Direct liquid cooling (DLC) is a collection of techniques that removes heat by circulating a coolant to IT electronics. Even though the process is far more efficient than using air, the move to liquid cooling has been largely confined to select applications in high-performance computing to cool extreme high-density IT systems. There are a few […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Direct-liquid-cooling-pressure-is-rising-but-constraints-remain-featured.jpg6281200Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligencehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDaniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligence2022-07-06 08:00:002022-07-06 09:27:12Direct liquid cooling: pressure is rising but constraints remain
Uptime Institute’s data on power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a testament to the progress the data center industry has made in energy efficiency over the past 10 years. However, global average PUEs have been largely stalling at close to 1.6 since 2018, with only marginal gains. This makes sense: for the average figure to show […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Ultimate-liquid-cooling-featured.jpg6281200Jacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngJacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime Institute2022-06-29 07:00:002022-06-17 15:22:44The ultimate liquid cooling: heat rejection into water
A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a cloud provider and a user. The SLA describes the provider’s minimum level of service, specified by performance metrics, and the compensation due to the user should the provider fail to deliver this service. In practice, however, this compensation is punitive. It seems designed to punish […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SLAs_Compensation-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institute2022-06-15 07:00:002022-06-02 16:01:24Cloud SLAs punish, not compensate
Analyzing human error — with a view to preventing it — has always been challenging for data center operators. The cause of a failure can lie in how well a process was taught, how tired, well trained or resourced the staff are, or whether the equipment itself was unnecessarily difficult to operate. There are also […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Human-Error-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2022-06-08 08:00:002022-06-03 11:30:20Outages: understanding the human factor
As a result of some high-profile outages and the growing interest in running critical services in a public cloud, the reliability — and transparency — of public cloud services has come under scrutiny. Cloud services are designed to operate with low failure rates. Large (at-scale) cloud and IT service providers, such as Amazon Web Services, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Concern-over-cloud-and-third-party-outages-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2022-06-08 08:00:002022-06-03 11:53:08Is concern over cloud and third-party outages increasing?
Cloud providers offer services that are assembled by users into applications. An outage of any single cloud service can render an application unavailable. Importantly, cloud providers guarantee the availability of individual services, not of entire applications. Even if a whole application becomes unresponsive due to a provider outage, compensation is only due for the individual […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Weakest-Link-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institute2022-06-01 07:00:002022-05-17 16:57:39The weakest link dictates cloud outage compensation
How is the Ukraine conflict affecting digital infrastructure and the data sector? In response to multiple queries, Uptime Institute Intelligence identified six main areas where operators and customers of digital infrastructure are experiencing effects from the conflict or will do so soon, not just in Europe but globally. (In Russia and Ukraine there are over […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ukraine-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2022-05-18 07:00:002022-05-17 16:52:34The shock waves from Ukraine
Cloud providers need to deliver the newest capability to stay relevant. Few enterprises will accept working with outdated technology just because it’s consumable as a cloud service. However, existing cloud instances don’t migrate automatically. Similarly to on-premises server infrastructure, users need to refresh their cloud services regularly. Typically, cloud operators prefer product continuity between generations, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Cloud-generations-drive-down-prices-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institute2022-05-03 06:00:002022-04-30 14:08:45Cloud generations drive down prices
Pressed by a sense of urgency among scientists and the wider public, and by governments and investors who must fulfil promises made at COP (Conference of the Parties) summits, major businesses are facing ever more stringent sustainability reporting requirements. Big energy users, such as data centers, are in the firing line. Many of the reporting […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Industry-Consensus-on-Sustainability-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2022-04-19 06:00:002022-04-07 10:13:54Industry consensus on sustainability looks fragile
The cloud model was designed to be simple and nimble. Simple and nimble doesn’t necessarily mean fit for purpose. Over the past decade, new layers of capability have been added to cloud to address its shortcomings. While this has created more options and greater functionality, it has also meant greater complexity in its management. Today, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Cloud-Complexity-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institute2022-04-12 06:00:002022-04-07 09:44:57Why cloud is a kludge of complexity
Conditions will soon be ripe for widespread use of direct liquid cooling (DLC) — a collection of techniques that uses fluid to remove heat from IT electronics instead of air — and it may even become essential. Currently, air cooling is still dominant with DLC remaining a niche option — around 85% of enterprise IT […]
As major businesses feel a growing sense of urgency to dramatically cut carbon emissions, opinions are starting to shift in favor of nuclear power, which is not classed as clean, but is a near-zero carbon energy source. The digital infrastructure industry, a major global consumer of energy, has a role to play in rehabilitating nuclear, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Nuclear-Option-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2022-03-15 06:00:002022-03-11 11:00:58Data center operators ponder the nuclear option
Vendor lock-in is regularly levied as a criticism of cloud services. But the reality of IT is, there has always been lock-in. Even before cloud, enterprises were locked into hardware, operating systems, database platforms, data centers and network providers. Practically, the lock-in challenge with cloud isn’t that moving from one location or platform is not […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cloud-Lock-in-risk-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime Institute2022-03-01 06:00:002022-02-25 17:40:14Flexibility drives cloud lock-in risk
The global data center industry describes its own sustainability performance as average, compared with other industries — and most think efforts are not substantially reducing environmental impacts. A recent Uptime Institute global survey of over 400 data center owners and operators asked whether the industry’s environmental commitments are effective in curbing data center energy use, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Sustainability-Fail-featured.jpg6281200Lenny Simon, Senior Research Associate, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngLenny Simon, Senior Research Associate, Uptime Institute2022-02-22 06:00:002022-02-19 17:35:49Data center operators give themselves a “Fail” for sustainability
Control over critical digital infrastructure is increasingly in the hands of a small number of major providers. While a public cloud provides a flexible, stable and distributed IT environment, there are growing concerns around its operational resiliency.
To track changing attitudes and responses to climate change and the related threats to infrastructure, Uptime Institute Intelligence concluded two global surveys in the fourth quarters of 2020 and 2021, respectively.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Climate-Change-featured.jpg6281200Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2021-12-16 08:00:002021-12-20 11:29:18Climate change: More operators prepare to weather the storms
Many analysts have forecast an explosion in demand for edge data centers. After a long, slow start, demand is beginning to build, with small, prefabricated and mostly remotely operated data centers ready to be deployed to support a varying array of applications.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Mixed-Resiliency-Edge-featured.jpg6281200Dr. Tomas Rahkonen, Research Director of Distributed Data Centers, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDr. Tomas Rahkonen, Research Director of Distributed Data Centers, Uptime Institute2021-11-17 08:00:002021-11-16 09:07:48Mixed resiliency at the edge
The power usage effectiveness (PUE) metric is predominant thanks to its universal applicability and its simplicity: energy used by the entire data center, divided by energy used by the IT equipment.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DLC-featured.jpg6281200Jacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngJacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime Institute2021-11-05 08:30:002021-11-04 21:01:17Does the spread of direct liquid cooling make PUE less relevant?
Earlier in 2021, ASHRAE’s Technical Committee 9.9 published an update — the fifth edition — of its Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ASHRAE-Guidelines.jpg6001200Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligencehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDaniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligence2021-10-21 10:15:512021-10-21 10:15:52New ASHRAE guidelines challenge efficiency drive
Operators often say that data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software is a necessary evil. Modern facilities need centralized, real-time management and analytics, but DCIM is notoriously difficult to deploy.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Startups-brew-new-chemistries-for-fresh-battery-types.jpg4801030Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligencehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDaniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligence2021-09-01 07:00:002021-09-01 07:04:03Startups brew new chemistries for fresh battery types
A recent outage at content delivery network Fastly took down thousands of websites in different countries, including big names, such as Amazon, Twitter and Spotify, for nearly an hour. It is the latest large outage highlighting the downside of a key trend in digital infrastructure: The growth in dependency on digital service providers can undermine […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fastly-blog-featured-diagram.jpg4661024Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligencehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngDaniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute Intelligence2021-06-11 15:15:072021-06-11 15:17:15Fastly outage underscores slow creep of digital services risk
As the pandemic began to make an impact in early 2020, it became clear that data center operators were going to have to invest more if they were to provide the services on which their customers were increasingly reliant. Short-term needs included protective equipment, deep cleaning and, it seemed likely, more spending to support extended […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/DC-Costs.jpg7342391Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2021-05-03 06:30:002021-04-22 09:08:57Pandemic has driven up data center costs
Across the world, data center owners and managers are striving to buy more renewable energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The global internet giants and the largest colocation companies have led the way with huge green energy purchases. But the impact of renewable energy on the grid operator’s economics, and on the critical […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/renew-2.jpg7842660Jay Dietrich, Research Director of Sustainability, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngJay Dietrich, Research Director of Sustainability, Uptime Institute2021-04-26 06:10:062021-04-12 12:31:53Renewable energy and data centers: Buyer, be aware
Uptime Institute Members say one of their most vexing security concerns is the insider threat — authorized staff, vendors or visitors acting with malicious intent. In extreme examples, trusted individuals could power down servers and other equipment, damage network equipment, cut fiber paths, or steal data from servers or wipe the associated storage. Unfortunately, data […]
In early March 2021, a hacker group publicly exposed the username and password of an administrative account of a security camera vendor. The credentials enabled them to access 150,000 commercial security systems and, potentially, set up subsequent attacks on other critical equipment. A few weeks earlier, leaked credentials for the collaboration software TeamViewer gave hackers […]
The catastrophic fire that occurred at OVHcloud’s SBG2 data center in Strasbourg, France (see last week’s blog about it) has led many operators to question their vulnerability to fires. Fires at data centers are a constant concern, but are rare. In almost all cases of data center fire, the source is quickly located, the equipment isolated, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/fire3.jpg6921932Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2021-04-05 08:26:002021-05-04 10:33:00Datacenter Fire Frequency
Recent extreme weather-related events in the US (the big freeze in Texas, fires on the west coast) have once again highlighted the need for data center operators to reassess their risks in the face of climate change. The topic is discussed in depth in the Uptime Institute report (available to Uptime Institute members) entitled, The gathering […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gw.jpg7481941Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2021-03-15 06:07:002021-05-04 10:32:23Extreme weather affects nearly half of data centers
In Uptime Institute’s recent report on preparing for the extreme effects of climate change, there were over a dozen references to the dangers of extremely hot weather, which can overwhelm cooling systems and trigger regional fires that disrupt power, connectivity and staff access. But the effects of extreme cold were discussed only in passing. The […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cold2.jpg10521938Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2021-03-01 05:34:002021-03-01 08:52:22Extreme cold — a neglected threat to availability?
