Building a Future-Proof Data Center

Ravi Pendekanti is Vice President of Server Product Management and Product Marketing at Dell, Inc.

Digital disruption and pervasive innovation are redefining the way CIOs address the dynamics of today’s data center. Now more than ever they require solutions that address constant change within existing compute models as well as enable the build-out of a “future-ready” IT environment that engages solutions that drive and power the adoption of emerging technologies and hyperscale cloud solutions.

The modern era of computing requires CIOs to take a more flexible approach to building a data center that can handle the demands and workloads of today’s compute environment – all while allowing them to continue to address the priorities of their business and technology strategy.

Embracing a compute-centric strategy that synthesizes traditional and new IT builds a clear path to future-proofing the data center that delivers power and flexibility via a common platform. By taking a compute centric approach to empowering the data center, CIO’s can extend existing and new IT applications and architecture that run a spectrum of applications and workloads for any size data center, when and where needed.

Here are a few key aspects to consider as you move toward a compute-centric environment:

• How converged is your data center? Converged infrastructure isn’t industry jargon. It’s an important aspect to the way data centers will be run and managed in the future. Technology will never stop evolving, which means IT has to be ready to flex and morph as needed, responding in lightening time to the dynamics of business, customers and the industry. Evaluating the “converged” IT dynamic should be an ongoing practice – and one that will pay off in the long run. A recent survey conducted by PSB for Dell found that eight out of ten global decision makers agree that a compute centric approach to data center solution development is key in driving innovation and eighty-six percent agree that compute-centric is seen as the best approach to gain a flexible, scalable and open data center.

• Do you put your customers first? A compute-centric vision with a customer-centric focus should be part of the continued evolution of the core server and management portfolio in a business. This is a foundational strategy for building success for customers and partners. Customers need to have reliable and flexible data centers that are able to cut or maintain costs and improve employee productivity – and as well know, customers are the secret sauce in understanding the practice of IT and our most valuable resource. A customer-centric mindset drives innovation and enables growth beyond the bottom line.

• How well does your data center deal with change? We know change is constant: Internet users worldwide have increased from 2.5 billion in 2012 to 3.2 billion in 2015, and projected to reach 4 billion by 2020. The Internet of Things, mobility, security and cloud computing are a few of the top tier trends driving CIOs to think differently about IT, customers and resources. In addition to industry trends, CIOs must also adjust to synergies created by mergers and acquisitions, the mobile workforce and regulatory guidelines. Although we can’t control change, we can bolster our ability to deal with it. IT change often sits at the core of the data center, many times within the server.

Partner with organizations that understand your pain points associated with change – and have the ability to help you implement compute-centric solutions that drive efficiency, minimize cost and enable growth.

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