Many organizations are beginning to think that they might be done with data centers entirely, at least those that are on-premise. With so much emphasis now placed on the future of cloud computing and the services delivered via the cloud, a common thought is that the traditional data center has outlived its usefulness.
This thinking may be off the mark, but it is correct in at least one sense – the traditional data center is no longer as effective and vital as it used to be. Data centers can be important ingredients of a company’s success, but they need to adapt with the times, becoming data centers for the next generation. Improvements are quickly coming to the modern data center and while some organizations may believe they are done with them, they would be missing out on some beneficial opportunities they cant get anywhere else.
The major improvements coming to this new generation of data centers are usually centered around two core concepts. The first is that modern data centers should be designed specifically with the individual enterprise in mind. The second is that data centers should become much more defined by the software they use.
These two changes are commonly referred to as being enterprise-defined and software-defined respectively. They are trends that many organizations are adopting for their on-premise data centers, creating new IT capabilities more in tune with the demands of the modern business world.
Traditional data centers were concentrated for the most part on purchasing whatever new technologies could be found. An enterprise-defined data center, on the other hand, is one that is more focused on adopting the right technology to solve specific business problems. In other words, these data centers are all about finding ways to support the business rather than obsessing over cutting edge technology.
Software-defined data centers are similarly a product of a new attitude of change. For a long time, the emphasis within traditional data centers was placed on what new hardware can be bought. That has changed, with IT professionals realizing that focusing on software creates many of the changes they want to see.
Developing a software driven infrastructure has the effect of turning data center services into something that is much easier for end users to utilize. The complexity and difficulty of managing complicated infrastructure is suddenly turned into a seamless experience where people who dont necessarily have expertise in IT can still contribute. The result is more efficient labor, which has the added benefit of cutting down on IT costs.
Added benefits of these improvements also include having a smaller, more agile data center. Perhaps that should be assumed as companies adopt hyper converged infrastructure, but its worth pointing out how adopting more scalable solutions leads to a more responsive IT environment. This is best seen in building block scalability, where IT infrastructures combine the resiliency of more traditional data centers with the ability to scale up or down depending on business needs. Businesses need these capabilities to keep up with the shifting demands of consumers and other market forces.
Its also difficult to understate the impact that the Internet of Things (IoT) will have on the data center. Already, many organizations are upgrading their data centers to be able to handle the added information theyll be able to collect from devices connected to the IoT, which could prove extremely valuable to determining what customers think and how they use products and services.
Beyond that, IoT devices could also become integrated with data centers themselves, having an integral role in how data is stored and how energy is managed within the infrastructure. Having a fully connected data center will help IT professionals stay informed on how the equipment is operating, providing them ample warning before repairs or maintenance are needed.
The data center is changing and doing so rapidly. These improvements are showing that the data center is not some outdated concept and can still play a valuable part in making businesses successful. With more time, IT departments will get used to these improved technologies while also changing their own philosophies in terms of how data centers should be treated within their organizations.
