Cisco has finally launched its flagship data center network solution, Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), which binds physical and virtual elements and also allows its Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) to be ordered with ACI enabled. Cisco began the shift to ACI last summer during its Cisco Live! conference and has continued to proclaim that it will lead the battle for SDN and future networking platforms.
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Free Cooling Concepts for Your Data Center
The modern data center has truly evolved into a complex system designed for a variety of applications. Now, there are more requirements around density, constant uptime and efficiency all while keeping costs down.
Cooling costs can account for more than half of a data center’s total annualized operating cost as energy costs and IT power consumption continue to rise. As such, data center operators are pursuing various strategies to increase their data center cooling efficiency.
Why Your High-Efficiency Data Center Needs Good PDUs
Cloud computing, new applications and a lot more user connectivity are all driving forces around the data center evolution. In fact, the data center has become the home of all modern technologies. Businesses are now building their entire organizational model around the capabilities of IT. Through it all, pressure continues to mount on data center operators to run high-efficiency environments capable of good power control.
Is the Commodity Data Center Around the Corner?
The data center is changing. We have new methods of cooling, optimizing the data center and even the utilization of green energy through next-generation geothermal technologies. The insides of the data center and what goes into the rack has been changing as well. New platforms around consolidation, server technology and cloud computing are all impacting how we process and utilize resources.
Application Placement and the Business Value Chain
Several months ago I used a Data Loch Ness analogy to highlight a backup and recovery strategy for next generation infrastructure. I used the image shown here on the left to stress that large amounts of data shouldn’t be brought to the surface unnecessarily. The point of the article was straightforward: as data volumes increase, traditional backup and recovery (e.g. bringing data up to the backup server and down to the protection storage) won’t work anymore.
SuperNAP 8 Earns Tier IV Gold Status for Operations
Uptime isn’t just about having a resilient facility. Human error is among the leading causes of data center outages, underlining the importance of a well-trained staff and operational best practices.
The team at Switch in Las Vegas has now met the highest standards on both fronts. After earning Tier IV certification from the Uptime Institute earlier this year, Switch’s SuperNAP 8 has now added Tier IV Gold certification for Operational Sustainability.
Switch SUPERNAP Partners With 6fusion For Better Usage And Cost Transparency
Switch SUPERNAP has partnered with 6fusion for better cost transparency. 6fusion’s technology and utility methodology will be integrated into SUPERNAP’s technology environment to provide cost transparency through 6fusion’s patented unit of measure, the Workload Allocation Cube (WAC).
NTT’s Osaka Data Center Build Illustrates Impact of 2011 Earthquake on Industry
It has been more than three years since the Great East Japan Earthquake devastated the island country’s northeast. Aftershocks of the disaster are still felt by the country’s data center industry, continuing to shape its dynamics.
NTT Communications’ expansion of data center capacity in Osaka — way south of the area affected by the tremor — serves as an illustration (in both location and design) of how the industry is being shaped by the event.
High Density, Low Budget: Massive Bitcoin Mines Spring Up in Warehouses
This is the first feature in our three-part series on Bitcoin mining infrastructure.
The Bitcoin mining craze is driving the creation of a new breed of computing facilities featuring high-density hardware, low-reliability electrical infrastructure and off-the-shelf enclosures. These “hashing centers” often are built in old warehouses and house servers on shelving from hardware stores like the Home Depot.
Nlyte Says It Can Now Integrate DCIM With Any ITSM Software in Days Instead of Months
When a customer asks whether a DCIM vendor’s software integrates with the customer’s IT service management system, the vendor has to say ‘yes.’ Very often, however, that ‘yes’ is an uneasy one.
If the customer happens to be using an ITSM system the vendor has not already built a connector for, that ‘yes’ means there will potentially be months of programming work and tons of money spent on consultants.
PTS Data Center Solutions, Inc. 