August 31, 2010
To “Go Green” or not to “Go Green” within IT isn’t the question anymore; the real question revolves around how much, how fast and at what cost. Companies are mapping out their “Go Green” strategies and coming to grips with separating the hype from the opportunities.
Perhaps one of the best sources for learning more about “Going Green” is the Institute for Global Futures (IGF)(1). According to IGF, companies need to understand the “Green Paradigm" including the following:
The current trend in greening up IT appears to be focused on data centers. The “Green Data Center(2)” conference taking place in New York this October is the third within the United States this year. Perhaps the focus on data centers is due to the capital-intensive investments needed to affect a green transformation, and that has huge appeal to the vendors promoting their green solutions. In addition, data centers account for about 15% of a company’s energy consumption. By 2011, data centers are predicted to collectively consume over 120 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), more than twice that from 2006(7). Given the instability of the nation’s grid and the dire prediction of power rationing, it is easy to see why there is so much intense focus on technologies that save energy and thus money.
One of the biggest culprits stifling the efforts to reduce data center energy consumption are--of all things--new, more energy-efficient processors that are running non-energy-efficient applications, at least according to Rob Bernard, the chief environmental strategist for Microsoft (MSFT)(7).
"Applications are architected in the old paradigm," … The application isn't energy-aware, it doesn't matter that every other application on the client is, … That one application will prevent the computer from going into a power-saving sleep mode.”
Ironic how the desire to have all applications and data at our fingertips fosters the inefficient use processors and thus impedes our green aspirations in this area. Perhaps developing metrics that measure the energy efficiency of applications will be the next step in the evolution of Going Green.
But there is much more to implementing Green Data Centers than just use of energy-efficient processors and applications. The importance of data center design was emphasized in an article by Amit Verma, published in June of this year. In that article Verna contends that high density data centers tend to be the most energy efficient and recommends the following be included as part of the data center design process(3)
Clearly designing a data center from scratch is easier than transforming the current data center from an energy hog to a leaner, greener facility. Here the process starts by understanding the current center’s energy efficiency (or lack thereof) and then developing a realistic model of what can be achieved given the constraints of budgets, location, building structure, etc.
Whether building from scratch or revamping an existing environment, you will most likely need the support of experts in the data center design field including architects, HVAC suppliers, UPS providers and infrastructure gurus. Successful Data Center design initiatives require close collaboration and coordination in order to achieve significant results. Often, the ROI of these projects takes years and years to realize if, ever at all. Balancing social consciousness with financial paybacks is a tricky proposition when it comes to investing in greening up data centers. Perhaps this is why I strongly encourage CIOs to take long and hard looks at co-location options. It is a much easier process and often far less expensive.
What has your experience been with “Going Green” with your data centers? What is working and what isn’t? How are you measuring success? Sharing your experiences with fellow gantthead members helps us all be smarter and wiser on our quest for Greener IT Pastures.
References
1. Institute for Global Futures - The Top Ten Green IT Trends for 2009
2. Green Data Center – Conference NY Oct 2010
4. CIO Zone - Is Green IT Losing Its Public Shine?
5. Help Your Company Get Totally Green
6. Despite Green Diet, Data Centers Still Gobble Power