Brocade launched an Energy Efficiency Review service to provide a picture of the data center from energy use, cooling capacity, air distribution and ancillary environmental factors impact operational costs and reliable service.
Energy efficiency of IT equipment is beginning to drive purchasing decisions in the data center with $29 billion being spent annually just on server power and cooling according to industry research firm IDC. In a study conducted in late 2008, Brocade found that 44 per cent of European IT directors believed that their companies devoted up to a quarter of their total operational expenditure, or OpEx, on energy-related costs.
"In today's economic climate, organisations must consider every aspect of their infrastructure when looking to conserve energy and costs," said Claus Egge, Program Director at IDC's Storage Group. "One can no longer just assess the IT infrastructure on its own, but the performance of ancillary systems such as cooling, cabling and floor design must be critically evaluated. By conducting holistic reviews of the data centre environment, companies can dramatically optimise efficiency and maximise budgets."
"Many of the data centers in use today were built 10 years ago, and as demand has risen have been packed to capacity with new, power-hungry equipment," said Peter Schwaar, senior director - Services Delivery, Brocade Global Services "Unfortunately, most of these original facilities were not designed to handle the requirements of modern, densely packed IT equipment. In some cases, organisations have retrofitted older data centres with new power feeds and up-rated cooling systems to cope with the increased demand. This only exacerbates the problem as it puts more pressure on already over-stretched resources - both physical and financial - which is where Brocade steps in to offer relief."