Data Center Trends With the proliferation of connected devices, advancement in AI-ML and ubiquity of the cloud, the computing needs of enterprises are witnessing a rapid change. And so are the data centers. Present-day data center facilities are packed with state-of-the-art hardware, intelligent cooling technology and top-of-the-line security systems.
Businesses need to track the next-generation data centers in order to identify which services are suitable for them and how they can harness the current technologies to their advantage. Keeping themselves abreast of the latest data center trends will help them chart the future course of their IT needs and plan their digital transformation strategy. Let’s discuss some of these trends.
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Computing goes to the Edge
With the world becoming increasingly digitalized, the number of connected devices is rising. More than 14 billion connected devices are currently in use and the number will reach 21 billion by 2025. As connected devices continue to proliferate, it is becoming increasingly unviable to transfer data to a centralized location all the time. We need to build localized data centers, called edge data centers, to process local traffic.
Edge computing is a computing infrastructure that enables connected devices to process data closer to where it is created i.e. on the edge. Unlike the conventional approach where every bit of data is sent to a centralized cloud, edge data centers keep the heaviest traffic close to end-user applications. As technology behemoths including the likes of Amazon and Microsoft explore edge computing, edge data centers are expected to grow exponentially.
Colocation Services gain Traction
Building a private data center entails heavy expenditure. And these costs will only rise in the times to come. As a result, more and more companies are seeking colocation services for supporting their IT infrastructure. Colocation, where companies rent space in a third-party-owned data center to house servers, has allowed them to leverage the advanced power and cooling capabilities of modern-day data centers and trim down expenses.
Colocation data centers have offered organizations the tools to manage and monitor their infrastructure that they could not afford to provide in their own private facility. These could include anything from business intelligence software that tracks the usage patterns of their network to round-the-clock remote hands support. Colocation offers small-and-medium-sized companies a level-playing field, letting them compete with more resourceful competitors.
Hyperscale Data Centers Continue to Thrive
As enterprises turn to cloud computing solutions, the demand for infrastructure supporting them is increasing by leaps and bounds. Hyperscale data centers are considerably larger than enterprise data centers, housing at least 5000 servers and 10,000 square feet of floor space.
Hyperscale data centers in India provide extra processing power by scaling both horizontally i.e. by adding more machines to the infrastructure and vertically i.e. by replacing individual physical components. Their architecture has the ability to scale rapidly and exponentially to handle high-volume traffic and heavy computing workloads characteristic of technologies such as virtual reality, cryptography, big data analytics and deep learning.
The growth prospects for hyperscale technology are promising. As per a report by Markets and Markets, the market for hyperscale data centers is expected to reach USD 80 billion in 2022, up from USD 25 billion in 2017, growing at a rate of 26%.
Artificial Intelligence-based Automation
As Google started using AI in data centers to improve their efficiency, many organizations have followed in its footsteps-they are exploring the potential of AI. We have already seen how AI-powered DeepMind has effectively curtailed energy consumption in its data centers by 40%.
AI is being used to optimize workload distribution in data center facilities. AI-powered algorithms capable of performing a large number of calculations determine load balancing in real-time. AI-based predictive engines can track a number of parameters such as server performance, network congestion and disc utilization and identify faulty areas that cause the system to crash. Such engines are being used to predict and minimize power outages.
AI can help data centers in India achieve unmanned automation resulting in efficient computing, reduced data consumption, efficient cooling designs, and improved storage capacity. This can allow remote monitoring of facilities. AI can also help data centers detect malware and vulnerabilities, creating secure premises.
Hybrid Deployments on the Rise
Cloud computing is one of the most significant data center trends impacting businesses. Organizations are ditching legacy systems to migrate their network on the cloud. While public clouds have their benefits, nobody wants their entire data and applications on a public cloud. And that’s why most enterprises are choosing hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud solutions that allow them to harness the advantages of public clouds, all while enjoying the security and control of a private network.
In response to this demand, data centers are building hybrid cloud architecture that stores sensitive data on a private network while establishing connections to a public cloud service. This data travels to the public cloud only under heavy encryption. As a result, hybrid clouds offer peace of mind that simply doesn’t exist in a purely public cloud. Multi-cloud deployments that involve multiple cloud service providers are also becoming common among data centers in India.
The aforementioned trends will change the data center industry significantly. Once the concern of large enterprises, data centers in India have now equipped even the small-and-medium-sized organizations with the ability to deliver products and services more efficiently than ever before. These trends will give pave way for developments that will drive innovation to another level.
