With the way the business and private worlds both are ever more relying on digital capabilities, it’s really no surprise that data centers are constantly growing and evolving to take on the increasing demands being asked of them. It’s a trend that doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, and as seeing to it that data centers are expanded in the smartest and most foresighted manner is very much a priority in the IT management world.
Here at 4GoodHosting, in addition to being a reputable Canadian web hosting provider we’re also keenly interested in the workings of our industry as a whole and both keeping on top of and being responsive to trends in the industry. This is one that is immediately relevant to us, and so today we’ll take a look at what experts predict will be the nature of data centres in the not-too-distant future.
The popular belief is that over the next 3 years, we’ll see the conclusion of a trend that has promoted change in almost every area, with networks, servers, and storage having been altered very drastically in a very short period of time. Folks like us will need to ensure our data centres are ready by focusing on networks, software, hardware (including servers), and storage. Preparing these crucial components of our data centres well in advance of the coming demands is supremely important.
Here’s 5 developments we believe we can expect to see with regards to data centres
Hyper Convergence Infrastructure Systems
There are greater numbers of different infrastructure systems than ever before, but hyper-converged infrastructure systems are increasingly the top choice for data center operators. Hyper-converged infrastructure systems are software driven systems that combine networking, storage, and other technology to enable the virtualization of the infrastructure system. By utilizing commodity computing, the system is able to streamline processes and maintain lower operating costs while still being administered by an individual hosting company. This essentially creates a nice consolidating of services and resources into a single system.
Certain critics do question whether or not hyper-converged systems have the ability to keep up with technological advances, especially considering the number of different components bundled into one system. Still, hyper-converged systems do offer cost savings and – perhaps more importantly - promise to be easier to operate. Hyper-converged systems are bound to continue to be attractive for data centre decision makers on account of their ease of deployment, ease of management and lower overall operating cost.
Automation Tools for Data Centers
Employing automation tools is critical for your data center if you intend to be prepared for the future. They simplify complex processes and thus allow administrators to focus more on the data centre’s overall performance. In addition to being cost effective and requiring less human control, automation tools also offer heightened and improved security for the data center.
It is indeed effective, and you’ll have struggles with your data centre running smoothly in the cloud (public or private) if automation is not part of your strategy. Looking at the modern data center and cloud landscape, you’ll notice a lot more interconnectivity and new capabilities that optimized the process of passing resources dynamically. Automation tools will definitely be a part of the future
Open (Source) Standards
The idea that open standards or open source resources could be hugely beneficial came about when developers made mounds upon mounds of free software available to the masses on a widespread scale. Today, open standards encompass software, hardware, and other technological functions for fostering public computing by granting administrators access to free resources. The advantage of that for data center operators is clear, with the costs saved being able to be invested into different resources and necessities required for the operation of the data center.
Open source resources will run on any commodity hardware, and as such they will allow free access. Hyper-converged infrastructure systems and open resources then worked together more synergistically, and when you factor in that cloud computing resources were made available through commodity hardware as well the appeal of open standards is here to stay for data center operators as well.
In fact, it’s changing the very foundations of the modern data center. By reorienting the way developers treat IT infrastructure that’s driven by application containers. Adoption of open source practices will continue to transform the modern data center ensuring it is ready for the technological changes that are most certainly on their way.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has drastically revolutionized how we receive, send, and share information and data – and in a good way! The development of a software-driven infrastructure system gives data center managers much more freedom and accessibility with the delivery of information. Software-driven infrastructure systems allow for more freedom and accessibility with the delivery of your information and cloud computing returns that control to administrators. The appeal of that also goes without saying, and many companies who have already embraced cloud computing are doing so more and more each month and especially in how it relates to the intake and output of data from data centres.
Software Advances
Not surprisingly, newer and ever-better software continues to be rolled out for consumers. The variety of it means you must be particularly discerning about updates and new if your data centre is to be functioning optimally. Networking is of significant importance too, and advances in Ethernet networking protocols have been a BIG plus for data centres as well. Keep up on the trends and dig deeper when possible and you’ll likely be kept in good stead when it comes to software advances for your data centre.
If nothing more, the sheer volume of data that data centres will have to both house, process, and export in the future will be staggering, but it’s good to know that technological developments are doing a decent job of keeping pace with the expansion and all the operation challenges it poses.
