Schneider Electric: Successful data center consolidation

Cloud computing is enabling enterprises to migrate software, operating platforms, storage and even entire IT infrastructure processes to off-site services providers with their own facilities.

This presents an ideal opportunity for IT decision makers to save money through the consolidation of on-premise data center equipment and operations.

But data center consolidation involves far more than junking equipment that is no longer needed. It's a major undertaking that requires clear goals, a realistic strategy, careful planning, and solid execution.

Failure across any of those elements can result in unnecessary delays and cost, possible outages and downtime, and a consolidated data center that, once finished, doesn't meet the needs of the business.

The good news is that IT departments considering a data center consolidation do not have to reinvent the wheel. There is an orderly, well-tested process, a set of five concrete steps that provide a practical framework for data center professionals to bring a consolidation project from concept to successful completion.

This reference guide titled "5 Steps to a Successful Data Center Consolidation" was created to help data center professionals plan and carry out a consolidation project.

It outlines the five steps IT pros should follow when consolidating a data center, from initial asset and infrastructure assessment to post-consolidation operation and maintenance.

Article by Martin Heller, Schneider Electric Data Center Blog