The pandemic has led to a renewed interest by data center managers in remote monitoring, management and automation. Uptime Institute has fielded dozens of inquiries about these approaches in recent months, but one in particular stands out: What will operational automation and machine learning mean for on-site staff requirements? With greater automation, the expectation is […]
Outsourcing the requirement to own and operate data center capacity is the cornerstone of many digital transformation strategies, with almost every large enterprise spreading their workloads across their own data centers, colocation sites and public cloud. But ask any regulator, any chief executive, any customer: You can’t outsource responsibility — for incidents, outages, security breaches […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/resp-sm.jpg6801100Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-12-21 05:15:002021-05-04 10:22:35Accountability – the “new” imperative
What we can expect for mission-critical digital infrastructure in 2021? Each autumn Uptime Institute, like many other organizations, puts together a list of some of the big trends and themes for the year ahead. This time, we have focused on five big trends that might not have been so obvious 12 months ago. Heading into […]
When the PUE (power usage effectiveness) metric was first discussed at a meeting of The Green Grid in Santa Clara, back in 2007, a microphone stand was placed in each aisle of the auditorium. The importance of the initiative was understood even then: experts, including the founders of Uptime Institute, formed lines to give their […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PUE-Rusty.jpg380895Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-11-02 07:32:042020-10-26 12:18:10PUE: The golden metric is looking rusty
When Uptime Institute recently asked over 300 data center managers how the pandemic would change their operations, one answer stood out: Two-thirds expect to increase the resiliency of their core data center(s) in the years ahead. Many said they expected their costs to increase as a result. The reasoning is clear: the pandemic — or […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/type1a.jpg3551475Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-10-26 06:00:342021-05-04 10:19:35Why data center operators are investing in more redundancy
Data centers are built and sited to withstand all that Mother Nature can throw at them — or at least, is likely to throw at them — during their lifecycle. This has long been a given, practiced and understood by designers, planners and regulators. But climate change is changing everything. Recent weather events have led […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, many people have suggested that the business case for enterprises to move more workloads to the public cloud has been strengthened. Some have argued that the pandemic will accelerate the decline of the enterprise data center. Is this actually the case? And if so, why? This is one of […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/blog-cloud-sm.jpg7001890Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-09-21 06:00:272021-05-04 10:18:25Will the pandemic accelerate the move to public cloud?
As will be discussed in our upcoming note about managing data center with the severe weather caused by climate change, we continue to highlight the need for data center managers to not only review existing emergency plans but also anticipate previously unforeseen challenges. The need to understand the new ‘Normal’ Which brings us to wildfires… […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pexels-sippakorn-yamkasikorn-3552472-blogsm.jpg13943764Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-09-16 06:00:542020-09-14 09:43:03Data Centers and Wildfires
Data center managers, on both the facilities and the IT side of operations, are known for their preparedness. Even so, the pandemic caught most by surprise. Few had an effective pandemic plan in place, and most had to react and adapt on the fly, as best as they could. A small but significant number suffered […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/chess-blog-sm.jpg10002700Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-09-14 06:50:202021-05-04 10:17:30Pandemics: Operators plan to be ready next time
Increasingly, data centers cannot find qualified candidates for open jobs. Companies that commit to diverse and inclusive workplaces are more likely to have better financial performance; greater innovation and productivity; and higher employee-ambassador recruitment, employee retention and employee job satisfaction rates.
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/blog-infographic-aug2020sm.jpg7502025Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngRhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institute2020-08-31 05:00:132020-10-22 14:27:22Data center workforce diversity makes good business sense
When the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) metric for data centers was first agreed upon by the members of The Green Grid back in 2007, almost everyone in that crowded room in California agreed: This is not intended to be used as comparative metric across sites (as every situation is different) but it would be an […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/energy-Efficiency2.jpg8702500Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-08-24 06:00:242021-05-04 10:16:46Which regions have the most energy efficient data centers?
Data center managers have gone to some lengths to avoid transmission of the COVID-19 virus in their facilities. Fortunately, many factors help keep transmission rates low in data centers: few staff are required; most jobs do not require close physical interaction with colleagues; and air filtration may help to reduce, if not necessarily eliminate, airborne […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Humidity3.jpg4661261Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-08-17 06:00:332020-07-26 21:36:34Humidity and COVID-19 in data centers
Modern data centers are rarely dirty places, but even so, most are a lot cleaner now than they were before COVID-19 became a concern. A recent Uptime Institute survey, conducted in response to the pandemic, found that about two-thirds (68%) of data center owners/operators recently deep cleaned their facilities, and more than 80% recently sanitized […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DIY-sm.jpg10002700Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2020-06-29 06:00:402021-05-04 10:37:52Cleaning a data center: Contractors vs. DIY
What will be the long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital critical infrastructure industry? It may be too soon to ask the question given that, at the time of writing, the virus is taking its toll at scale across the world. But Uptime Institute has been asked this question many times, and it’s […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/COVID-LEGACY-sm.jpg10002700Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-06-22 06:00:552021-05-04 10:14:36COVID-19: Critical impact and legacy
Fear of the coronavirus or confirmed exposure has caused about half (49%) of data center owners to increase the frequency of regular cleanings, according to a recent Uptime Institute flash survey. Even more (66%) have increased the frequency of sanitization (disinfection) to eliminate (however transitorily) any possible presence of the novel coronavirus in their facilities. […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-1222181804blog.jpg9252486Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2020-06-01 06:00:082020-06-04 12:06:45Data Center cleaning and sanitization: detail, cost and effectiveness
To date, the critical infrastructure industry has mostly managed effectively with reduced staff, deferred maintenance, social distancing and new patterns of demand. While there have been some serious incidents and outages directly related to the pandemic, these have been few. But what worries operators for the months ahead? Clearly, the situation is changing all the […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1134312106-blog.jpg7402003Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-05-11 06:00:502021-05-04 10:10:02COVID-19: What worries data center management the most?
To date, media coverage of the impact of COVID-19 and the lockdowns has been largely laudatory. There have been few high profile or serious outages (perhaps fewer than normal) and for the most part, internet traffic flow analysis shows that a sudden jump in demand, along with a shift toward the residential edge and busy […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1171885110-blog.jpg9602592Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-05-04 06:00:242021-05-04 10:08:04Pandemic is causing some outages and slowdowns
The average power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio for a data center in 2020 is 1.58, only marginally better than 7 years ago, according to the latest annual Uptime Institute survey (findings to be published shortly). PUE, an international standard first developed by The Green Grid and others in 2007, is the most widely accepted way […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GettyImages-1193108294blog.jpg10002700Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-04-27 11:50:272020-04-27 11:52:57Data center PUEs flat since 2013
The final installment of our Q&A regarding digital infrastructure considerations during the COVID19 crisis includes Deferred Maintenance, Remote Word, Supply Chain, Tier Standard and Long-Term Outlook Below is Part 3 of the Q&A responses brought up during our recent series of webinars about managing operational risk during the COVID19 crisis. (Part 1 dealt with Staffing and […]
Here is Part 2 of our Q&A regarding digital infrastructure considerations during the COVID19 crisis. Keep in mind that we are all handling this crisis in varied ways, and learning from each other along the way. In that process, we really ARE all finding our own “New Normal” and ultimately we will come out of […]
We are all in this together. We are all finding our own “New Normal”. We are all learning from each other and will come out of this crisis stronger due to the renewed focus on operational effectiveness, risk avoidance and contingency planning. To this end, Uptime Institute has been creating many types of guidance and […]
One of the findings of Uptime Institute’s recently published report Annual outage analysis 2020 is that the most serious categories of outages — those that cause a significant disruption in services — are becoming more severe and more costly. This isn’t entirely surprising: individuals and businesses alike are becoming ever more dependent on IT, and it is […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GettyImages-1202490579-blog.jpg10002700Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-03-30 06:00:592020-03-13 10:57:44Are IT Infrastructure Outages Getting Longer?
Over the past few weeks, Uptime Institute held multiple customer roundtables to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 virus on data center operations and potential operational responses to its spread. We gathered our communities insights and best practices, we combined with our own 25 years worth of infrastructure operational management knowledge and we are now […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/GettyImages-1212420405-blog.jpg10672667Sandra Vailhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngSandra Vail2020-03-17 06:00:572020-03-17 09:44:54COVID-19: IT organizations move from planning to implementation
As enterprises continue to move from a focus on capital expenditures to operating expenditures, more data center components will also be consumed on a pay-as-you-go, “as a service” basis. “-aaS” goes mainstream The trend toward everything “as a service” (XaaS) is now mainstream in IT, ranging from cloud (infrastructure-aaS) and software-aaS (SaaS) to newer offerings, […]
Despite years of discussion, warnings and strict regulations in some countries, data center hot work remains a contentious issue in the data center industry. Hot work is the practice of working on energized electrical circuits (voltage limits differ regionally) — and it is usually done, in spite of the risks, to reduce the possibility of […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Energized-hot-work-cropped-blog.jpg11983242Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2020-02-24 05:30:402020-02-14 15:34:41Phasing Out Data Center Hot Work
Uptime Institute Intelligence plans to release its 2019/2020 outages report shortly. This report will examine the types, causes and impacts of public outages, as well as further analyze the results of a recent Uptime survey on outages and impacts. The data will once again show that serious IT service interruptions are common and costly, with […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GettyImages-1142860861-blog.jpg4461221Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2020-02-10 05:46:282020-01-30 14:56:41The spectre of ransomware
Hardware refresh is the process of replacing older, less efficient servers with newer, more efficient ones with more compute capacity. However, there is a complication to the refresh cycle that is relatively recent: the slowing down of Moore’s law. There is still a very strong case for savings in energy when replacing servers that are […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1017644632-50.jpg9952591Rabih Bashroushhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngRabih Bashroush2020-01-27 05:45:542020-01-27 09:59:00Optimizing server refresh cycles with an aging Moore’s law
Energy use by data centers and IT will continue to rise, putting pressure on energy infrastructure and raising questions about carbon emissions. The drivers for more energy use are simply too great to be offset by efficiency gains. Drivers Demand for digital services has seen sustained, exceptional growth over the past few years — and […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1096717338-blog.jpg17624775Rabih Bashroushhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngRabih Bashroush2020-01-06 06:00:422019-12-19 11:12:47Data center energy use goes up and up and up
In her book “Surveillance Capitalism,” the Harvard scholar Shoshana Zuboff describes how some software and service providers have been collecting vast amounts of data, with the goal of tracking, anticipating, shaping and even controlling the behavior of individuals. She sees it as a threat to individual freedom, to business and to democracy. Zuboff outlines the […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GettyImages-912023604-sm.jpg16884655Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-12-09 06:44:592019-11-27 11:32:34Surveillance Capitalism and DCIM
Separating production and non-production assets should be an operational requirement for most organizations. By definition, production assets support high-priority IT loads — servers that are critical to a business or business unit. In most organizations, IT will have sufficient discretion to place these assets where they have redundant power supplies, sufficient cooling and high levels of […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Separationj.jpg12403387Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2019-11-04 06:00:082019-10-21 10:23:36Non-production IT can hinder mission-critical operations
