HP unveils cost-effective data centre design methodology

When building or redesigning to create multi-tiered data centres,most businesses today operate under the assumption that more availability is always better. As a result,they build entire data centres based on the highest availability required by their most business-critical applications. Consequently,they invest in expensive,unnecessary redundant infrastructure along with specialized mechanical,electrical and plumbing systems.

An industry-standard classification system defines tiers I – IV for data centre facilities. Tier IV facilities meet the highest availability requirements.

Under HP’s approach to facility design,customers can significantly reduce capital and operating costs by designing data centres with multiple tiers. Each tier matches the availability requirements for a range of business applications.

In addition,the design enables organizations to easily adapt data centres tiers for changing technology needs throughout the life of a facility.

“A monolithic approach to data centre design drives up construction and operating costs,” said David J. Cappuccio,vice president and chief of research,Gartner. “Adopting a multi-tiered approach scales back capital investments and operating expenses because it right-sizes facility infrastructures.”

Building a combined tier II and tier IV facility instead of a facility with a single level IV tier will save an organization millions of dollars. For example,designing a 50,000-square-foot data center with multiple tiers can cut construction costs by approximately 24 per cent,compared to building a tier IV-only facility. In addition,designing a data center with zones for multiple tiers reduces energy and space requirements,significantly reducing operating costs.