Dear Editor:

I enjoyed the recent blog on the Accenture Data Center energy usage study.

At Siemens, we’re undertaking our own initiative--Siemens Shared Services--under the leadership of Siemens IT Solutions and Services. We operate 72 data centers and provide 2,000 terabytes of online storage while supporting 500,000 SAP users. Naturally, we’re looking for the best ways to consolidate far-flung data centers, optimize and consolidate server usage, and improve the sharing of valuable data storage space. I know what you’re experiencing and I feel your pain.

I need not remind anyone in this audience the pressures we face to increase capacity, save money, keep everything secure and do so in an environmentally conscious fashion. Not everyone will be able to go it alone. In fact, a December 2006 Gartner white paper estimates that by 2010, more than half of all data centers will have to relocate to new facilities or outsource their applications.

For those of you revamping your data centers, here are a few tips for IT managers to consider.

1. Establish baseline measurements before you implement any improvements and then measure again upon their completion. Being able to quantify cost and energy efficiencies will be a big help when dealing with CIOs and CFOs.

2. Then, focus on cooling and energy efficiency. Data center best practices can significantly reduce energy consumption from 10-25%. Here are a few key areas:

a. Airflow – Check for uniform air flow across all grates and perforated tiles. Note any obstructions and clear them. Use grommets to plug floor tile cut-outs where air can bypass the desired path.

b. Rack layout – Make sure there are no shelves or airflow restrictions for air coming in or out of the IT equipment. If you standardize on cabinet types, it will help eliminate many airflow issues.

c. Highly dense IT equipment – Have a power and cooling design strategy worked out ahead of time for highly dense IT equipment like blade servers. The best high density designs for power and cooling are usually row based and have considered density in the floor space, power and cooling design.

d. Carbon credits — Research your company’s policy on carbon credits and reducing energy consumption. The data center may be a great place to start reducing your carbon footprint.

I hope that these few tips are helpful. Good luck to all of us in achieving these objectives.

Sincerely,

Glen Seimetz, Senior Director
Strategy & Portfolio
Siemens IT Solutions & Services