Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/833286
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 3 www.datacenterjournal.com How did it Start? t ension between two groups is common when those groups have different goals, different languages and different tactics for success. In the case of facilities versus IT, the cultural differences seem insurmount- able. An Nlyte article from June 2016 ("e Great IT/Facilities Divide") astutely notes that one major differ- ence is language: "Facilities talks in volts, amps, watts, BTUs etc. while IT deals in bytes, network cards and OSs." Similarly, facilities has a history that goes much further back than the several decades since IT first arrived. Whatever the differences, the result has unfortunately been a culture of misunderstanding. According to Jeff Klaus, General Manager of Intel Data Center Solutions, "It's really hard to pin an exact date when the division happened. I think it's been something we've had from the beginning, because the difference is more a matter of per- spective. What I mean is in the past it's been about who had the priority: the mechanical-engineering groups who focused on facility operations and floor space, or the computer-engi- neering teams who develop and drove business services." Regardless of how the conflict has actually played out, one can easily imagine a hypothetical situation: IT claims it's more valuable to the company because it delivers the services that internal and exter- nal customers demand, but facilities responds by saying none of that would be possible without power distribu- tion, cooling and so on. Despite the cultural and even technical differences, however, fa- cilities and IT still have one common goal. Klaus noted, "Historically, these roles came from very different areas of practice, had different tools and had different priorities; but as we've progressed and became more sophisti- cated, both groups have come to focus on the same problem, 'How do we manage constraints in space, com- pute and people to effectively drive business value?' To remain effective in answering that question, both groups had to recognize their interdependen- cies and raise the level of dialog." wHy deal witH it Now? Unresolved conflict in an orga- nization can reduce efficiency and profitability. e divide between IT and facilities may be a long-standing one at which we might just shrug and say "it's always been that way," but a resolution—at least through mutual understanding—can smooth data center operations. "Anytime you have disconnects in perspectives it's a concern," said Klaus. "Obviously you want the team to understand how they contribute, and given the importance of data and data centers in modern business, it needs to be a priority." One area of growing concern is energy efficiency. Even under the best circumstances, data centers consume lots of power. Moreover, a 2013 Digital Realty Trust survey found the aver- age power usage effectiveness of data centers in North America to be 2.9. at means for every watt spent on IT, nearly two watts went to facilities (cooling, power distribution and so on). Even if we grant major progress over the past several years and say the average PUE is now closer to 2.0, that's still half of data center power going to non-IT use. Also, growing media attention on this issue has increased public concern. And, unfortunately, public concern oen begets misguided legislation that addresses the situation in ways that create more problems than they solve. It'd be easy to simply fault facili- ties, but PUE isn't the entire story. e cooling load is less when IT equip- ment consumes less power, meaning it produces less heat. Servers consume power even when idle, so not every expended IT watt produces something of value to the business—quite the contrary, since idle power dissipation creates heat that the facilities equip- ment must remove from the data center. So, apart from matters related to public image, higher energy costs Data center outsourcing through the cloud and colocation move the burden of facilities (and IT, in the case of the cloud) to a service provider. For companies that take this approach, the historical lack of rapport between the IT and facilities departments is no longer a concern. But someone must still operate the data center, whether it's in house or elsewhere. Thus, tackling that divide between two critical departments is necessary, since both have the same ultimate goal: the success of the business.