One of the most widely cited metrics in the IT industry is for availability, expressed in the form of a number of nines: three nines for 99.9% availability (minutes of downtime per year), extending to six nines — 99.9999% — or even, very rarely, seven nines. What this should mean in practice is show in […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Red-Clock-aspect27.jpg13423523Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-10-28 06:05:072019-10-14 15:36:5199 Red Flags
Regulation of Internet giants has focused so far mostly on data privacy, where concerns are relatively well understood by lawmakers and the general public. At the same time, the threat of antitrust action is growing. Congressional hearings in the US with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have begun, and governments in Europe, India and elsewhere […]
In the movie “Mary Poppins,” Mr. Banks sings that a British bank must be run with precision, and that “Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools.” Otherwise, he warns, “Disorder! Chaos!” will ensue. One rule, introduced by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2018, suggests that disorder and chaos might be quite common […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GettyImages-1023248390cropped.jpg18535000Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-10-14 06:00:392019-09-30 11:02:05Outage Reporting in Financial Services
A previous Uptime Intelligence Note suggested that avoiding data center outages might be as simple as trying harder. The Note suggested that management failures are the main reason that enterprises continue to experience downtime incidents, even in fault tolerant facilities. “The Intelligence Trap,” a new book by David Robson, sheds light on why management mistakes continue to […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Blog-Part-Deux.jpg9802643Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2019-10-07 06:15:142019-09-23 10:16:41How to Avoid Outages – Part Deux
Uptime Institute has spent years analyzing the roots causes for data center and service outages, surveying thousands of IT professionals throughout the year on this topic. According to the data, the vast majority of data center failures are caused by human error. Some industry experts report numbers as high as 75%, but Uptime Institute generally reports […]
In the recently published 2019 Uptime Institute supplier survey, participants told us they are witnessing higher than normal data center spending patterns. This is in line with general market trends, driven by the demand for data and digital services. It is also a welcome sign for those suppliers who witnessed a downturn two to three […]
Uptime Institute has long argued that, although it may take many years, the long-term trend is toward a high level of automation in the data center, covering many functions that most managers currently would not trust to machines or outside programmers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made this seem more likely. (For more […]
Today, the role that the physical data center plays in software-defined data centers, particularly facility design and operational management, is often overlooked. However, this is likely to change. As more networking and compute becomes virtualized and flexible, so too must data center resources, in order to achieve maximum agility and efficiency. To virtualize only IT […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/DCIM-BLOG.jpg6931874Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngRhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institute2019-08-26 09:00:482019-08-19 15:24:53DCIM as a Hub: Integrations Make all the difference
Uptime Institute’s Annual outage analysis, published early this year, called attention to the persistent problem of IT service and data center outages. Coupled with our annual survey data on outages, the analysis explains, to a degree, why investments to date have not greatly reduced the outage problem — at least from an end-to-end service view. Gathering […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GOA-chart-2.7aspect.jpg10002700Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2019-08-19 09:00:032019-08-19 15:20:06IT Outages in the Airline Industry, A New Report by the GAO
An artificial intelligence (AI) strategy for data center management and operation requires more than just data and some very smart humans. Selecting specific use cases and understanding the types of data that influence AI outcomes — and then validating those outcomes — will be key if the needs of the business are to be met. […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GettyImages-1135342603-blog.jpg18414928Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngRhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime Institute2019-08-12 08:00:442019-11-18 08:49:50Data center AI: Start with the end in mind
In our October 2018 report, A mission-critical industry unprepared for climate change, Uptime Institute Intelligence urged data center operators and owners to plan for the effects of climate change. We specifically encouraged data center owners and operators to meet with government officials and utility executives to learn about local and regional disaster preparation and response plans. […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/carr-fire-gty-er-180731_hpMain-999x375.png373989Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2019-07-29 08:00:292019-07-07 06:18:23PG&E Turns Power Off (a.k.a. Climate Change and the Data Center)
It is still very early days, but it is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform the way data centers are designed, managed and operated — eventually. There has been a lot of misrepresentation and hype around AI, and it’s not always clear how it will be applied, and when. The Uptime Institute […]
Recently I attended the Data Center Dynamics (DCD) Smart Energy conference in Stockholm. During a panel discussion on energy, data centers and innovation, David Hall (Senior Director of Technology Innovation for Equinix) made two observations, almost in passing, about metrics and monitoring. Both were intriguing and, to my ears, suggested that operators’ thinking about sustainability […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RECOVERY2.jpg4451256Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-07-08 09:00:282019-05-10 15:05:26Recover heat, re-charge power
Sometimes it can be hard to get people to talk about their issues — other times, it can be hard to keep them quiet. A recent Uptime Institute Network member’s meeting began as an open discussion but was soon dominated by one issue: data center staffing. The members’ concerns reflect the growing disquiet in the […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SKILLS-SHORTAGE.jpg9762375Sandra Vailhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngSandra Vail2019-05-22 09:00:482019-05-10 15:03:44The Data Center Staffing and Skills Shortage is here NOW!
One of the more intriguing results of the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2019 concerned energy efficiency. For years, data centers have become ever more efficient, with power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratings across the industry (apparently) falling. Big operators, such as hyperscale cloud companies and big colos, regularly claim annual or design PUE figures […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PUE-line.jpg7181582Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-05-15 11:30:352019-05-17 10:43:52Is PUE actually going UP?
Avoiding IT service outages is a big concern for any operator or service provider, especially one providing a business-critical service. But when an outage does occur, the business impact can vary from “barely noticeable” to “huge and expensive.” Anticipating and modeling the impact of a service interruption should be a part of incident planning and is key […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Outage-red-image.jpg5201371Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institutehttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngAndy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime Institute2019-05-08 09:00:322019-05-10 15:21:27Comparing the severity of IT service outages: Uptime Institute’s Outage Severity Rating
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used in data centers to drive up efficiencies and drive down risks and costs. But it also creates new types of risks. This is one of the findings from a recent Uptime Intelligence research report #25, “Very smart data centers: How artificial intelligence will power operational decisions”, published in April […]
The 1970s-era environmental phrase “Think globally, act locally,” is an apt way for data center operators to consider the best approach to understand and address the effects of climate change on their facilities and IT operations TODAY. Globally, we all hear that climate change threatens to bring warmer temperatures, stronger storms, rising sea levels, and […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Flooding-Hurricane-ClimateChange-851x360.jpg390851Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2019-01-16 15:13:322019-01-16 15:13:32“Think Globally, Act Locally”: Re-Evaluating Data Center Resiliency in the Face of Climate Change
This is a guest post written by Brett Ridley, Head of Central Operations and Facility Management for NEXTDC.NEXTDC is Australia’s leading independent data centre operator with a nationwide network of Uptime Institute certified Tier III and Tier IV facilities. NEXTDC provides enterprise-class colocation services to local and international organisations. If you are interested in participating in […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NextDC-B2-night_851x360.jpg360851Brett Ridleyhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngBrett Ridley2018-09-27 13:58:492019-04-22 10:54:43NEXTDC: Obsessed with the details so our customers’ business is always available
We’ve entered an era where our IT infrastructures are now becoming a compilation of capacity that is spread out and running upon a wide range of platforms; some we completely control, some we control partially and some we don’t control at all. No longer should our IT services discussions start with ‘And in the data center […]
On April 24th, Uptime Institute CTO, Chris Brown, participated in an “Ask the Expert” session on Data Center Infrastructure Management with BrightTALK senior content manager Kelly Harris. The 45-minute session covered topics ranging from best practices of a well-run data center to a list of the most common data center issues Uptime Institute’s global consultant […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ask-the-expert2.png360851Travis Pearlhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngTravis Pearl2018-05-11 16:53:162018-11-20 10:53:16“Ask the Expert”: Data Center Management Q&A with Uptime Institute CTO, Chris Brown
Hazards include server damage from loud noise during discharge of inert gas fire suppression systems By Kevin Heslin, with contributions from Scott Good and Pitt Turner A downtime incident in Europe has rekindled interest in a topic that never seems more than a spark away from becoming a heated discussion. In that incident, the accidental […]
Uptime Institute recently published “Top Considerations for Addressing Data Center Facilities Management Risks,” a guide for reducing data center risks in enterprise IT organizations . The guide comprises 14 top considerations useful for designing and running an enterprise-grade data center facilities management program. The full guide is available for download on the Uptime Institute website. […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Uptime_Institute_Top_Considerations_for_Addressing_Facility_.gif241600Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2017-06-13 08:22:012017-06-13 08:22:01Top Considerations for Addressing Data Center Facilities Management Risks
Nearly perfect M&O Stamp of Approval scores prove that NRI’s data centers operations are world class By Kevin Heslin Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI), a ¥18 billion ($US169 million) company that provides consulting, financial IT solutions, industrial IT solutions, and IT platform services mainly to a global financial marketplace, has earned Uptime Institute Management and […]
New diesel formulations put your generators at risk By Bernard Oegema, Pat Smyth, Brian Ponstein, William “Bill” Klein, and Martin Wesolowski The increased use of biodiesel has increased the risk to the diesel infrastructure of data centers and other facilities first noted with the adoption of ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) in 2006. The U.S. Environmental […]
Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability enhances ENTEL’s services to customers By Kevin Heslin ENTEL began operations in 1964 as a provider of national and international long distance telephone services to companies in Chile. Today it is a consolidated provider of integrated telecommunication services and information technologies services, meeting the needs of corporations and large companies […]
Senior facility manager calls achieving Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability “a dream” By Kevin Heslin The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Finance, Services and Innovation (DFSI) is a government service provider and regulator for the southeastern Australian state. DFSI supports many government functions, including sustainable government finances, major public works and maintenance programs, government […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Unknown.jpeg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2017-01-03 09:29:212017-01-03 09:30:32When an Australian Government Department Required Operational Sustainability, Metronode Delivered
Uptime Institute recently awarded its Efficient IT (EIT) Stamp of Approval to LinkedIn for its new data center in Infomart Portland, signaling that the modern new facility had exceeded extremely high standards for enterprise leadership, operations, and computing infrastructure. These standards are designed to help organizations lower costs and increase efficiency, and leverage technology for […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/linkedinfinal.jpg4751200Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-12-08 08:12:292018-07-12 08:56:17LinkedIn’s Oregon Data Center Goes Live, Gains EIT Stamp of Approval
Uptime Institute has prepared this brief airline outages FAQ to help the industry, media, and general public understand the reasons that data centers fail. The failure of a power control module on Monday, August 8, 2016, at a Delta Airlines data center caused hundreds of flight cancellations, inconvenienced thousands of customers, and cost the airline […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/delta1.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-11-28 12:44:412016-11-28 12:44:41Airline Outages FAQ: How to Keep Your Company Out of the Headlines
Wearable technology and digitized operating procedures ensure compliance with standardized practices and provide quick access to critical information By Jose Ruiz No one in the data center industry questions that data center outages are extremely costly. Numerous vendors report that the average data center outage costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, with losses in some […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/wearables.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-10-24 10:25:162016-10-25 11:16:16Bulky Binders and Operations “Experts” Put Your Data Center at Risk
