(15-Jul-11) At first blush, that level of commitment may seem like a confident reaction to a rebounding economy, but according to Melanie Davy, Info-Tech senior research analyst, that’s not the case. “It could even reflect the fact that the economy is still recovering, because they are doing it piece by piece, when the facility may actually require an overhaul,” she says.

“Many IT departments are facing aging facilities and the inefficiencies, failures, etc., that come with aging equipment,” Davy says. “They really have little choice as to whether they upgrade. In order to keep the facility in working order and deliver the level of service that is required by the business, renovation/ refresh/upgrades are inevitable.”

Davy explains that in the 2010 Info-Tech survey, the average age of the data center facility when renovated was 7.5 years—consistent with the typical life span of a data center at seven to 12 years. “At this point,” she says, “the choice is to build a new facility (which is a huge capital expenditure), outsource all or part of the facility (which often is received with pushback from those who do not understand the benefits), or renovate the existing facility.”

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