FEATURE
Change will be slow to come
The data centre industry has historically
been known to be resistant to change.
For instance, we saw a new cooling
technology come into play over a decade
ago which involved placing servers in water
to help regulate the temperature.
Both cost-effective and power-efficient, it
took off significantly in some regions like
the US, yet even after a decade later, the
widespread roll-out of that has yet to come.
In 2020, what needs to change the most
is the mindset of data centre providers.
‘Why change something that isn’t broken’
can be a safe option but it will inevitably
leave providers lagging behind other
industries in harnessing the benefits of
fast-moving technology solutions.
Whether it’s integrating a new technology
or implementing a new design, providers
need to be thinking about offering the best
possible solution for their customers. And
often times, this will involve changes to
current ways of operating.
2020 will hopefully be the year that
providers embrace change the way they
should be.
Data centre industry growth
will reach new heights . . .
and new locations
2020 will see more and more businesses
recognising the data centre sector as a
lucrative business opportunity. Hoteliers
2020 WILL SEE
MORE AND MORE
BUSINESSES
RECOGNISING
THE DATA CENTRE
SECTOR AS A
LUCRATIVE
BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY.
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Issue 10
and real estate companies alike will start
branching out into data centre new builds.
We’ll also see more non-data centre
establishments investing big money into
the industry. One way this will occur
is through acquisitions of smaller data
centre operators looking to scale up.
As a result, the already competitive data
centre market will only become even
more so.
We’ll also see regions that have not
historically been associated with data
centre builds cropping up with new
facilities. Data centre hubs like the US and
Europe will start reaching saturation point,
forcing providers to extend their builds
into newer areas.
Major cities with large population
and heavy digital reliance will require a
high bandwidth of connectivity, making
them the new target markets in years to
come. Southeast Asian countries like
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and even
Malaysia will become new regions to
watch for providers.
These emerging markets will allow
providers an easier inroad due to lesser
restrictions from regulations such as GDPR.
Providers will also find themselves
facing better cost-saving opportunities
as they can serve these markets through
on-site facilities rather than having to
do it remotely from the nearest country
for instance. ◊
www.intelligentdatacentres.com