Four data centre models emerging: Emerson

• Digital reshaping how businesses and consumers behave, connect and transact
• New archetypes are emerging that will change the data centre landscape

 
TRADITIONALLY, the data centre has evolved in response to technology innovation – mostly server-based – and the pace and direction has been somewhat predictable.
 
Disruptive trends such as cloud computing, sustainability, cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT) are driving profound IT changes across all industries and creating opportunities and challenges in the process, according to Emerson Network Power.
 
As a result, new archetypes are emerging that will change the data centre landscape and improve productivity, drive down costs, and increase agility, the company said in a statement.
 
“We are in the midst of a profound digital transformation that is reshaping how businesses and consumers behave, connect and transact,” said Anand Sanghi, president of Emerson Network Power in Asia.
 
“Consequently, data centres are also evolving in response to this transformation,” he added.
 
The four emerging archetypes of tomorrow’s data centres are:
 
1) The data fortress
 
Cyber-attacks have disrupted some of the world’s leading companies as our increasingly connected world creates more and more openings for hackers, Emerson Network Power said.
 
Organisations are beginning to take a security-first approach to data centre design, deploying out-of-network data pods for highly sensitive information – in some cases with separate, dedicated power and thermal management equipment.
 
2) The cloud of many drops
 

 
Despite virtualisation-driven improvements, too many servers remain underutilized, the company said
 
Some studies indicate servers use just 5-15% of their computing capacity and that 30% of all servers are ‘comatose.’
 
Emerson Network Power said it sees a future where organisations explore shared service models, selling some of that excess capacity and in effect becoming part of the cloud.
 
3) Fog computing
 

 
Distributed architectures are becoming commonplace as computing at the edge of the network becomes more critical.
 
Introduced by Cisco, fog computing connects multiple small networks into a single large network, with application services distributed across smart devices and edge computing systems to improve efficiency and concentrate data processing closer to devices and networks.
 
It’s a logical response to the massive amount of data being generated by the IoT, Emerson Network Power said.
 
4) The CSR-compliant data centre
 
Energy efficiency continues to be important for an industry with seemingly limitless consumption needs, but other drivers – most notably an increased focus on reducing carbon footprint among some organisations – are pushing the focus toward sustainability and corporate responsibility.
 
The industry is responding with increased use of alternative energy in an effort to move toward carbon neutrality.
 
For more information on the new models, download Four Emerging Data Center Archetypes.
 
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