Consolidating Data Centres The Right Way

The huge quantity of data that flows in and out from data centres continuously, combined with increased demands for storage, have forced many companies to set up additional facilities or purchase rack spaces in third-party establishments. In order to fetch maximum amount of resources, many organisations have even oversubscribed themselves, which has caused them to end up with more infrastructure than required. For reducing that infrastructure to an adequate level or combining multiple facilities into one, data centre consolidation is the only solution.

Before proceeding with the task of consolidation, it is important to determine why consolidation must be done and what are the ultimate goals. There can be many reasons for which a company may resort to data centre consolidation, the most common one being to cut down on expenses. In an effort to bring down software and hardware costs, firms choose consolidation for reducing multiple data centres into one. For getting better efficiency, several smaller servers can also be encompassed into few larger, better-utilised systems. Cooling expenses may be reduced with the usage of energy-saving strategies such as installing data centre grommet under the racks and adopting a configuration of hot/cold aisle. Not only would it improve cooling and power efficiency, but also ease the process of managing and maintaining the systems.

Once the reason and goals have been figured out, the process of planning must be executed with considerable amount of meticulous contemplation. Not involving the HR during the early stages of planning is a common mistake that companies make. It is important to take their suggestions into account too for squaring away the employees effectively. Whatever that is consolidated down must also be able to support the requirements of employees and clients. Too much consolidation needs to be avoided in order to account for future growth.

Another thing to keep in mind is migration of apps and other vital data from one place to another. Sometimes, it might be easier to transfer data over the network. However, it would depend on the amount of bandwidth one has. Alternatively, backup tapes can be used to make the process more cost-effective. Once everything is in its place, all of the systems must be tested properly before they are put into real world operation. Although the process can take a very long time (sometimes even months), it would help the data centre manager to be comfortable and confident about the operation of the new facility.