Intelligent Data Centres Issue 51 | Page 70

THE EDGE

Legacy systems can also significantly drain budgets – both in day-to-day operations and when significant scale is needed . For example , systems that are more than four-to-five years old can likely cost more in upkeep and energy than the cost of upgrading to newer models . And this does not account for the ‘ soft costs ’ of more frequent unplanned downtime , performance rot and increased security threats . CIOs with outdated systems will lag behind competitors in the capacity to quickly scale up operations as needed .

2 . High core density

Improving server efficiency is key to reducing data centre TCO . With electricity bills on all CIOs ’ minds , there ’ s a misconception that newer , high-core count chips will lead to skyrocketing energy usage . But that ’ s not the case . Advancements in chip core density means CIOs can do more with fewer servers , thereby reducing power consumption per workload . In fact , due to advances in manufacturing and process technologies , today ’ s servers can process significantly higher workload volumes while consuming less power than older servers .

Prioritising consolidation in this way should be viewed as more than just a cost-cutting measure . It ’ s critical to creating greater capacity within the envelope of the data centre . This will allow CIOs to flex more easily with growing demands and do more with their current technology and space . For example , securing new and expanded power sources into a facility is extremely costly and complicated . While upgrading to higher core processors also has upfront costs , the ability to process higher workloads means that fewer servers will be needed and energy can be reduced – thus potentially eliminating the need to secure more power , both to the server and for cooling purposes .

Overall , the ROI on these servers is undeniable when compared to the alternative .

3 . The cost of doing nothing

The cost of doing nothing is often overlooked when deciding whether or not to procure new technology in an era of tight budgets . Many companies only account for IT capital costs , and while a key factor , it is not the only cost to consider . For example , many IT leaders fall into the trap of thinking that because their infrastructure is paid for , it is more cost-effective to leave it in place . The reality is , older hardware can actually cost more to operate on an annual basis than replacing it with more performant and energy efficient servers ; and again , that does not account for the other soft costs previously mentioned . When it comes to lifetime total cost of ownership , these costs can hamper the ability of a data centre to scale with future needs and evolving technology .

Companies should take into account the pace of innovation and expect that they will need to evolve their technology to integrate with or be replaced by newer and better versions every few years .

All companies must live with legacy systems to a certain extent . However , those that take a proactive approach to systems and infrastructure upgrades ensure that the choices they make around technology selection are optimised for change and scalability .

Evaluating the total cost of ownership for a data centre isn ’ t as straightforward or simple as it initially seems . With the massive growth in data generation – according to Statista the world will produce slightly over 180 zettabytes of data by 2025 – the need for data centres is only increasing . CIOs must look at the total costs associated with their IT strategy and choose solutions that maximise efficiency while remaining easily adaptable , scalable and customisable . For on-prem deployments , this means examining , capital costs , power and cooling costs , security risks and competitive advantages . For cloud , it means choosing the most optimised and cost-effective instances . Updating to a newer infrastructure may not only be a better business strategy , it might just add more money to the bottom line as well . �

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