Five areas that can help align data center operations with sustainability goals.
Technology companies have an obligation to set benchmarks and run in a way that builds a positive environment for employees, society and the global ecosystem. Enterprise decision makers need to balance the growing demand for IT with rising expectations around environmentally responsible operations. Here are five ways organizations can improve the sustainability of data centers and make them greener. Data is growing at an exponential rate. While the potential utility of data makes it a powerful asset, not accounting for its growth can quickly turn it into a liability. Currently, around 1% of global electricity is used to power data centers and as we progress towards a world where data is projected to grow to 463 exabytes created every day by 2025, electricity consumption could multiply rapidly. The energy impact goes beyond just electrical. Data management can have ramifications on another key resource, water. According to a US Government report, a data center will need on average around 1.8litres of water for every kWh consumed, predominantly for air conditioning purposes. That is a huge amount that will only increase when the reliance on data becomes even greater. This means that companies need to start adopting processes that drastically reduce their levels of water consumption. As part of the process of reducing resource consumption, enterprises also need to consider how they manage the infrastructure that underpins their operations. Moving from wasteful legacy IT models towards infrastructure built with energy efficiency in mind is a positive first step. For example, liquid cooling technology can reduce energy consumption by up to 40% in larger data centers, whilst maintaining uncompromised performance.