After commercial DCIM offerings failed to meet RELX Group’s requirements, the team built its own DCIM tool based on the existing IT Services Management Suite By Stephanie Singer What is DCIM? Most people might respond “data center infrastructure management.” However, simply defining the acronym is not enough. The meaning of DCIM is greatly different for […]
In July 2016, Yuval Bachar, principal engineer, Global Infrastructure Architecture and Strategy at LinkedIn announced Open19, a project spearheaded by the social networking service to develop a new specification for server hardware based on a common form factor. The project aims to standardize the physical characteristics of IT equipment, with the goal of cutting costs […]
FORTRUST regards management and operations as a core competency that helps it win new clients and control capital and operating expenses Shortly after receiving word that FORTRUST had earned Uptime Institute’s Tier Certification for Operational Sustainability (Gold) for Phase 7 of its Denver data center, Rob McClary, the company’s executive vice president and general manager, […]
Oil exploration and drilling require HPC By Issa A. Riyani and Nacianceno L. Mendoza Saudi Aramco’s Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Computer Center (ECC) is a three-story data center built in 1982. It is located in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It provides computing capability to the company’s geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers to enable them […]
Operations teams use the Uptime Institute Network’s Abnormal Incident Reports (AIRs) database to enrich site knowledge, enhance preventative maintenance, and improve preparedness By Ron Davis The AIRs system is one of the most valuable resources available to Uptime Institute Network members. It comprises more than 5,000 data center incidents and errors spanning two decades of […]
Peer-based critiques drive continuous improvement, identify lurking data center vulnerabilities By Kevin Heslin Shared information is one of the distinctive features of the Uptime Institute Network and its activities. Under non-disclosure agreements, Network members not only share information, but they also collaborate on projects of mutual interest. Uptime Institute facilitates the information sharing and helps […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/lurkingtop.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-06-30 07:23:422016-07-01 08:24:59Identifying Lurking Vulnerabilities in the World’s Best-Run Data Centers
The team approach helped the Bank earn Uptime Institute’s M&O Stamp of Approval By Matt Stansberry The Bank of Canada is the nation’s central bank. The Bank acts as the fiscal agent of the Canadian government, managing its public debt programs and foreign exchange reserves and setting its monetary policy. It also designs, issues, and […]
How insights from Tier Certification of Constructed Facilities avoids unforeseen costs and errors for all new projects By Kevin Heslin Uptime Institute’s Tier Classification System has been a part of the data center industry lexicon for 20 years. Since its creation in the mid-1990s, the system has evolved into the global standard for third-party validation […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/head.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-05-11 13:44:582016-05-11 13:53:25Avoid Failure and Delay on Capital Projects: Lessons from Tier Certification
Vantage Data Centers certifies design, facility, and operational sustainability at its Quincy, WA site By Mark Johnson In February 2015, Vantage Data Centers earned Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability (TCOS) from Uptime Institute for its first build at its 68-acre Quincy, WA campus. This project is a bespoke design for a customer that […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/vantagecover.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2016-01-19 08:30:402016-01-19 08:30:40Achieving Uptime Institute Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability
Meeting OSHA and NFPA 70E arc flash safety requirements while balancing prevention and production demands By Ed Rafter Uninterruptible uptime, 24 x 7, zero downtime…these are some of the terms that characterize data center business goals for IT clients. Given these demands, facility managers and technicians in the industry are skilled at managing the infrastructure that supports […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/arc.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2015-12-01 11:03:522015-12-01 11:03:52Arc Flash Mitigation in the Data Center
A statistical justification for 24×7 coverage By Richard Van Loo As a result of performing numerous operational assessments at data centers around the world, Uptime Institute has observed that staffing levels at data centers vary greatly from site to site. This observation is discouraging, but not surprising, because while staffing is an important function for […]
By Kevin Heslin and Lee Kirby Driving operational excellence across multiple data centers is exponentially more difficult than managing just one. Technical complexity multiplies as you move to different sites, regions, and countries where codes, cultures, climates, and other factors are different. Organizational complexity further complicates matters when the data centers in your portfolio have […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/herb.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2015-07-20 09:52:582015-07-22 12:42:34AIG Tells How It Raised Its Level of Operations Excellence
By Matt Stansberry and Lee Kirby Driving operational excellence across multiple data centers is exponentially more difficult than managing just one. Technical complexity multiplies as you move to different sites, regions, and countries where codes, cultures, climates and other factors are different. Organizational complexity further complicates matters when the data centers in your portfolio have […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/mo.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2015-06-18 09:54:552015-09-02 21:13:42Meeting the M&O Challenge of Managing a Diverse Data Center Footprint: John Sheputis and Don Jenkins, Infomart
Better information leads to better decisions By Jose Ruiz New tools have dramatically enhanced the ability of data center operators to base decisions regarding capacity planning and operational performance like move, adds, and changes on actual data. The combined use of modeling technologies to effectively calibrate the data center during the commissioning process and the […]
These small devices prevent accidental disconnection of mission critical gear By Scott Good Today IEC plugs are used at the rack-level PDU and the IT device. IEC plugs backing out of sockets create a significant concern, since these plugs feed UPS power to the device. In the past, twist-lock cord caps were used, but these did […]
On March 13, 2015, Data Center Knowledge published an article “ViaWest Accused of Misleading Customers in Las Vegas”. The following is excerpted from the article. ViaWest, the Shaw Communications-owned data center service provider, is being accused of misleading customers about reliability of its Las Vegas data center. Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt’s office has asked […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/1.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2015-03-17 11:56:222015-03-17 12:43:12Data center design goals and certification of proven achievement are not the same
Good MOPs (method of procedure) help humans manage the complexity inherent in data centers By Alfonso Aranda with Lee Kirby Data centers are complex techno–human systems. The number of interrelated and interdependent elements (including the human element) that interact in the normal operation of a data center and the large number of interactions that take […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aranda.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2015-02-25 12:31:562015-03-11 09:41:04The Making of a Good Method of Procedure
An imminent return of service causes a top-to-bottom examination of data center facilities and operations By Rocco Alonzi and Paolo Piro When Sun Life Financial completed a return of service for its data center operations in 2011, the Enterprise Infrastructure (IE) and Corporate Real Estate (CRE) teams immediately saw an opportunity to improve service stability, […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sunlife7.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2015-02-03 09:46:082015-02-11 14:16:59Sun Life Plots Data Center Facilities and Operations Roadmap to Meet Application Demands
Examining the scope of the challenge By David Schirmacher Digital Realty’s 127 properties cover around 24 million square feet of mission-critical data center space in over 30 markets across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and it continues to grow and expand its data center footprint. As senior VP of operations, it’s my job to […]
The fourth annual Uptime Institute Data Center Industry Survey provides an overview of global industry trends by surveying 1,000 data center operators and IT practitioners. Uptime Institute collected responses via email February through April 2014 and presented preliminary results in May 2014 at the 9th Uptime Institute Symposium: Empowering the Data Center Professional. To immediately […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/17-header.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-11-21 15:56:262015-07-24 08:54:12Annual Data Center Industry Survey 2014
Pharmaceutical installs economizers in a live site to improve energy efficiency By Wayne Everett, Dean Scharffenberg, and Coleman Jones McKesson Corporation, the oldest and largest health-care services company in the United States, plays an integral role in meeting the nation’s health-care needs. McKesson is the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America, delivering one-third of all […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/20.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-10-07 11:03:142014-10-07 13:23:49McKesson Retrofits Economizers in Live DC Environment
Removing heat is more effective than adding cooling By Steve Press, with Pitt Turner, IV According to Wikipedia, the term target fixation was used in World War II fighter-bomber pilot training to describe why pilots would sometimes fly into targets during a strafing or bombing run. Since then, others have adopted the term. The phenomenon […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/kaisertop.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-10-07 06:28:102014-10-07 07:48:17Avoid Target Fixation in the Data Center
The lack of transparency can be seen as a root cause of outages and incidents By Jason Weckworth I recently began a keynote speech at Uptime Institute Symposium 2013 by making a bold statement. As data center operators, we simply don’t share enough of our critical facilities incidents with each other. Yet Uptime Institute maintains […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/07.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-09-24 07:54:372014-09-24 07:54:37Data Center Outages, Incidents, and Industry Transparency
Using relevant technologies and techniques to develop an optimized system for addressing data center PQ concerns By Kuochuan Chu For years, engineers and data centers operators have implemented various strategies to improve power quality in mission-critical facilities. We have found, however, that good power quality requires a solid grounding system. By efficiently utilizing the essential […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/17.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-09-08 13:00:062014-09-15 11:17:12New System Combats Data Center PQ Concerns
RoHS-compliant products exacerbate the problem By Christopher Muller, Dr. Prabjit Singh, G. Henry White, and Paul Finch End users have worried about the reliability of electronic gear almost since the introduction of the circuit board. Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS), or lead-free, manufacturing regulations for electronic equipment that went into effect in 2006 only served […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/11.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-09-08 10:01:192014-09-15 13:48:21Solving Air Contaminant Problems in Data Centers
Details of dual-corded power change, but the theme remains the same. Uptime Institute has worked with owners and operators of data centers since the early 1990s. At the time, data center owners used single-corded IT devices for even their most critical IT assets. Figure 1 shows a selection of the many potential sources of outage […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dual-Corded-Power.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-08-18 12:25:402016-10-24 10:27:14Dual-Corded Power and Fault Tolerance: Past, Present, and Future
At Symposium 2013, Erik Ko of Twitter, Hewlett-Packard’s Ken Jackson, and James Pryor of Regions Bank discussed the experience of selecting and implementing DCIM solutions from the end user perspective. The panel was moderated by Uptime Institute’s Kevin Heslin. Earlier that week, Symposium 2013 attendees heard presentations that focused on the potential for DCIM and […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dcim.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-07-23 08:16:432014-07-24 06:12:59Putting DCIM to Work for You
No longer “the best kept secret” the Uptime Institute Network has gone international These interviews with Uptime Institute Network directors Rob Costa, Sylvie Le Roy, and Mozart Mello highlight the qualifications of the Uptime Institute staff working with Network members across the globe and also portray the opportunities for growth and need for the Network […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/network.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-07-21 06:15:142014-07-21 06:15:14Uptime Institute Network Activities Around the Globe
An Uptime Institute survey reveals that best practices and preparation pay dividends In late October 2012, Superstorm Sandy tore through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the U.S., killing over a hundred, leaving millions without power and causing billions of dollars in damage. In the aftermath of the storm, Uptime Institute surveyed data […]
Step-by-step guide to data center cooling best practices will help data center managers take greater advantage of the energy savings opportunities available while providing improved cooling of IT systems The nature of data center temperature management underwent a dramatic evolution when American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) adopted new operating temperature guidelines. […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/04.jpg4751201Kevin Heslinhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngKevin Heslin2014-06-25 11:45:592014-06-25 11:45:59Implementing Data Center Cooling Best Practices
Data center operations and management are increasingly the target of codes that impact safety, communications, and economic systems. Going well beyond the guidelines laid out by NFPA 75 and 76, the new 2011 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) actually provides for regulatory oversight of mission-critical facility management. This video will provide a history of codes […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/elie2.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2014-06-24 08:57:392015-07-13 13:11:23Code mandates for data center operations
