We had a great time at yesterday’s Fast 5 Optimize event! We enjoyed sharing tips about Data Center Optimization and Outsourcing for Efficiency from BendBroadband’s Oregon-based Data Center. Thank you to the audience for participating during the event. We would like to highlight some of the questions asked by participants and answers given by Logicalis Technology Consultant, Bob Mobach, and BendBroadband’s business director, Sean Handley.
Should I be investigating a DCIM toolset?
Yes, Data Center Infrastructure Management is a hot topic in the industry right now. If it is not an area of core competency for you, or you don’t have the facilities personnel to maintain a building management system, a tool that allows you to manage resources, power, cooling/efficiency tools and disaster recovery is key to maximizing your data center’s efficiency.
We are loosely following ITIL best practices and integrating that into or overall ITSM policy, should DCIM toolsets be part of that?
Yes. Visitors to the Data Center follow rules & regulations. Distributing resources/building specific features for monitoring power & cooling for example, lead to greater efficiencies in following these processes for physical infrastructure. IT features should directly plug your IT equipment into the building management system.
What are the typical savings for customers when using a sustainable facility like yours vs. traditional facilities?
Customers typically see savings in the long run – especially with equipment such as hybrid data centers. The cost of sustainable equipment is more upfront, but the increasing energy costs and government regulations build expense in the long run. Sustainable facilities will allow you to continue to conduct business efficiently. Digging deep to identify your costs can position you to predict your specific ROI.
Can outsourcing give me a better view of the costs of my data center so it is easier for me to provide charge-back/show-back information?
Yes, it takes a lot of effort and resources to properly account for the data center. There are a lot of unknowns. Outsourcing provides you with predictable costs. You can even predict how much it will cost you to grow, and in some cases you can get down to how much it will cost you to host a single VM in a cabinet.
Thank you again to those who attending the event and made it a success! If you would like to see pictures from the event site check out our Fast5 Facebook Album.
Join us for our next Fast 5 event, #Fast5Cloud, this coming Tuesday, October 2nd.