DVL Group Blog with Helpful Information on Running Your Data Center

How Much Energy Does the Internet Use?

by Mike Rinaldi on 6/18/12 4:11 PM

“No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.” It’s a funny email signature, but how many inconvenienced electrons does it take to power the internet?

In 2011, the digital universe, or the amount of information created and replicated, reached 1.8 trillion gigabytes, and this digital universe is doubling in size every two years. Much of that digital information is housed in data centers around the world, and running these data centers requires a huge amount of electrical energy.

A 10-megawatt (MW) data center can use the energy of a small town at a cost of around $300,000 a month. Couple that with the fact that there are over 500,000 data centers in the world, according to Emerson Network Power, and we’re talking about 2% of all electrical energy used globally. So, running the internet uses upwards of 406 terawatts per year, assuming 20.3 petawatt-hours as the world’s annual electrical energy consumption.

The odd thing is that in traditional data centers, only half of the energy consumed is useful for running the digital universe: powering the servers that hold our emails, social networking profiles, and the like. The other half of the energy goes into cooling those servers, or it’s lost as heat when electricity is changed between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC).

What are the 4 trends driving the future of Data Center infrastructure design and management?

Internet Energy Usage

Click here to read the full energy usage article

Topics: Emerson Network Power, data center infrastructure, reduce cost, Data Center, data center design, kW per rack, data center infrastructure management, DVL, electrical distribution, reduce downtime, data center outages

Is There a Solution to Expand IT Capacity When You Are Out of Space?

by Mike Rinaldi on 5/30/12 3:20 PM

The SmartRow infrastructure solution solves a problem all too common to IT management: addressing IT needs without building new data center space. Think of the SmartRow approach as a data center in a row--a simple, fully integrated row-based infrastructure. The SmartRow offering combines up to 10 data center racks--with precision cooling, UPSs, power management, monitoring and control technologies, and fire suppression--all in an enclosed system.

"We did not have to build a special computer room to install the SmartRow", Todd Bayley, Technical Architect-Network Information Technology Department, Pasco County, FL

Learn more here!

Topics: data center infrastructure, reduce cost, Data Center, data center design, kW per rack, data center energy, data center infrastructure management, robust data center, DVL, reduce downtime, data center outages

How much power, cooling, and space do you have in your data center?

by Mike Rinaldi on 5/1/12 11:33 AM

Are you looking for a tool that Facilities and IT can use?

"IT has the need to manage the racks so when Facilities takes down services, they know what is effected. The tool will also help them know what resources are available - power, space, and network".

What are the obstacles/challenges of Data Center Infrastructure Management?

See a DEMO of how Liebert/Emerson has integrated server management and control and cooling/power to optimize your Data Center performance through Trellis at DVL on May 9 or 10.

Click the link to sign up and attend.

Topics: Emerson Network Power, data center infrastructure, Data Center, Green IT, data center design, cloud computing, data center energy, data center infrastructure management, PUE, robust data center, DVL, reduce downtime, data center outages

Reducing Data Center Costs With Outside Air Economizer

by Mike Rinaldi on 3/7/12 12:04 PM

What are economizer systems and how do they improve energy efficiency?

This is the year that discussions around using outside air economization will be heard at many seminars. The introduction of Liebert’s DSE, as well as ASHRAE’s proposal to increase the server air inlet temperatures, will certainly allow considerable energy cost savings to those early adopters. Don Beaty, DLB Associates, recently conducted a US Government seminar on Data Centers speaking to how efficient we can become utilizing outside air as an economization strategy, as well as (dare I say it) primary means of cooling a Data Center. ASHRAE has recently released a study on areas of the United States where outside air, properly filtered and metered for gaseous and particulate contamination, can be considered as your primary source of cooling. Does your outside environment play a role in this decision? Absolutely. A thorough site assessment with a knowledgeable company is well worth the cost. We all need to ask ourselves why Facebook, Microsoft and others are choosing locations conducive to utilizing outside air.

Published on March 7, 2012 | Richard Werner, Comcast, 7x24 Exchange

air economizer resized 600

What energy savings can be expected for different types of economizers?

Topics: Emerson Network Power, data center infrastructure, Data Center, Green IT, kW per rack, data center energy, data center infrastructure management, PUE, robust data center, DVL, reduce downtime, Green Technology, pod

Friday's Data Center Infrastructure Management Seminar

by Mike Rinaldi on 2/28/12 10:06 AM

DVL and Emerson Network Power hosted a Data Center Infrastructure Management Seminar at the Microsoft Technology Center on Friday (2/24/12) - we had a great turnout and discussion. If you missed the seminar, click here to check out the presentation.

data center infrastructure management

IT and facilities organizations have invested heavily in technology resources (people, processes, and tools) to manage the data center infrastructure, they have failed to achieve the promise and potential due to critical gaps between their data center facilities and IT infrastructure components. A new perspective on managing the critical infrastructure gaps is emerging that recognizes:

The importance of 'real-time' data to understand the true capacity of available infrastructure
The criticality of interdependencies between logical and physical layers
The need for holistic management capabilities and visibility of IT and facilities infrastructures
The need for more powerful management tools that offer a rich, visual view of the infrastructure and can guide design and change management

>> Check out the FOUR TRENDS Driving the Future of Data Center Infrastructure Design and Management.

Topics: Emerson Network Power, data center infrastructure, reduce cost, Data Center, data center design, kW per rack, data center infrastructure management, PUE, robust data center, DVL, electrical distribution, reduce downtime

How Much Energy Does the Internet Use?

Is There a Solution to Expand IT Capacity When You Are Out of Space?

How much power, cooling, and space do you have in your data center?

Reducing Data Center Costs With Outside Air Economizer

Friday's Data Center Infrastructure Management Seminar

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