Solution Set

Cooling the data center can amount to approximately 50% of the operating cost in the data center. Increasing rack densities, mission critical devices, and a focus on energy efficiency in the data center make the cooling decision significant.

Tool

Building a Greenfield data center is an expensive and lengthy project that can be hard to plan for. Because of its enormity, it is extremely important to accurately estimate a budget. Estimate capital expenditures and operating expenses over the...

Solution Set

Organizations that encounter significant capital expenditures, when building or updating their aging data center facilities. As a result, they are faced with a difficult build vs. buy decision.

Note

The decision to co-locate all or part of the data center facility can be a risky one. Because the decision to build vs. buy is essentially one of cost, IT decision makers must put in the time and effort in requirements gathering, determining the...

Template/Policy

A co-location Service Level Agreement (SLA) provides a definition of performance for the negotiated service. SLAs ensure accountability on the part of the service provider and also determine the price of the service. Understand and develop...

Template/Policy

After defining the organization's requirements for data center co-location service offerings, expectations for the engagement methodology should be defined. Many organizations run into trouble in the co-location agreement when a vendor's...

Template/Policy

Co-location recovery services deliver high availability using replication and backup technologies to ensure continuity of enterprise operations. Many organizations engage in co-location purely for recovery services; however, recovery services...

Template/Policy

Basic services for co-location are a commodity amongst vendor offerings. Understanding the business needs helps to narrow down the list of vendors and aid in the selection process. Choose a set of criteria to base the decision on, before...

Template/Policy

Managed services offerings build on basic co-location with added services provided by the vendor. Regardless of immediate needs, IT should include managed services criteria in the vendor selection process. Choose a set of criteria based on...

Tool

The data center build versus buy decision is essentially a cost decision. Many organizations that gather requirements and forecast data center costs into the future will find that over time, a co-location strategy is the less expensive...

Note

Successful data center renovation projects involve more than refreshing specific components of the facility. Renovation projects are more complex than first thought and require specific design and requirement steps. Define and scope the data...

Template/Policy

Completing an annual review of the data center resource utilization and physical condition plays a crucial part in overall capacity planning and IT effectiveness. Comparing the current base-line state against information captured in future...

Tool

IT leaders tasked with renovating a data center often experience scope creep and budget issues in later stages if initial planning, design and requirements are not properly outlined in beginning stages of the project. Start the project off on...

Tool

Renovating a data center can be a complex project that can be difficult to plan and scope for. Because a single renovation project generally cascades into multiple projects, it is extremely important to accurately estimate a budget to plan from....

Template/Policy

Data center facilities call for specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power, cooling, physical security, and layout. Therefore, selecting a contractor is one of...

Tool

Establishing the initial plan and design for the new data center can be a challenging task, especially for IT leaders who are inexperienced. Start the project off correctly by planning and monitoring the data center build and understanding what...

Template/Policy

Data center facilities call for specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power, cooling, physical security, and layout. Therefore, selecting a contractor is one of...

Template/Policy

When meeting with potential contractors for the build of a new data center, organizations should use a scripted interview to aid in the decision making process. Each contractor should be scored based on a standard scoring method to ensure...

Template/Policy

Building a data center is a complex and expensive project that requires the assistance of contractors, especially in the design and planning stages. Selecting the right contractor for the project should be based on criteria determined by the...

Template/Policy

Whether it is an existing building or a new construction site, IT must cover due diligence by completing a site evaluation for each potential location. Use a building site selection and security checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked, and...

Note

Many IT departments lack internal expertise to undertake a data center build project as facilities require specific industrial design and engineering requirements to meet the needs for fire-protection, power provisioning, stand-by power,...

Template/Policy

A data center build project charter is essential to the planning phase of the project. It lays out important information such as the project's description, potential risks, and communication plan to keep all stakeholders informed. Complete the...

Template/Policy

One of the most important phases a new data center build is selecting the building site. Whether it is an existing building or a new construction site, IT must exercise due diligence by completing a site evaluation for each potential location....

Organizations planning to build or refresh the data center should consider the build versus buy decision in the planning phase. This decision requires careful examination and evaluation of options involving asset inventories, facility...

Sizing the data center can be a difficult task, especially when factoring in future business needs. Employee-based sizing is one of many methods that can aid in estimating the required size when building or refreshing the data center. Estimate...