In 2013, Barclays removed 9,124 physical servers from its data centers globally, winning Uptime Institute’s Server Roundup competition for the second year running. This effort is part of a server footprint reduction across the entire company. The organization reaped significant cost benefits, but this project has also reduced risk and complexity, providing Barclays’ internal IT […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/25.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2014-06-18 13:40:172014-06-18 13:40:17Server Decommissioning as a Discipline: Paul Nally, Barclays
Cleaning up your act: A guide to exhaust standards By Lamont Fortune, PE, United Health Group Are your diesel generators used strictly for emergency or non-emergency purposes? Your answer to this question will tell you just how clean your diesel exhaust has to be by 2015 (and as early as 2014) as far as the […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/011.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2014-05-19 10:54:402014-06-18 10:28:20Diesel exhaust after treatment for data centers
Don’t pit man against machine By Charles Selkirk, ATD While data centers in Southern Africa utilize world-class designs and construction techniques, ongoing operational sustainability models struggle to attract and retain sufficient qualified and motivated personnel, in part due to the lack of recognition of the importance of their work (unless something goes wrong!). The Uptime […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/31.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2014-05-16 04:10:222014-06-27 07:37:06How business practices can impair data center availability
Excel is the basis of a surprisingly simple visual tool to document underfloor conditions By Chad Beery, ATD Engineers regularly employ pictures and drawings to communicate design ideas. They sketch on whiteboards during a meeting, talk with their hands and sometimes even sketch on the back of napkins. In fact, the deliverables produced by design […]
https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/29.jpg4751201Matt Stansberryhttps://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UI_logo_blue_240x88.pngMatt Stansberry2014-05-08 08:12:112017-12-13 08:36:58Documenting Underfloor Conditions in an Operational Data Center
Direct liquid cooling: pressure is rising but constraints remain
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute IntelligenceDirect liquid cooling (DLC) is a collection of techniques that removes heat by circulating a coolant to IT electronics. Even though the process is far more efficient than using air, the move to liquid cooling has been largely confined to select applications in high-performance computing to cool extreme high-density IT systems. There are a few […]
The ultimate liquid cooling: heat rejection into water
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Jacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime InstituteUptime Institute’s data on power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a testament to the progress the data center industry has made in energy efficiency over the past 10 years. However, global average PUEs have been largely stalling at close to 1.6 since 2018, with only marginal gains. This makes sense: for the average figure to show […]
Cloud SLAs punish, not compensate
/in Executive, Operations /by Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime InstituteA service level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a cloud provider and a user. The SLA describes the provider’s minimum level of service, specified by performance metrics, and the compensation due to the user should the provider fail to deliver this service. In practice, however, this compensation is punitive. It seems designed to punish […]
Outages: understanding the human factor
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAnalyzing human error — with a view to preventing it — has always been challenging for data center operators. The cause of a failure can lie in how well a process was taught, how tired, well trained or resourced the staff are, or whether the equipment itself was unnecessarily difficult to operate. There are also […]
Is concern over cloud and third-party outages increasing?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAs a result of some high-profile outages and the growing interest in running critical services in a public cloud, the reliability — and transparency — of public cloud services has come under scrutiny. Cloud services are designed to operate with low failure rates. Large (at-scale) cloud and IT service providers, such as Amazon Web Services, […]
The weakest link dictates cloud outage compensation
/in Executive, Operations /by Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime InstituteCloud providers offer services that are assembled by users into applications. An outage of any single cloud service can render an application unavailable. Importantly, cloud providers guarantee the availability of individual services, not of entire applications. Even if a whole application becomes unresponsive due to a provider outage, compensation is only due for the individual […]
The shock waves from Ukraine
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteHow is the Ukraine conflict affecting digital infrastructure and the data sector? In response to multiple queries, Uptime Institute Intelligence identified six main areas where operators and customers of digital infrastructure are experiencing effects from the conflict or will do so soon, not just in Europe but globally. (In Russia and Ukraine there are over […]
Cloud generations drive down prices
/in Executive, Operations /by Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime InstituteCloud providers need to deliver the newest capability to stay relevant. Few enterprises will accept working with outdated technology just because it’s consumable as a cloud service. However, existing cloud instances don’t migrate automatically. Similarly to on-premises server infrastructure, users need to refresh their cloud services regularly. Typically, cloud operators prefer product continuity between generations, […]
Industry consensus on sustainability looks fragile
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstitutePressed by a sense of urgency among scientists and the wider public, and by governments and investors who must fulfil promises made at COP (Conference of the Parties) summits, major businesses are facing ever more stringent sustainability reporting requirements. Big energy users, such as data centers, are in the firing line. Many of the reporting […]
Why cloud is a kludge of complexity
/in Executive, Operations /by Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime InstituteThe cloud model was designed to be simple and nimble. Simple and nimble doesn’t necessarily mean fit for purpose. Over the past decade, new layers of capability have been added to cloud to address its shortcomings. While this has created more options and greater functionality, it has also meant greater complexity in its management. Today, […]
Direct liquid cooling bubbles to the surface
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Lenny Simon, Senior Research Associate, Uptime InstituteConditions will soon be ripe for widespread use of direct liquid cooling (DLC) — a collection of techniques that uses fluid to remove heat from IT electronics instead of air — and it may even become essential. Currently, air cooling is still dominant with DLC remaining a niche option — around 85% of enterprise IT […]
Data center operators ponder the nuclear option
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAs major businesses feel a growing sense of urgency to dramatically cut carbon emissions, opinions are starting to shift in favor of nuclear power, which is not classed as clean, but is a near-zero carbon energy source. The digital infrastructure industry, a major global consumer of energy, has a role to play in rehabilitating nuclear, […]
Flexibility drives cloud lock-in risk
/in Executive, Operations /by Dr. Owen Rogers, Research Director for Cloud Computing, Uptime InstituteVendor lock-in is regularly levied as a criticism of cloud services. But the reality of IT is, there has always been lock-in. Even before cloud, enterprises were locked into hardware, operating systems, database platforms, data centers and network providers. Practically, the lock-in challenge with cloud isn’t that moving from one location or platform is not […]
Data center operators give themselves a “Fail” for sustainability
/in Executive, Operations /by Lenny Simon, Senior Research Associate, Uptime InstituteThe global data center industry describes its own sustainability performance as average, compared with other industries — and most think efforts are not substantially reducing environmental impacts. A recent Uptime Institute global survey of over 400 data center owners and operators asked whether the industry’s environmental commitments are effective in curbing data center energy use, […]
Concerns over cloud concentration risk grow
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteControl over critical digital infrastructure is increasingly in the hands of a small number of major providers. While a public cloud provides a flexible, stable and distributed IT environment, there are growing concerns around its operational resiliency.
Climate change: More operators prepare to weather the storms
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteTo track changing attitudes and responses to climate change and the related threats to infrastructure, Uptime Institute Intelligence concluded two global surveys in the fourth quarters of 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Mixed resiliency at the edge
/in Design, Operations /by Dr. Tomas Rahkonen, Research Director of Distributed Data Centers, Uptime InstituteMany analysts have forecast an explosion in demand for edge data centers. After a long, slow start, demand is beginning to build, with small, prefabricated and mostly remotely operated data centers ready to be deployed to support a varying array of applications.
Does the spread of direct liquid cooling make PUE less relevant?
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Jacqueline Davis, Research Analyst, Uptime InstituteThe power usage effectiveness (PUE) metric is predominant thanks to its universal applicability and its simplicity: energy used by the entire data center, divided by energy used by the IT equipment.
New ASHRAE guidelines challenge efficiency drive
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute IntelligenceEarlier in 2021, ASHRAE’s Technical Committee 9.9 published an update — the fifth edition — of its Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments.
Too big to fail? Facebook’s global outage
/in Executive, News, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteThe bigger the outage, the greater the need for explanations and, most importantly, for taking steps to avoid a repeat.
Vertiv’s DCIM ambitions wither on Trellis’ demise
/in Executive, News, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteOperators often say that data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software is a necessary evil. Modern facilities need centralized, real-time management and analytics, but DCIM is notoriously difficult to deploy.
Startups brew new chemistries for fresh battery types
/in Executive, Operations /by Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute IntelligenceWidespread net-zero carbon emission pledges are spurring innovative data center battery technologies.
Fastly outage underscores slow creep of digital services risk
/in Executive, News, Operations /by Daniel Bizo, Research Director, Uptime Institute IntelligenceA recent outage at content delivery network Fastly took down thousands of websites in different countries, including big names, such as Amazon, Twitter and Spotify, for nearly an hour. It is the latest large outage highlighting the downside of a key trend in digital infrastructure: The growth in dependency on digital service providers can undermine […]
Pandemic has driven up data center costs
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAs the pandemic began to make an impact in early 2020, it became clear that data center operators were going to have to invest more if they were to provide the services on which their customers were increasingly reliant. Short-term needs included protective equipment, deep cleaning and, it seemed likely, more spending to support extended […]
Renewable energy and data centers: Buyer, be aware
/in Executive, Operations /by Jay Dietrich, Research Director of Sustainability, Uptime InstituteAcross the world, data center owners and managers are striving to buy more renewable energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The global internet giants and the largest colocation companies have led the way with huge green energy purchases. But the impact of renewable energy on the grid operator’s economics, and on the critical […]
The insider threat: Social engineering is raising security risks
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteUptime Institute Members say one of their most vexing security concerns is the insider threat — authorized staff, vendors or visitors acting with malicious intent. In extreme examples, trusted individuals could power down servers and other equipment, damage network equipment, cut fiber paths, or steal data from servers or wipe the associated storage. Unfortunately, data […]
Data center insecurity: Online exposure threatens critical systems
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteIn early March 2021, a hacker group publicly exposed the username and password of an administrative account of a security camera vendor. The credentials enabled them to access 150,000 commercial security systems and, potentially, set up subsequent attacks on other critical equipment. A few weeks earlier, leaked credentials for the collaboration software TeamViewer gave hackers […]
Datacenter Fire Frequency
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteThe catastrophic fire that occurred at OVHcloud’s SBG2 data center in Strasbourg, France (see last week’s blog about it) has led many operators to question their vulnerability to fires. Fires at data centers are a constant concern, but are rare. In almost all cases of data center fire, the source is quickly located, the equipment isolated, […]
Extreme weather affects nearly half of data centers
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteRecent extreme weather-related events in the US (the big freeze in Texas, fires on the west coast) have once again highlighted the need for data center operators to reassess their risks in the face of climate change. The topic is discussed in depth in the Uptime Institute report (available to Uptime Institute members) entitled, The gathering […]
Extreme cold — a neglected threat to availability?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteIn Uptime Institute’s recent report on preparing for the extreme effects of climate change, there were over a dozen references to the dangers of extremely hot weather, which can overwhelm cooling systems and trigger regional fires that disrupt power, connectivity and staff access. But the effects of extreme cold were discussed only in passing. The […]
Data center staff on-site: engineering specialists or generalists?
