While data centers are starting to come into vogue now, thanks to the sheer number of potential applications and use cases posed therein, they’ve been around for the last several years. That can mean some data centers are past their prime and ready for decommissioning. For those looking to engage in data center consolidation, it’s an opportunity to improve the overall picture with a few key points kept in mind.

What Practices Mean the Best Chance of Success in Data Center Consolidation?

Understanding, and applying, a few basic principles will go a long way toward the best data center consolidation.

Know what you want. Whether it’s cost savings, greater efficiency, reduction of carbon footprint or something else entirely, knowing what you want in a data center is the first step to success. Be specific about your goals, and make them as measurable as possible to ensure that what you’re doing will produce the outcomes you want. Don’t forget to include the future in your planning, and make sure you’ll have the processing power you need to meet tomorrow’s goals.

Know what you already have. Capacity, density, and space are the three primary measures of a data center’s effectiveness. When engaging in consolidation, therefore, knowing what’s on hand in terms of these measures can help you determine where you have excess operating space and which centers you can more reasonably lose.

Consider your infrastructure. Do you have data centers that are approaching obsolescence or that are there already? If so, consider these first on the chopping block. You may find that consolidation is easier than you expected simply by removing outdated data centers in favor of more modernized setups. You’ll also know when upgrades need to be made and can plan for these accordingly.

See the forest for the trees. As important as manageable, measurable goals are, don’t let them become the ruler of the process. If your goal is to reduce a carbon footprint, you might consider improving server virtualization. Doing so, however, will hurt your power usage effectiveness (PUE) measures and affect the look of your progress toward carbon footprint improvement.

When the Best Data Center Consolidation Needs Some Help

While these principles will serve as excellent guideposts to a better data center, sometimes data center consolidation needs a little extra help to fill in the blanks. That’s a good time to get in touch with us at EmconIT, where we’ve delivered data center consolidation and other help to a range of companies, including NetApp, DellEMC, and HP3 Par. So, to get the most out of your data center consolidation project, just drop us a line to get started.