This week at AFCOM’s Data Center World event in Las Vegas, the AFCOM Data Center Institute announced it’s Five Bold Predictions for the data center. These predictions are:
1) By 2015, the talent pool of qualified senior level technical and managerial talent to run data centers will shrink by 45%. This is alarming when you consider the dramatic growth in business data processing. The economy can be to blame as training programs are often quick to be cut. The other challenge is fewer students are opting for collegiate programs in high density computing. Companies like Data Center Journal offer excellent data center training programs.
2) By 2010, more than half of all data centers will have to relocate to new facilities or outsource some applications. This is great news for firms that build date centers as well as colocation and managed services companies
3) Over the next five years, power failures and limits on power will halt data center operations at least once for more than 90% of all companies. Chances are these companies will do their best to make sure we never hear about it.
4) By 2010, nearly 86% of all data centers will utilize some form of grid or virtualized computing. One of the many benefit stated was the ability to cut back on the need for new servers. Other benefits include savings on power and cooling.
5) Within the next 5 years one out of every four data centers will experience serious business disruptions. One of the big factors is budget cuts which have lead to decreased physical and date security.
One of the other shocking factors was the fact that 77% are not looking to increase the use of cloud computing. Reason stated included things like a lack of clear definition of what is cloud computing. Here is a great explanation on cloud computing.
AFCOM survey was first conducted in March of 2006 and updated in November 2008. AFCOM is professional organization of Data Center Managers which does offer local chapters.
Posted under Cloud Computing, Data Center Virtualization, Virtualization News
This post was written by Kevin Normandeau on March 12, 2009
