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Operational excellence: the pragmatic role of data centre architecture

Aug 19, 2021
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STT GDC India
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Operational excellence cannot be achieved through shortcuts especially when you need to store and protect large volumes of data. Data centres are tasked with the vital job of maintaining the availability and security of constant data stream 24/7. Tons of data is generated each moment and the cost of storage infrastructure is rising, which means data centres need to optimize their resources for peak performance.

 

What are the tools data centres can use to perform at peak and maintain healthy PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and zero downtime and loss? These resources are skilled employees, effective use of technology, and smartly defined processes that can help to enhance productivity and operational efficiency.

 

What does Data Centre Architecture Management Do?

 

Data centre architecture management involves a homogeneous and comprehensive method to maximize the capability and power of IT assets, anticipate and resolve issues before they have a negative impact, and keep costs inside the budget. You can use DCIM (Data Centre Infrastructure Management) software for this purpose.

 

Benefits of DCIM Software

 

The DCIM approach combines many functional aspects of data centre networking and operations, including: altering management strategies, asset tracking, utility management, analyzing logical and virtual systems, devising efficient system utilization solutions, space management, consolidating locations and resources, running modeling situations to craft future plans, and monitoring at multiple levels.

 

DCIM tools can be used to devise a strategy for predictive analysis and real-time tracking to enable data centre employees to detect issues before they happen. They can then proactively shift resources to avoid disruptions. This method empowers techs to maximize efficiency and boost resource utilization.

 

Server health is dependent on environmental controls a great deal. You can use DCIM solutions to integrate data on environmental conditions and server performance to generate models and reports that indicate the health of the whole infrastructure and each constituent piece. This enables techs to prevent failures and service interruptions, and improve performance by making minor tweaks.

 

Steps for Achieving Operational Excellence

 

Optimized Processes

 

To function efficiently, data centres need to eliminate redundant processes. A data centreneeds to evaluate and validate each process periodically with effective benchmarking. The best practices and proven frameworks developed over time can contribute to improving the performance of critical systems. Fast problem resolution and agile incident management are vital for efficient management of processes. Periodical data centre audits are important for value delivery.

 

For optimized processes, a team of skilled workers operating cohesively is needed. Dedicated project management teams, subject matter experts, and strong bench strength are required for fast scaling to meet increase in demand without affecting normal business. For this, teams should be constantly updated through OEM and certification training.

 

Quality Compliance and Assurance

 

For efficient system functioning, quality is critical. In data centres, quality needs to permeate all operational aspects. Certified processes and stringent compliance standards are the base of credibility and trust. Clients across industries trust data centre providers that are able to meet both industry and geographic compliance standards.

 

Innovation for Sustainable Processes

 

Infinite data stream is making data centres scale at a rapid pace. The complexity, criticality, and scale of information managementneed continuous innovation. Operational processes, methodologies, and systems need to be validated and enhanced constantly to meet ever-growing demands.

 

Data centres around the world consume about 1% of the global electricity. The ever-increasing data inflow is putting infrastructure under more pressure. Therefore, data centres are utilizing renewable energy resources and sustainable practices for efficient operational performance. Continuous innovation is needed on the part of data centre providers to keep users connected round the clock with minimum impact on the environment.

 

Safety-First Method

 

Security and safety are paramount at data centres. However, implementing stringent security protocols needs a behavioral change. A safety-first culture should be mandated and built for data centre architecture and infrastructure, and adopted by all stakeholders. Change management is thus vital to adopt and adapt to new processes.

 

Early Risk Detection and Resolution

 

Each second counts for data centres and they cannot have downtime. Even a few minutes downtime can cause a revenue loss of millions of dollars and affect business reputation. Therefore, it's imperative for data centres to monitor processes and proactively detect issues for fast resolution. Efficient providers deploy strict SLAs and use a ticketing platform to record and solve queries and complaints.

 

The data centre market in India is expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2022. STT GDC India is a key player in this market with 21 advanced data centre networking facilities in nine cities.

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