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteThe pandemic has led to a renewed interest by data center managers in remote monitoring, management and automation. Uptime Institute has fielded dozens of inquiries about these approaches in recent months, but one in particular stands out: What will operational automation and machine learning mean for on-site staff requirements? With greater automation, the expectation is […]
Accountability – the “new” imperative
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteOutsourcing the requirement to own and operate data center capacity is the cornerstone of many digital transformation strategies, with almost every large enterprise spreading their workloads across their own data centers, colocation sites and public cloud. But ask any regulator, any chief executive, any customer: You can’t outsource responsibility — for incidents, outages, security breaches […]
Five Trends for 2021: accountability, automation, edge, sustainability, innovation
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteWhat we can expect for mission-critical digital infrastructure in 2021? Each autumn Uptime Institute, like many other organizations, puts together a list of some of the big trends and themes for the year ahead. This time, we have focused on five big trends that might not have been so obvious 12 months ago. Heading into […]
PUE: The golden metric is looking rusty
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteWhen the PUE (power usage effectiveness) metric was first discussed at a meeting of The Green Grid in Santa Clara, back in 2007, a microphone stand was placed in each aisle of the auditorium. The importance of the initiative was understood even then: experts, including the founders of Uptime Institute, formed lines to give their […]
Why data center operators are investing in more redundancy
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteWhen Uptime Institute recently asked over 300 data center managers how the pandemic would change their operations, one answer stood out: Two-thirds expect to increase the resiliency of their core data center(s) in the years ahead. Many said they expected their costs to increase as a result. The reasoning is clear: the pandemic — or […]
Infographic: Data Center Industry Staffing Shortage is Getting Worse
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteData Centers and Thunder, Lightning, Wind and Rain
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Chris BrownData centers are built and sited to withstand all that Mother Nature can throw at them — or at least, is likely to throw at them — during their lifecycle. This has long been a given, practiced and understood by designers, planners and regulators. But climate change is changing everything. Recent weather events have led […]
Will the pandemic accelerate the move to public cloud?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAs the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, many people have suggested that the business case for enterprises to move more workloads to the public cloud has been strengthened. Some have argued that the pandemic will accelerate the decline of the enterprise data center. Is this actually the case? And if so, why? This is one of […]
Data Centers and Wildfires
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAs will be discussed in our upcoming note about managing data center with the severe weather caused by climate change, we continue to highlight the need for data center managers to not only review existing emergency plans but also anticipate previously unforeseen challenges. The need to understand the new ‘Normal’ Which brings us to wildfires… […]
Pandemics: Operators plan to be ready next time
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteData center managers, on both the facilities and the IT side of operations, are known for their preparedness. Even so, the pandemic caught most by surprise. Few had an effective pandemic plan in place, and most had to react and adapt on the fly, as best as they could. A small but significant number suffered […]
Data center workforce diversity makes good business sense
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteIncreasingly, data centers cannot find qualified candidates for open jobs. Companies that commit to diverse and inclusive workplaces are more likely to have better financial performance; greater innovation and productivity; and higher employee-ambassador recruitment, employee retention and employee job satisfaction rates.
Which regions have the most energy efficient data centers?
/in Design, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteWhen the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) metric for data centers was first agreed upon by the members of The Green Grid back in 2007, almost everyone in that crowded room in California agreed: This is not intended to be used as comparative metric across sites (as every situation is different) but it would be an […]
Humidity and COVID-19 in data centers
/in Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteData center managers have gone to some lengths to avoid transmission of the COVID-19 virus in their facilities. Fortunately, many factors help keep transmission rates low in data centers: few staff are required; most jobs do not require close physical interaction with colleagues; and air filtration may help to reduce, if not necessarily eliminate, airborne […]
Cleaning a data center: Contractors vs. DIY
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinModern data centers are rarely dirty places, but even so, most are a lot cleaner now than they were before COVID-19 became a concern. A recent Uptime Institute survey, conducted in response to the pandemic, found that about two-thirds (68%) of data center owners/operators recently deep cleaned their facilities, and more than 80% recently sanitized […]
COVID-19: Critical impact and legacy
/in Executive, News, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteWhat will be the long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital critical infrastructure industry? It may be too soon to ask the question given that, at the time of writing, the virus is taking its toll at scale across the world. But Uptime Institute has been asked this question many times, and it’s […]
Data Center cleaning and sanitization: detail, cost and effectiveness
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinFear of the coronavirus or confirmed exposure has caused about half (49%) of data center owners to increase the frequency of regular cleanings, according to a recent Uptime Institute flash survey. Even more (66%) have increased the frequency of sanitization (disinfection) to eliminate (however transitorily) any possible presence of the novel coronavirus in their facilities. […]
COVID-19: What worries data center management the most?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteTo date, the critical infrastructure industry has mostly managed effectively with reduced staff, deferred maintenance, social distancing and new patterns of demand. While there have been some serious incidents and outages directly related to the pandemic, these have been few. But what worries operators for the months ahead? Clearly, the situation is changing all the […]
Pandemic is causing some outages and slowdowns
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteTo date, media coverage of the impact of COVID-19 and the lockdowns has been largely laudatory. There have been few high profile or serious outages (perhaps fewer than normal) and for the most part, internet traffic flow analysis shows that a sudden jump in demand, along with a shift toward the residential edge and busy […]
Data center PUEs flat since 2013
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteThe average power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio for a data center in 2020 is 1.58, only marginally better than 7 years ago, according to the latest annual Uptime Institute survey (findings to be published shortly). PUE, an international standard first developed by The Green Grid and others in 2007, is the most widely accepted way […]
COVID-19: Q&A (Part 3): Deferred Maintenance, Remote Work, Supply Chain, Long-Term Outlook
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteThe final installment of our Q&A regarding digital infrastructure considerations during the COVID19 crisis includes Deferred Maintenance, Remote Word, Supply Chain, Tier Standard and Long-Term Outlook Below is Part 3 of the Q&A responses brought up during our recent series of webinars about managing operational risk during the COVID19 crisis. (Part 1 dealt with Staffing and […]
COVID-19: Q&A (Part 2): Site Sanitation and Security
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteHere is Part 2 of our Q&A regarding digital infrastructure considerations during the COVID19 crisis. Keep in mind that we are all handling this crisis in varied ways, and learning from each other along the way. In that process, we really ARE all finding our own “New Normal” and ultimately we will come out of […]
COVID-19: Q&A (Part 1): Staff Management
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteWe are all in this together. We are all finding our own “New Normal”. We are all learning from each other and will come out of this crisis stronger due to the renewed focus on operational effectiveness, risk avoidance and contingency planning. To this end, Uptime Institute has been creating many types of guidance and […]
Are IT Infrastructure Outages Getting Longer?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteOne of the findings of Uptime Institute’s recently published report Annual outage analysis 2020 is that the most serious categories of outages — those that cause a significant disruption in services — are becoming more severe and more costly. This isn’t entirely surprising: individuals and businesses alike are becoming ever more dependent on IT, and it is […]
COVID-19: IT organizations move from planning to implementation
/in Executive, News, Operations /by Sandra VailOver the past few weeks, Uptime Institute held multiple customer roundtables to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 virus on data center operations and potential operational responses to its spread. We gathered our communities insights and best practices, we combined with our own 25 years worth of infrastructure operational management knowledge and we are now […]
Pay-as-you-go model spreads to critical components
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteAs enterprises continue to move from a focus on capital expenditures to operating expenditures, more data center components will also be consumed on a pay-as-you-go, “as a service” basis. “-aaS” goes mainstream The trend toward everything “as a service” (XaaS) is now mainstream in IT, ranging from cloud (infrastructure-aaS) and software-aaS (SaaS) to newer offerings, […]
Phasing Out Data Center Hot Work
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinDespite years of discussion, warnings and strict regulations in some countries, data center hot work remains a contentious issue in the data center industry. Hot work is the practice of working on energized electrical circuits (voltage limits differ regionally) — and it is usually done, in spite of the risks, to reduce the possibility of […]
The spectre of ransomware
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteUptime Institute Intelligence plans to release its 2019/2020 outages report shortly. This report will examine the types, causes and impacts of public outages, as well as further analyze the results of a recent Uptime survey on outages and impacts. The data will once again show that serious IT service interruptions are common and costly, with […]
Optimizing server refresh cycles with an aging Moore’s law
/in Executive, Operations /by Rabih BashroushHardware refresh is the process of replacing older, less efficient servers with newer, more efficient ones with more compute capacity. However, there is a complication to the refresh cycle that is relatively recent: the slowing down of Moore’s law. There is still a very strong case for savings in energy when replacing servers that are […]
Data center energy use goes up and up and up
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Rabih BashroushEnergy use by data centers and IT will continue to rise, putting pressure on energy infrastructure and raising questions about carbon emissions. The drivers for more energy use are simply too great to be offset by efficiency gains. Drivers Demand for digital services has seen sustained, exceptional growth over the past few years — and […]
Surveillance Capitalism and DCIM
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteIn her book “Surveillance Capitalism,” the Harvard scholar Shoshana Zuboff describes how some software and service providers have been collecting vast amounts of data, with the goal of tracking, anticipating, shaping and even controlling the behavior of individuals. She sees it as a threat to individual freedom, to business and to democracy. Zuboff outlines the […]
Non-production IT can hinder mission-critical operations
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinSeparating production and non-production assets should be an operational requirement for most organizations. By definition, production assets support high-priority IT loads — servers that are critical to a business or business unit. In most organizations, IT will have sufficient discretion to place these assets where they have redundant power supplies, sufficient cooling and high levels of […]
99 Red Flags
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteOne of the most widely cited metrics in the IT industry is for availability, expressed in the form of a number of nines: three nines for 99.9% availability (minutes of downtime per year), extending to six nines — 99.9999% — or even, very rarely, seven nines. What this should mean in practice is show in […]
Big Tech Regulations: an UPSIDE for Cloud customers?
