EkkoSense: 5 steps to maximising data centre performance

With the year coming to a close, now is the time for the flurry of projections and predictions for next year.

EkkoSense has shared what it believes are the five data center optimisation trends that will maximise data center performance in 2019.

"At EkkoSense we believe there are multiple innovations that are ready to generate real advantages for data center operators next year – particularly given the fact that even the best run data centers still have considerable cooling and thermal issues," says EkkoSense chief technology officer Dr. Stu Redshaw.

"And with cooling now representing around 30 percent of a data center's operating costs, it's more important than ever for IT teams to focus on monitoring, managing and maximising their data center performance as effectively as possible.

Without further ado, here EkkoSense's five key trends for 2019:

More accessible DCIM

EkkoSense poses the question – given effective data center infrastructure is a critical requirement, why do most traditional DCIM suite solutions appear to make it so hard?

Next year there will be more priority allocated to accessible approaches that are easier to use and that directly attend to the need to have all the right cooling, power, and space strategies in place.

Complex DCIM or consultancey-led CFD approaches will give way to SaaS-powered solutions that can provide all the control required to monitor, manage, and maximise data centers.

Tighter focus on edge integration

The edge. So much talk around this topic, and EkkoSense says it is for good reason.

According to EkkoSense, you can't maximise your data center performance without a complete integration of all your operations, which includes all the different edge micro and modular data center activities.

In a lot of cases advanced M-E Capacity Planning and Simulation capabilities have been exclusive to the largest data center halls and facilities, and EkkoSense says there is no excuse for this in 2019, especially as features like SaaS access, wireless sensing and mobile network access become mainstream across all data center operations.

Fully-sensed data centers become a reality

Operators will begin to gain a real-time understanding of their data center performance as data rooms become carefully mapped with all the appropriate data fields.

Until recently this wasn't possible across the market given the cost of sensors, but the emergence of low-cost IoT-enabled wireless devices has changed this.

EkkoSense estimates that more than 1,000 sensors are required for the typical data center to enable the measurement of a number of previously unknown factors like energy usage, heat outputs, and airflow (above and below floors).

Ditching subjective optimisation insights

EkkoSense says while data center subject matter experts are able to gain an idea of the dynamic behaviour of any cooling system over time, the vital nature of today's data center operations makes cooling just too critical to leave to the subjective judgement of expensive consultants.

With access to granular rack-level data, operators will be able to benefit from true software-enabled real-time decision-making and scenario planning.

Greater input from other sectors

EkkoSense says current challenges being faced in the data center and other built environments can be overcome if the industry is smart about utilising innovations from other sectors.