of the | | | | to adopt a more green approach towards |
| original devices and saving on costs, as well | | | | utilities. |
| as taking a step towards a more | | | | |