Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/611691
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 19 www.datacenterjournal.com Having a data center partner that offers reliable and resilient infrastruc- ture, strategically situated in multiple areas around the country, will help keep data safe and operations function- ing properly. Ctos Will sleeP Better at night Having a data center function as an extension of your brand will be whole new line of thinking for tech executives in 2016. Enter data centers as a service. Businesses are increasingly find- ing value in data center environments that have support from an accom- plished 24x7x365 on-site technical team. is feature expedites processes, saving customers time and money. In addition to a team that is "always on," having a data center that is local and physically accessible also helps ease processes. Considering the high price tag of maintaining a data center, CTOs should examine working with a data center partner who has done the research and handles it all: power, cool- ing, security and so on. Data centers as a service give IT heads and CTOs the peace of mind that their brand and their customers' data is protected. higher Density is the norM e higher the density, the better! We are seeing more and more requests for high-density and super-high-densi- ty cabinets. is request is on par with the times, as computers are getting smaller and smaller. Take for example, how many different things you can do with your smartphone today. A server must be present to handle all these functions and requests, increasing the demand for power, cooling and net- work resources. High density applica- tions allow customers to quickly scale their business and maximize profits. Making sure the data center is up to par and able to handle such highly- dense applications is a must. Preventive MaintenanCe Shutting down the power to make sure your backup systems are in order, also know as the integrated systems test (IST), may seem like you are playing Russian roulette with data, but it can actually save you in the long term. ISTs validate that emergency power, mechanical and monitoring systems operate as designed and built, and that applications, clusters or even an entire data center will respond the way you expect when the power goes out. ey can take place at the data center's discretion, from monthly routines to yearly shutdowns. Power can go out for all sorts of reasons, including natural di- sasters and area-wide power outages. As daunting as some of these occurrences may seem, they do happen, and making sure you have properly functioning backup systems in place will help reduce your losses when they strike. the More Carriers, the Merrier Just because one network provider is larger than the other doesn't make it immune to outages. Data centers that have a diverse and abundant environ- ment of carriers will beat those that lack such an ecosystem. For the coming year, we'll see more cloud, hybrid and even on-premise applications relying on a dual-carrier network strategy. Data centers that are carrier neutral and allow their customers to connect to whomever, whenever, will certainly prosper in 2016. Cabinet updates, ISTs, the cloud, location and a diverse carrier-neutral environment are just a few of the data center trends we are seeing in 2016. As the economy shis gears for the new year, IT specialists and CTOs will need to adjust depending on their needs and budgets. For data center manag- ers and IT executives, one thing is for sure: staying ahead of the curve when it comes to trends will keep your data center in a dominant spot . n about the author: John M. Hawkins is VP of Marketing and Communications at vXchnge. He is author of two books, has over 20 years of industry experience and is a blogger and technologist. You can find him on Twitter at @hawkinsjohn, and you can find vXchnge, a designed-for-performance colocation-service provider, at @vxchnge. Cabinet updates, ISTs, the cloud, location and a diverse carrier-neutral environment are just a few of the data center trends we are seeing in 2016. As the economy shifts gears for the new year, IT specialists and CTOs will need to adjust depending on their needs and budgets. For data center managers and IT executives, one thing is for sure: staying ahead of the curve when it comes to trends will keep your data center in a dominant spot.