Bring Standardization To The Data Center
The process of designing and building a
brand new data center is much like building cathedrals once was during
the Middle Ages: Developers, as medieval architects and laborers once
did, often start with a “white board” approach and essentially reinvent
the wheel each time a new data center development and construction
project is undertaken. While it doesn’t take decades to get a brand new
data center constructed, the fact remains that data center builders
often ignore best practices that could make projects more successful,
reduce costs, and avoid common pitfalls.
But,
the tide appears to be turning. A variety of factors are now driving
the task of data center development and construction toward
standardization. Standardization may just save you a bundle on your
next data center project.
Drivers For Standardization
Building
a data center is a complex endeavor, so it seems logical that
standardization should be a common practice. Even though
standardization in data center development and construction remains the
exception rather than the norm today, there are a number of drivers
accelerating the move toward standardization.
Chris Crosby, senior vice president at Digital Realty Trust (www.digitalrealtytrust.com),
says there are four main factors driving the trend toward data center
design/build standardization: complexity, economics, time to market,
and the convergence of three technical trends (rise of high-density
computing, energy usage and heat dissipation needs, and the increased
cost of energy).
Complexity, says Crosby, is accelerating in
such a manner that it is simply too difficult for one person or team of
people to have the expertise needed to acquire, design, build, and
operate data centers. Unless these projects are done all the time, adds
Crosby, they are simply too complex to do in-house.
In terms
of economics, he says, the fact is these are extremely expensive
projects, and builders and developers cannot tap into economies of
scale unless they build a lot of data centers. “For entities
constructing facilities on a three- to five-year timetable,” he says,
“these economic breakpoints are simply inaccessible.”
Time to
market is also an important driver, says Crosby, because more and more
companies are mandating the consolidation of operations as quickly as
possible. Only via the use of standardization, he adds, can facilities
be completed within time frames measured in months, not years.
Finally,
says Crosby, the rise of high-density computing and storage, energy
usage and heat dissipation needs, and the increased cost of energy are
all driving data center designers and constructors toward
standardization simply because people are looking for proven best
practices and want to do away with what Crosby calls older, more
idiosyncratic approaches to data centers that made facilities so
different from one another.
“Companies want a data center
that works and runs efficiently,” he adds, “and standardization is a
more reliable path to a successful project.”
Best Practices Come To The Forefront
A
huge part of data center standardization is the identification and
adoption of best practices that can help developers design and build
efficient data centers consistently. Jody Cefola, manager of site and
facilities services at IBM (www.ibm.com),
points to TIA-942 (Telecommunications Infrastructure Standards for Data
Centers) as an example of a standard that specifically addresses data
center infrastructure.
According to Cefola, the standard is
intended for use by data center designers and focuses on site space and
layout, cabling infrastructure, tiered reliability based on Uptime
Institute Tier levels, and environmental considerations. Also, adds
Cefola, the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and
Air-Conditioning Engineers) has published a Datacom series of best
practices around equipment layout and data center temperature ranges
that ensure energy-efficient data center operation while meeting
hardware manufacturers’ requirements for reliable operations.
Matt Kightlinger, director of solutions marketing for the Liebert Products business of Emerson Network Power (www.emerson.com),
says some best practices that are becoming standardized include the use
of optimized UPS building blocks that allow for scalability, hot
aisle/cold aisle rack/row arrangement, increasing use of precision
cooling that includes high-density cooling capability, and effective
monitoring systems.
“From an industry-wide standpoint,” says
Digital Realty Trust’s Crosby, “I would say that the concept of
modularity is gaining more universal acceptance, but the implementation
schemes tend to vary dramatically depending on the vendor.” A potential
pitfall to watch out for, adds Crosby, is vendors who claim modularity
but then build out the entire electrical backplane for a facility and
add their modular space after the fact. This, he adds, is extremely
inefficient from a cost perspective since the power architecture
comprises the bulk of build-out costs.
The Impact On The SME
Any
trend that results in cost reductions is going to have a positive
impact on small and medium-sized enterprises, which often don’t have
the capital dollars required to make sizable investments in data center
development and build-out.
For example, says Robert Neave, CTO of GDCM (www.gdcm.com),
a data center management solution provider, even though today’s
economic climate is challenging, the reality is that many businesses
will need to take on new data center builds and upgrades this year. So,
he adds, it’s safe to say that companies, particularly SMEs, will be
eager to adopt standardized approaches if they result in lower costs.
Digital
Realty Trust’s Crosby says the shift to an “industrialized” approach to
data center implementation offers substantial benefits to SMEs for whom
the skill and economic pressures are greater than their
enterprise-class brethren. Modularity, adds Crosby, provides these
businesses with a viable alternative to having to build their
facilities themselves. In other words, modularity can provide the SME
with a consistent approach to data center development and construction
that relies on proven approaches and best practices.
Another
perceived best practice is hot aisle/cool aisle cooling approaches.
With these methods, there is no longer a need to cool the entire data
center like a meat locker, says Bill Peldzus, vice president and
competency lead of data centers at GlassHouse Technologies (www.glasshouse.com).
These approaches, he adds, support many cost and “green” efficiencies
when compared to traditional cooling and humidity approaches.
But,
just because a method or approach is labeled a “best practice” doesn’t
necessarily make it so. John Consoli, CTO at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com),
says “the interesting thing about ‘best practices’ is that once they
become widely adopted, they quickly become the de facto ‘minimally
acceptable standards’ for our industry.” Rarely, if ever, are these
practices that have become standards questioned or re-evaluated, he
adds.
Data Center Standardization Arrives
It’s
clear that data center standardization will be a boon for companies
that need to undertake data center development and construction
projects and can’t afford to make mistakes that result in cost overruns
and wasted time. Whenever best practices and approaches in an industry
are codified and available to all, everyone from the largest enterprise
to the smallest business reaps the benefits. 
by Sixto Ortiz, Jr. for 
.