Vertiv unveils the data center trends to watch for 2017
Emerson Network Power recently rebranded as Vertiv, and has just released six data center infrastructure trends to watch in 2017.
This year's trends follow the 2016 data center trends published by Emerson Network Power last year.
Gary Niederpruem, vice president of global marketing and strategy of Vertiv, says they're moving further into the cloud era, which creates challenges and opportunities for organizations using and delivering cloud and co-located data center resources.
"In our 2016 trends, we focused on disruptive macro trends, such as evolving cloud models and the role of social responsibility," he says.
"This year, we're focusing on the technology advances in critical infrastructure that will enable edge, enterprise, colocation and cloud data centers to adapt to change in 2017 and beyond.
Niederpruem highlights six infrastructure trends that will shape the data center ecosystem next year:
1. Infrastructure races to keep up with connectivity at the edge
Distributed IT and the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are pushing IT resources closer to users and industrial processes. While the data center remains core to delivering applications and services, such as point of sale and inventory management, network closets and micro data centers are growing in number and importance as internet-connected sensors and devices proliferate and remote users demand faster access to information.
Responding to these changes, organizations will turn to pre-configured micro data center solutions that support fast deployment, greater standardization and remote management across distributed IT locations.
2. Thermal management expands to sustainability
Data center cooling has changed more in the last five years than any other data center system. Fueled by the desire to drive down energy costs, traditional approaches that focused on delivering "maximum cooling" have been displaced by more sophisticated approaches focused on removing heat as efficiently as possible.
Increased use of advanced economizer technologies and the continued evolution of intelligent thermal controls have enabled highly resilient thermal management strategies that support PUEs below 1.2. Where water availability or costs are an issue, waterless cooling systems have gained traction.
3. Security responsibilities extend to data center management
As more devices get connected to enable simpler management and eventual automation, threat vectors also increase. Data center professionals are adding security to their growing list of priorities and beginning to seek solutions that help them identify vulnerabilities and improve response to attacks. Management gateways that consolidate data from multiple devices to support DCIM are emerging as a potential solution.
4. DCIM proves its value DCIM has emerged as the precursor to IIoT in the data center, delivering the visibility, increased coordination across systems and support for automation that are at the core of the IIoT value proposition.
5. Alternatives to lead-acid batteries become viable Data center operators have long been interested in alternatives to lead-acid batteries, but available technologies have not been able to match the value and storage capacity of traditional batteries. Now, real alternatives are emerging that can reduce footprint, expand runtimes and enhance sustainability.
6. Data center design and deployment become more integrated Vendors that bring together infrastructure expertise, design and engineering capabilities and sophisticated project management to deliver a turnkey capability can build better data centers faster.
"Infrastructure technologies and associated services continue to evolve to deliver the speed, security, flexibility and efficiency data center operators require today, whether they are managing a data center that relies on the cloud or developing the capacity to meet the demand for cloud and colocation services," explains Niederpruem.
"Taking advantage of these changes requires an infrastructure partner with a deep understanding of all aspects of data center operations and a full range of design, project management and maintenance services.