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteRegulation of Internet giants has focused so far mostly on data privacy, where concerns are relatively well understood by lawmakers and the general public. At the same time, the threat of antitrust action is growing. Congressional hearings in the US with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have begun, and governments in Europe, India and elsewhere […]
Outage Reporting in Financial Services
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteIn the movie “Mary Poppins,” Mr. Banks sings that a British bank must be run with precision, and that “Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools.” Otherwise, he warns, “Disorder! Chaos!” will ensue. One rule, introduced by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2018, suggests that disorder and chaos might be quite common […]
How to Avoid Outages – Part Deux
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinA previous Uptime Intelligence Note suggested that avoiding data center outages might be as simple as trying harder. The Note suggested that management failures are the main reason that enterprises continue to experience downtime incidents, even in fault tolerant facilities. “The Intelligence Trap,” a new book by David Robson, sheds light on why management mistakes continue to […]
How to avoid outages: Try harder!
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinUptime Institute has spent years analyzing the roots causes for data center and service outages, surveying thousands of IT professionals throughout the year on this topic. According to the data, the vast majority of data center failures are caused by human error. Some industry experts report numbers as high as 75%, but Uptime Institute generally reports […]
Troubling for operators: Capacity forecasting and maintaining cost competitiveness
/in Executive, Operations /by Rabih BashroushIn the recently published 2019 Uptime Institute supplier survey, participants told us they are witnessing higher than normal data center spending patterns. This is in line with general market trends, driven by the demand for data and digital services. It is also a welcome sign for those suppliers who witnessed a downturn two to three […]
The Evolving Data Center Management Maturity Model, A Quick Update
/in Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteUptime Institute has long argued that, although it may take many years, the long-term trend is toward a high level of automation in the data center, covering many functions that most managers currently would not trust to machines or outside programmers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made this seem more likely. (For more […]
DCIM as a Hub: Integrations Make all the difference
/in Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteToday, the role that the physical data center plays in software-defined data centers, particularly facility design and operational management, is often overlooked. However, this is likely to change. As more networking and compute becomes virtualized and flexible, so too must data center resources, in order to achieve maximum agility and efficiency. To virtualize only IT […]
IT Outages in the Airline Industry, A New Report by the GAO
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinUptime Institute’s Annual outage analysis, published early this year, called attention to the persistent problem of IT service and data center outages. Coupled with our annual survey data on outages, the analysis explains, to a degree, why investments to date have not greatly reduced the outage problem — at least from an end-to-end service view. Gathering […]
Data center AI: Start with the end in mind
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteAn artificial intelligence (AI) strategy for data center management and operation requires more than just data and some very smart humans. Selecting specific use cases and understanding the types of data that influence AI outcomes — and then validating those outcomes — will be key if the needs of the business are to be met. […]
PG&E Turns Power Off (a.k.a. Climate Change and the Data Center)
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinIn our October 2018 report, A mission-critical industry unprepared for climate change, Uptime Institute Intelligence urged data center operators and owners to plan for the effects of climate change. We specifically encouraged data center owners and operators to meet with government officials and utility executives to learn about local and regional disaster preparation and response plans. […]
Artificial Intelligence in the Data Center: Myth versus Reality
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteIt is still very early days, but it is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform the way data centers are designed, managed and operated — eventually. There has been a lot of misrepresentation and hype around AI, and it’s not always clear how it will be applied, and when. The Uptime Institute […]
Recover heat, re-charge power
/in Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteRecently I attended the Data Center Dynamics (DCD) Smart Energy conference in Stockholm. During a panel discussion on energy, data centers and innovation, David Hall (Senior Director of Technology Innovation for Equinix) made two observations, almost in passing, about metrics and monitoring. Both were intriguing and, to my ears, suggested that operators’ thinking about sustainability […]
The Data Center Staffing and Skills Shortage is here NOW!
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Sandra VailSometimes it can be hard to get people to talk about their issues — other times, it can be hard to keep them quiet. A recent Uptime Institute Network member’s meeting began as an open discussion but was soon dominated by one issue: data center staffing. The members’ concerns reflect the growing disquiet in the […]
Is PUE actually going UP?
/in Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteOne of the more intriguing results of the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2019 concerned energy efficiency. For years, data centers have become ever more efficient, with power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratings across the industry (apparently) falling. Big operators, such as hyperscale cloud companies and big colos, regularly claim annual or design PUE figures […]
Comparing the severity of IT service outages: Uptime Institute’s Outage Severity Rating
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research, Uptime InstituteAvoiding IT service outages is a big concern for any operator or service provider, especially one providing a business-critical service. But when an outage does occur, the business impact can vary from “barely noticeable” to “huge and expensive.” Anticipating and modeling the impact of a service interruption should be a part of incident planning and is key […]
Data Center AI (Artificial Intelligence) Creates New Risks
/in Executive, Operations /by Rhonda Ascierto, Vice President, Research, Uptime InstituteArtificial intelligence (AI) is being used in data centers to drive up efficiencies and drive down risks and costs. But it also creates new types of risks. This is one of the findings from a recent Uptime Intelligence research report #25, “Very smart data centers: How artificial intelligence will power operational decisions”, published in April […]
“Think Globally, Act Locally”: Re-Evaluating Data Center Resiliency in the Face of Climate Change
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinThe 1970s-era environmental phrase “Think globally, act locally,” is an apt way for data center operators to consider the best approach to understand and address the effects of climate change on their facilities and IT operations TODAY. Globally, we all hear that climate change threatens to bring warmer temperatures, stronger storms, rising sea levels, and […]
NEXTDC: Obsessed with the details so our customers’ business is always available
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Brett RidleyThis is a guest post written by Brett Ridley, Head of Central Operations and Facility Management for NEXTDC.NEXTDC is Australia’s leading independent data centre operator with a nationwide network of Uptime Institute certified Tier III and Tier IV facilities. NEXTDC provides enterprise-class colocation services to local and international organisations. If you are interested in participating in […]
Mission Critical Computing Fabric
/in Executive, Operations /by Mark HarrisWe’ve entered an era where our IT infrastructures are now becoming a compilation of capacity that is spread out and running upon a wide range of platforms; some we completely control, some we control partially and some we don’t control at all. No longer should our IT services discussions start with ‘And in the data center […]
“Ask the Expert”: Data Center Management Q&A with Uptime Institute CTO, Chris Brown
/in Operations /by Travis PearlOn April 24th, Uptime Institute CTO, Chris Brown, participated in an “Ask the Expert” session on Data Center Infrastructure Management with BrightTALK senior content manager Kelly Harris. The 45-minute session covered topics ranging from best practices of a well-run data center to a list of the most common data center issues Uptime Institute’s global consultant […]
Fire Suppression Systems Bring Unexpected Risk
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinHazards include server damage from loud noise during discharge of inert gas fire suppression systems By Kevin Heslin, with contributions from Scott Good and Pitt Turner A downtime incident in Europe has rekindled interest in a topic that never seems more than a spark away from becoming a heated discussion. In that incident, the accidental […]
Top Considerations for Addressing Data Center Facilities Management Risks
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinUptime Institute recently published “Top Considerations for Addressing Data Center Facilities Management Risks,” a guide for reducing data center risks in enterprise IT organizations . The guide comprises 14 top considerations useful for designing and running an enterprise-grade data center facilities management program. The full guide is available for download on the Uptime Institute website. […]
Japan’s Biggest Provider of Critical IT Services Earns M&O Stamp of Approval
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinNearly perfect M&O Stamp of Approval scores prove that NRI’s data centers operations are world class By Kevin Heslin Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI), a ¥18 billion ($US169 million) company that provides consulting, financial IT solutions, industrial IT solutions, and IT platform services mainly to a global financial marketplace, has earned Uptime Institute Management and […]
Reconsider Your Diesel Fuel Supply
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinNew diesel formulations put your generators at risk By Bernard Oegema, Pat Smyth, Brian Ponstein, William “Bill” Klein, and Martin Wesolowski The increased use of biodiesel has increased the risk to the diesel infrastructure of data centers and other facilities first noted with the adoption of ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) in 2006. The U.S. Environmental […]
ENTEL Achieves Uptime Institute Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinTier Certification of Operational Sustainability enhances ENTEL’s services to customers By Kevin Heslin ENTEL began operations in 1964 as a provider of national and international long distance telephone services to companies in Chile. Today it is a consolidated provider of integrated telecommunication services and information technologies services, meeting the needs of corporations and large companies […]
When an Australian Government Department Required Operational Sustainability, Metronode Delivered
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinSenior facility manager calls achieving Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability “a dream” By Kevin Heslin The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Finance, Services and Innovation (DFSI) is a government service provider and regulator for the southeastern Australian state. DFSI supports many government functions, including sustainable government finances, major public works and maintenance programs, government […]
LinkedIn’s Oregon Data Center Goes Live, Gains EIT Stamp of Approval
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinUptime Institute recently awarded its Efficient IT (EIT) Stamp of Approval to LinkedIn for its new data center in Infomart Portland, signaling that the modern new facility had exceeded extremely high standards for enterprise leadership, operations, and computing infrastructure. These standards are designed to help organizations lower costs and increase efficiency, and leverage technology for […]
Airline Outages FAQ: How to Keep Your Company Out of the Headlines
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinUptime Institute has prepared this brief airline outages FAQ to help the industry, media, and general public understand the reasons that data centers fail. The failure of a power control module on Monday, August 8, 2016, at a Delta Airlines data center caused hundreds of flight cancellations, inconvenienced thousands of customers, and cost the airline […]
Bulky Binders and Operations “Experts” Put Your Data Center at Risk
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinWearable technology and digitized operating procedures ensure compliance with standardized practices and provide quick access to critical information By Jose Ruiz No one in the data center industry questions that data center outages are extremely costly. Numerous vendors report that the average data center outage costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, with losses in some […]
If You Can’t Buy Effective DCIM, Build It
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinAfter commercial DCIM offerings failed to meet RELX Group’s requirements, the team built its own DCIM tool based on the existing IT Services Management Suite By Stephanie Singer What is DCIM? Most people might respond “data center infrastructure management.” However, simply defining the acronym is not enough. The meaning of DCIM is greatly different for […]
Open19 is About Improving Hardware Choices, Standardizing Deployment
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryIn July 2016, Yuval Bachar, principal engineer, Global Infrastructure Architecture and Strategy at LinkedIn announced Open19, a project spearheaded by the social networking service to develop a new specification for server hardware based on a common form factor. The project aims to standardize the physical characteristics of IT equipment, with the goal of cutting costs […]
FORTRUST Gains Competitive Advantage from Management and Operations
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinFORTRUST regards management and operations as a core competency that helps it win new clients and control capital and operating expenses Shortly after receiving word that FORTRUST had earned Uptime Institute’s Tier Certification for Operational Sustainability (Gold) for Phase 7 of its Denver data center, Rob McClary, the company’s executive vice president and general manager, […]
