What is Data Center Consolidation and where is it heading to?

Jul 27,2021 by Manoj Yadav

A lot of you would have heard the term Data Center Consolidation. It is being discussed in various technology forums and figures prominently in CIO discussions. Before we get into the details, let us first try and understand what is Data Center Consolidation

According to online technology portal Webopedia, Data center consolidation is a common consideration for organizations that plan to reduce the size of a single facility or merge one or more facilities in order to reduce overall operating costs and reduce IT footprint.

In times of economic pullback, data center vendors are under pressure to satisfy the increasing demands of businesses while operating with minimal funding. With the passage of time, users are becoming progressively mobile and demanding. Network architectures, business-critical applications and services continue to rise in complexity, thereby raising a question – Is it possible to get most out of your resources by shrinking both operating and capital expenditures? To your surprise, with data center consolidation – the answer is flamboyant ‘yes’. Backed by federal government initiative that has mandated consolidation & optimization of incompetent data centers, many firms are helping businesses to focus on their manifested objectives by bestowing enterprise-ready, cloud-proven virtualization platform.

Getting more into the concept…

There are several factors accountable for surging interest in data center consolidation practice. On capital expenditure end, consolidated data center ensures that network and application architecture are operated upto its peak, which cutbacks number of servers, switches, routers, and other equipment. This in turn, translates to lesser required software applications instances, helping organizations to slash down their capital budgets.

Automation has made tasks swifter …

Data center consolidation has made automation of business-critical processes and systems rapider and in a realistic manner. It allows deploying new servers, performing scheduled data backups, resuming failed applications, and configuring operating systems in a dynamic business environment. Apparently, automation bestows a host of advantages that can take businesses to new and accelerated level that includes:

Increased process consistency
Prompt execution of corporate rules and regulations
Expedition execution of business operations
Increased productivity with respect to IT and operations teams
Reduced server or storage sprawl & power utilization

Not only this, automation also curtails human errors by eliminating the need of manual inputs. This approach ensures prompt and economical access to influential computing resources, allowing IT teams to focus on key initiatives and tasks contrasted with their internal network infrastructures. Data center consolidation has a brighter and even most promising future, predicted by many research analysts.

Quintessence of this post: The benefits of data center consolidation are numerous and ostensibly appealing that further promotes avenues to optimization. It provides companies with a speedy and real means for trimming costs without sacrificing to quality. However, businesses need to settle on with appropriate approach so to stay agile and more competitive while keeping operational costs controlled. Prior to commencing the consolidation, an in-depth understanding of current application, network, and service performance is mandatory. Furthermore, sagacious management of the consolidated data center is the key to navigate and boost returns on investment.

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