Cloud could offer relief for data centre managers

Cloud could offer relief for data centre managers

Alarming new data shows that a third of business data centres are running out of space.
The research into this problem was carried out by the Uptime Institute, which surveyed some 525 data centre owners and operators around the globe. A total of 36 per cent of those surveyed said that by the end of next year, they will be running out of cooling, power and space.

Some 40 per cent of those surveyed said their plans involved building new data centres, while 29 per cent said they would lease the extra space. Only 20 per cent said that their solution would be to enlist the services of a cloud provider.

The results of the survey effectively illustrate the pressures being faced by IT managers and facilities managers challenged with finding ways of ensuring there is space for the growing demands being made.

Many industry insiders believe that turning to the cloud is the greatest reliever of these new pressures on space and energy. Cloud computing can also relieve the financial pressures mounting on IT departments and major businesses whose storage capacity is running low and who are considering building or leasing new data centres.

The environment is also worth considering of course. The US Department of Environmental Protection, for example, stated back in 2007 that energy consumed by data centres and servers would rise to 12 GW by 2011, almost doubling from the levels measured four years ago.