Saudi Aramco’s Cold Aisle Containment Saves Energy
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinOil exploration and drilling require HPC By Issa A. Riyani and Nacianceno L. Mendoza Saudi Aramco’s Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Computer Center (ECC) is a three-story data center built in 1982. It is located in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It provides computing capability to the company’s geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers to enable them […]
Data-Driven Approach to Reduce Failures
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinOperations teams use the Uptime Institute Network’s Abnormal Incident Reports (AIRs) database to enrich site knowledge, enhance preventative maintenance, and improve preparedness By Ron Davis The AIRs system is one of the most valuable resources available to Uptime Institute Network members. It comprises more than 5,000 data center incidents and errors spanning two decades of […]
Identifying Lurking Vulnerabilities in the World’s Best-Run Data Centers
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinPeer-based critiques drive continuous improvement, identify lurking data center vulnerabilities By Kevin Heslin Shared information is one of the distinctive features of the Uptime Institute Network and its activities. Under non-disclosure agreements, Network members not only share information, but they also collaborate on projects of mutual interest. Uptime Institute facilitates the information sharing and helps […]
Bank of Canada Achieves Operational Excellence
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinThe team approach helped the Bank earn Uptime Institute’s M&O Stamp of Approval By Matt Stansberry The Bank of Canada is the nation’s central bank. The Bank acts as the fiscal agent of the Canadian government, managing its public debt programs and foreign exchange reserves and setting its monetary policy. It also designs, issues, and […]
Avoid Failure and Delay on Capital Projects: Lessons from Tier Certification
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinHow insights from Tier Certification of Constructed Facilities avoids unforeseen costs and errors for all new projects By Kevin Heslin Uptime Institute’s Tier Classification System has been a part of the data center industry lexicon for 20 years. Since its creation in the mid-1990s, the system has evolved into the global standard for third-party validation […]
Achieving Uptime Institute Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinVantage Data Centers certifies design, facility, and operational sustainability at its Quincy, WA site By Mark Johnson In February 2015, Vantage Data Centers earned Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability (TCOS) from Uptime Institute for its first build at its 68-acre Quincy, WA campus. This project is a bespoke design for a customer that […]
Arc Flash Mitigation in the Data Center
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinMeeting OSHA and NFPA 70E arc flash safety requirements while balancing prevention and production demands By Ed Rafter Uninterruptible uptime, 24 x 7, zero downtime…these are some of the terms that characterize data center business goals for IT clients. Given these demands, facility managers and technicians in the industry are skilled at managing the infrastructure that supports […]
Failure Doesn’t Keep Business Hours: 24×7 Coverage
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinA statistical justification for 24×7 coverage By Richard Van Loo As a result of performing numerous operational assessments at data centers around the world, Uptime Institute has observed that staffing levels at data centers vary greatly from site to site. This observation is discouraging, but not surprising, because while staffing is an important function for […]
AIG Tells How It Raised Its Level of Operations Excellence
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinBy Kevin Heslin and Lee Kirby Driving operational excellence across multiple data centers is exponentially more difficult than managing just one. Technical complexity multiplies as you move to different sites, regions, and countries where codes, cultures, climates, and other factors are different. Organizational complexity further complicates matters when the data centers in your portfolio have […]
Meeting the M&O Challenge of Managing a Diverse Data Center Footprint: John Sheputis and Don Jenkins, Infomart
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinBy Matt Stansberry and Lee Kirby Driving operational excellence across multiple data centers is exponentially more difficult than managing just one. Technical complexity multiplies as you move to different sites, regions, and countries where codes, cultures, climates and other factors are different. Organizational complexity further complicates matters when the data centers in your portfolio have […]
The Calibrated Data Center: Using Predictive Modeling
/in Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinBetter information leads to better decisions By Jose Ruiz New tools have dramatically enhanced the ability of data center operators to base decisions regarding capacity planning and operational performance like move, adds, and changes on actual data. The combined use of modeling technologies to effectively calibrate the data center during the commissioning process and the […]
Retainers Improve the Effectiveness of IEC Plugs
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinThese small devices prevent accidental disconnection of mission critical gear By Scott Good Today IEC plugs are used at the rack-level PDU and the IT device. IEC plugs backing out of sockets create a significant concern, since these plugs feed UPS power to the device. In the past, twist-lock cord caps were used, but these did […]
Data center design goals and certification of proven achievement are not the same
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Matt StansberryOn March 13, 2015, Data Center Knowledge published an article “ViaWest Accused of Misleading Customers in Las Vegas”. The following is excerpted from the article. ViaWest, the Shaw Communications-owned data center service provider, is being accused of misleading customers about reliability of its Las Vegas data center. Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt’s office has asked […]
The Making of a Good Method of Procedure
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinGood MOPs (method of procedure) help humans manage the complexity inherent in data centers By Alfonso Aranda with Lee Kirby Data centers are complex techno–human systems. The number of interrelated and interdependent elements (including the human element) that interact in the normal operation of a data center and the large number of interactions that take […]
Sun Life Plots Data Center Facilities and Operations Roadmap to Meet Application Demands
/in Design, Operations /by Kevin HeslinAn imminent return of service causes a top-to-bottom examination of data center facilities and operations By Rocco Alonzi and Paolo Piro When Sun Life Financial completed a return of service for its data center operations in 2011, the Enterprise Infrastructure (IE) and Corporate Real Estate (CRE) teams immediately saw an opportunity to improve service stability, […]
Digital Realty Deploys Comprehensive DCIM Solution
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinExamining the scope of the challenge By David Schirmacher Digital Realty’s 127 properties cover around 24 million square feet of mission-critical data center space in over 30 markets across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and it continues to grow and expand its data center footprint. As senior VP of operations, it’s my job to […]
Annual Data Center Industry Survey 2014
/in Design, Executive, Operations /by Kevin HeslinThe fourth annual Uptime Institute Data Center Industry Survey provides an overview of global industry trends by surveying 1,000 data center operators and IT practitioners. Uptime Institute collected responses via email February through April 2014 and presented preliminary results in May 2014 at the 9th Uptime Institute Symposium: Empowering the Data Center Professional. To immediately […]
McKesson Retrofits Economizers in Live DC Environment
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinPharmaceutical installs economizers in a live site to improve energy efficiency By Wayne Everett, Dean Scharffenberg, and Coleman Jones McKesson Corporation, the oldest and largest health-care services company in the United States, plays an integral role in meeting the nation’s health-care needs. McKesson is the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America, delivering one-third of all […]
Avoid Target Fixation in the Data Center
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinRemoving heat is more effective than adding cooling By Steve Press, with Pitt Turner, IV According to Wikipedia, the term target fixation was used in World War II fighter-bomber pilot training to describe why pilots would sometimes fly into targets during a strafing or bombing run. Since then, others have adopted the term. The phenomenon […]
Data Center Outages, Incidents, and Industry Transparency
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinThe lack of transparency can be seen as a root cause of outages and incidents By Jason Weckworth I recently began a keynote speech at Uptime Institute Symposium 2013 by making a bold statement. As data center operators, we simply don’t share enough of our critical facilities incidents with each other. Yet Uptime Institute maintains […]
New System Combats Data Center PQ Concerns
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinUsing relevant technologies and techniques to develop an optimized system for addressing data center PQ concerns By Kuochuan Chu For years, engineers and data centers operators have implemented various strategies to improve power quality in mission-critical facilities. We have found, however, that good power quality requires a solid grounding system. By efficiently utilizing the essential […]
Solving Air Contaminant Problems in Data Centers
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinRoHS-compliant products exacerbate the problem By Christopher Muller, Dr. Prabjit Singh, G. Henry White, and Paul Finch End users have worried about the reliability of electronic gear almost since the introduction of the circuit board. Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS), or lead-free, manufacturing regulations for electronic equipment that went into effect in 2006 only served […]
Dual-Corded Power and Fault Tolerance: Past, Present, and Future
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinDetails of dual-corded power change, but the theme remains the same. Uptime Institute has worked with owners and operators of data centers since the early 1990s. At the time, data center owners used single-corded IT devices for even their most critical IT assets. Figure 1 shows a selection of the many potential sources of outage […]
Putting DCIM to Work for You
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinAt Symposium 2013, Erik Ko of Twitter, Hewlett-Packard’s Ken Jackson, and James Pryor of Regions Bank discussed the experience of selecting and implementing DCIM solutions from the end user perspective. The panel was moderated by Uptime Institute’s Kevin Heslin. Earlier that week, Symposium 2013 attendees heard presentations that focused on the potential for DCIM and […]
Uptime Institute Network Activities Around the Globe
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinNo longer “the best kept secret” the Uptime Institute Network has gone international These interviews with Uptime Institute Network directors Rob Costa, Sylvie Le Roy, and Mozart Mello highlight the qualifications of the Uptime Institute staff working with Network members across the globe and also portray the opportunities for growth and need for the Network […]
Lessons Learned From Superstorm Sandy
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinAn Uptime Institute survey reveals that best practices and preparation pay dividends In late October 2012, Superstorm Sandy tore through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the U.S., killing over a hundred, leaving millions without power and causing billions of dollars in damage. In the aftermath of the storm, Uptime Institute surveyed data […]
Implementing Data Center Cooling Best Practices
/in Operations /by Kevin HeslinStep-by-step guide to data center cooling best practices will help data center managers take greater advantage of the energy savings opportunities available while providing improved cooling of IT systems The nature of data center temperature management underwent a dramatic evolution when American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) adopted new operating temperature guidelines. […]
Code mandates for data center operations
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryData center operations and management are increasingly the target of codes that impact safety, communications, and economic systems. Going well beyond the guidelines laid out by NFPA 75 and 76, the new 2011 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) actually provides for regulatory oversight of mission-critical facility management. This video will provide a history of codes […]
Server Decommissioning as a Discipline: Paul Nally, Barclays
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryIn 2013, Barclays removed 9,124 physical servers from its data centers globally, winning Uptime Institute’s Server Roundup competition for the second year running. This effort is part of a server footprint reduction across the entire company. The organization reaped significant cost benefits, but this project has also reduced risk and complexity, providing Barclays’ internal IT […]
Diesel exhaust after treatment for data centers
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryCleaning up your act: A guide to exhaust standards By Lamont Fortune, PE, United Health Group Are your diesel generators used strictly for emergency or non-emergency purposes? Your answer to this question will tell you just how clean your diesel exhaust has to be by 2015 (and as early as 2014) as far as the […]
How business practices can impair data center availability
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryDon’t pit man against machine By Charles Selkirk, ATD While data centers in Southern Africa utilize world-class designs and construction techniques, ongoing operational sustainability models struggle to attract and retain sufficient qualified and motivated personnel, in part due to the lack of recognition of the importance of their work (unless something goes wrong!). The Uptime […]
Documenting Underfloor Conditions in an Operational Data Center
/in Operations /by Matt StansberryExcel is the basis of a surprisingly simple visual tool to document underfloor conditions By Chad Beery, ATD Engineers regularly employ pictures and drawings to communicate design ideas. They sketch on whiteboards during a meeting, talk with their hands and sometimes even sketch on the back of napkins. In fact, the deliverables produced by design […]