Optimize Your Data Center for a Potential Downturn – Doing More With Less

With every recession, companies make valiant attempts to reduce their spending. One of the first things to go is marketing. Then the C-Suite starts to look for other potential savings, including in the area of servers and data management. But the need to process and analyze data, access the internet, and other tasks doesn’t go away. To be competitive, data centers also need to cut costs, and find ways to do more with less. 

Sometimes this involves moves and changes that, while they cost time and even money to implement in the short term, will result in later gains in the long term. Let’s look at some strategies that can help optimize your data center.

Optimize Server Configurations 

One of the best ways to cut costs is to optimize your server configurations. Servers will use less floorspace, giving you room to add new servers in the same number of square feet. 

How do you do this? Well, first you start by replacing your existing Cable Management racks, with Horizontal Zero U Cable Management Racks. This unique design is used to mount ZeroU Cable Managers in the same U space as the active component, replacing conventional 1U and 2U cable managers and recovering rack space which can now be used for active devices.

When you use An D Cable’s slim 4” Vertical Cable Managers, (VCM), you can save even more space allowing you to gain floor space and move racks closer together.

This alone can result in a cost savings of between $4,000 and $9,000 per 4 system installations.

But that’s just the start of how you’ll save money. When you use AnD Cable Products’ slim 4” Vertical Cable Managers (VCM), you can save even more space, as they enable you to gain floor space by moving the racks closer together.

Below is a Whitepaper we’ve written that will take you through this step-by-step.

WHITEPAPER – Optimizing Server Cabinet Rack Space to Maximize Efficiency and Reduce Costs

Smart optimization can help you increase rack space and realize significant equipment cost savings. Read our step-by-step guide that shows you how – and how much you could save.

• How Much Rack Space You Could Save
• How to Optimize for Maximum Efficiency
• Savings for New and Retrofit Installations
• Overall Cost and Space Savings Post-Optimization

Discover How To Optimize for Maximum Efficiency

Improve Airflow for Greater HVAC Efficiency

Not only do Zero U Cable Management Racks save space, but they can also help you improve server airflow no matter what your HVAC configuration. Not only are “spaghetti mess” wires ugly and potentially damaging, but they also impede airflow. This results in higher operating temperatures and reduced efficiency along with the potential damage to equipment. 

But also as rack density increases, so do challenges to HVAC systems. This is why hot and cold aisle containment, assisted by the right rack systems and better cabling solutions is essential. This is true for both hyperscale data centers and edge data centers. Whether hot or cold aisle containment is right for you will depend on your situation. 

But either way, optimizing your rack space is just the first step. Adding the right containment plan and HVAC solution can also save you a lot of money in the long run. 

Use Remote Monitoring

With modern technology, it is easy to monitor data centers remotely. This is through physical layer network security, monitoring, and control systems. Through this solution, you can not only monitor your systems, but often make control changes as well.

This eliminates temperature changes from workers entering and exiting the data center floor, saves time and money spent on on-site personnel, and can facilitate repairs by pinpointing problems and taking the guesswork out of repairs. 

A cloud server means monitoring can happen anywhere, managers and technicians can receive real time alerts, and solutions can be immediately deployed. It’s one of the best ways to do more with less. 

Go Green When Possible

Finally, there are infinite ways to go green with your data center. Not only are renewable energy sources available, but there are many ways to conserve energy. Many are listed above, like server optimization, hot and cold aisle containment, and remote monitoring. But there are also countless examples of how Amazon, Facebook, and other tech giants are “greening” their data centers. 

With the greater demands of AI, remote work, and increased internet speeds and 5G demands, these steps are more important than ever. Green initiatives are vital to energy and cost savings over time. 

A global recession still looms, and while it may be short lived, there are always ups and downs in any industry. Preparing for the next downturn is not just taking advantage of savings now, but it a viable way to plan for a better, more sustainable future. That sustainability impacts not only your business, but the companies you serve and the planet we all live on. 

Doing more with less isn’t just a short term solution. It’s a better way of doing business. Make a start by Contacting Us to discuss your needs.