Data centre capacity running low

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New research released today has found European data centres are reaching their maximum capacity, with the majority running at 82 per cent.

Chief information officers (CIOs) are, as result, ramping up their data centre rationalisation and consolidation efforts in an attempt to head off the any capacity shortages in the short term.

Researcher Coleman Parkes conducted a global poll of more than 1,000 CIOs and business unit heads in large organisations - with more than $1 billion (£667,456) turnover or 250-plus employees - and found many were planning additional data centre investment despite increasing economic pressures.

Nearly two thirds (60 per cent) still planned to invest in improving data centre facilities. While, over the next three years, IT departments expect to see a 46 per cent increase in the number of planned data centre transformation projects overall.

This was reflected in results closer to home, where UK companies currently average 3.4 projects per year. This figure was expected to rise to 4.2 by 2011.

The median number of data centres for UK companies stood at 5.7. But, in line with the overall survey findings, this figure was expected to rise by seven per cent to 6.1 by 2011.

In managing this extra investment, the biggest challenge among 53 per cent of UK respondents was balancing the need to secure the investment required to improve facilities with the need to reduce capital expenditure.

By the same token, achieving greater technology infrastructure flexibility and agility to support business growth was seen as a challenge by 42 per cent of UK companies, while reducing capital data centre expenditure was cited by 37 per cent.

But, in line with the global survey findings, over two thirds (74 per cent) of UK CIOs felt business unit heads failed to see the business implications of data centre capacity issues.

Reinier van Hoeijen, director of Data Centre Transformation Services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for survey sponsor, HP said CIOs and business unit heads need to work together to ensure that the technology infrastructure strategy is better aligned with specific business benefits.

“In order to alleviate their current pressures and ultimately reduce costs, businesses should define return on investment and the impact that transformation will have on their people, processes and infrastructure,” he said.

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