Green IT for Dummies®

Chapter 8. Maximizing Data Center Efficiency

In This Chapter

• Choosing the right location

• Designing for green efficiency

• Consolidating your physical infrastructure

• Measuring and maintaining data center efficiency

Designing a data center for maximum efficiency is a complex problem requiring input from many disciplines not normally associated with information technology. These include architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, physics, legal, political, security, and finance. You need to consider myriad factors along with planning for growth and future technological and economic change.

Data center managers are responsible for some of the most critical infrastructures on the planet. The top three priorities are availability, availability, and availability (of your applications and data). Green concerns may never be at the top of the list, but they most definitely have a place, and in fact, sustainability and availability often go hand in hand. For example, using less power means having backup fuel supplies that can run the center longer when they're needed. Renewable power may be more reliable in the long term than fossil fuel. And taking environmental considerations into account when picking a site for a new data center can save resources and improve reliability — in other words, green siting can be safer siting.

We can't begin to delve into all the complexities of data center design in this book, but you can use this chapter ...