Data centers are not keeping up with needs - survey

Many data centers around the world are not meeting the needs set by executives and engineers to meet their targets, according to a joint report released by Forbes Insights and Vertiv.

Just 29% of data center decision-makers say their current facilities are meeting their needs, and only 6% say their data centers are updated ahead of their needs.

The report reveals a scathing insight into the lack of planning and preparation for today's rapidly changing data ecosystem, with the survey quizzing 150 data center executives and engineers around the globe.

The survey indicated a sharp contrast between the outlooks of executives vs. engineers – 11% of executives believe their data centers are updated ahead of current needs, while a tiny 1% of engineers think the same way.

"As today's data center evolves to incorporate enterprise, cloud and edge resources, thorough planning and foresight is needed to meet organizational computing requirements and business objectives," says Vertiv vice president of global edge systems Martin Olsen.

"It is clear, however, that many organizations are lagging on that front. With that in mind, we anticipate considerable investment and activity among businesses trying to catch up and get ahead of the changes."

• 92% of CIOs and CTOs say their business will require faster download and response times in the near future.
   
• 63% say they have difficulty meeting bandwidth needs at all times.
   
• Security (45%) and bandwidth (43%) are the two areas most in need of upgrades.
   
• Security (43%), backup and emergency preparedness (33%), the ability to implement new technologies (28%) and bandwidth (27%) were the most commonly identified features that will give businesses a competitive advantage.

"In Asia, we are seeing growing interest and attention among organisations in future-proofing their critical infrastructure to adapt to the expanding connectivity and network requirements, says Vertiv senior director for cloud, hyperscale and colocation Asia and India, Tony Gaunt.

"But there is much work that still needs to be done. There is a need to re-examine existing strategies and continuously improve upon them to achieve business success.

The report comes only a month after an announcement from Vertiv revealing their intention to expand their AC Power Customer Experience Centre in Bologna, Italy.

Vertiv says the expansion addresses the trend towards bigger data centers and industrial plants, and the growing customer demand for extended offsite pre-testing to speed up site deployments.

The construction plan will include a new 4 MVA power infrastructure, according to the company.