Data centre managers will upgrade servers three times before they even consider replacing UPS or cooling systems, according to new research released by Emerson Network Power.
Entitled the Top 10 Data Centre Surprises, the research found server refreshes occur every three years but cooling and UPS systems are expected to last decades.
As a result infrastructure investments made by organisations today must scale to support servers that are two, three or even four generations removed from current models.
For data centre managers this means investing in modular infrastructure technologies that have the ability to scale to meet both short and long term needs.
The Emerson research also found that water and the data centre do not mix but organisations keep trying.
An estimated 35 per cent of unplanned outages are caused by some type of water incursions and it isn’t just about leaky valves.
Most water-related outages are the result of spilled coffee or a cold drink.
Emerson’s vice president of global power, Peter Panfil, said the research is surprising because the costs associated with unplanned outages average $5,000 per minute or $30,000 in a single hour.
He said the most common causes of downtime are UPS battery failure and exceeding UPS capacity.
“Avoid those problems by investing in the right UPS that is adequately sized to support the load, and proactively monitor and maintain batteries,” he said.
After rapid growth early in the century, projections of double-digit rack densities have been slow to come to fruition.
Average densities hovered between 6.0 and 7.4kW per rack from 2006 to 2009.
But a recent Data Centre Users’ Group survey predicted average rack densities will reach 12.0 kW within the next three years.
“That puts a premium on adequate UPS capacity and power distribution as well as cooling to handle the corresponding heat output,” Panfil said adding that the on-demand data centre is a reality.
“The days of lengthy design, order and deployment delays are over.
“Today there are modular, integrated, rapidly deployable data centre solutions for any space.”
This includes integrated, virtual plug and play solutions that include rack, server and power and cooling which can be installed easily in a closet or conference room.
On the larger end, containerized data centres can be used to quickly establish a network or to add capacity to an existing data centre.