subject: Building A Datacenter Vs. Outsourcing A Data Center [print this page] Compared to earlier times, the number of data centers today is significantly higher. This is due to the shift from a paper-based economy to digital based one. Hence, the modern enterprises run on digital data and it is datacenters, which house thousands of servers, that operate day in and day out to power applications, disseminate information, and automate different processes. This leads to increased power consumption, increased operating costs and increased emission of greenhouse gases. When data center carbon footprint started to grow at an alarming rate to become a global concern, the different governments all over the world decided to act tough by imposing regulations and directives on enterprises. This forced enterprises to look for other means to reduce carbon footprint and the result was data center outsourcing.
Gartner defines data center outsourcing as a multiyear or annuity contract or relationship involving the day-to-day management responsibility for operating server/host platforms, including distributed servers and storage. According to DatacenterDynamics, the Data Center Industry Census 2011 indicates that worldwide investment in outsourcing would reach $8 billion in 2012. And as per the Association for Data Center Managers (AFCOM), by 2015 the talent pool of technical staff will shrink by 45%. All these statistics point to the fact that data center outsourcing is fast becoming the most legitimate option for enterprises. However, very many enterprises still consider in-house data center to be a viable and cost effective option.
In-House Datacenter versus Datacenter Outsourcing
Lets look at some of the basic differences between building a datacenter and outsourcing a datacenter.
Building a Datacenter
Complete control over the operating environment in the datacenter
Very low risk of losing the lease and being forced to leave the facility
Ability to use and share existing space, giving IT staff the ability to work in close proximity to the data center floor for a low cost
Outsourcing a Datacenter
A predictable and operational expenditure model with costs that are easy to estimate and that increase at a consistent rate over the life of the data center
Additional capacity can be brought on quickly and only as needed, shielding you from having to build out extra capacity that might not be used for many years
Better access to space and power through the colocation providers purchasing power
Data center is run by professionals with more experience and expertise in the practice of running an efficient and highly available data centre facility
An ecosystem of partners in the same facility that can be used with extremely low latency via a cross-connect
The useful life of a datacentre is 4 to 7 years, which means increased headache for enterprises as well as the environment. Hence, datacenter outsourcing is the most viable solution when taking into consideration todays IT environment marked by regulations, directives, carbon footprint and increased costs.
by: Martinlobo
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