A White Paper from the Experts
in Business-Critical ContinuityTM
Data Center Users’ Group Special Report
Energy efficiency and capacity concerns increase
Fall 2012 Survey Results
Executive Summary
Survey Methodology
The overarching message that can be derived from
the results of the fall 2012 Data Center Users’ Group
(DCUG) member survey, sponsored by Emerson
Network Power, is that data center managers are once
again increasingly concerned with energy efficiency.
The results also point to a growing need to expand
to meet power capacity issues. This year’s fall survey
results report these notable findings:
The Data Center Users’ Group (DCUG) is an association
of experienced data center, IT and facility managers
formed by Emerson Network Power. Founded in 2003,
the DCUG includes approximately 2,000 members
who participate in a collaborative, focused forum that
addresses the issues, trends, challenges and solutions
associated with building and maintaining a highly
available, flexible and cost-effective facility. The group’s
membership comprises executives with a wide variety
of IT and facilities management expertise from an
assortment of companies, including board member
companies Vanguard, Cincinnati Bell Technology
Solutions and Delta Air Lines, among others. For more
information on the DCUG, including membership and
upcoming events, visit www.datacenterug.org.
• Data center energy costs and equipment efficiency
has once again become the top-of-mind issue for
DCUG members, with nearly half of the respondents
listing it as one of their top facility/network concerns.
• Adequate monitoring and data center management
(46.3 percent) and availability (45.7 percent) remain
concerns, coming in second and third on the list.
• Capacity issues continue to threaten data center
performance levels, with 40 percent of respondents
saying that they expect to run out of data center
capacity by 2014.
• As in previous years, data centers are running out of
power before they run out of physical floor space,
with 35 percent of respondents citing power as the
primary factor limiting data center capacity.
• Organizations are looking to third-party colocation
providers and integrated solutions to help them
expand and meet growing capacity needs.
The DCUG membership is surveyed twice each year to
provide members with unique insight into data center
trends and to ensure the group’s meetings address
issues of top concern to the membership. The results
discussed in this report are from the DCUG survey that
was completed in October 2012, with a total of 164
DCUG members providing answers to the 23 questions.
This report highlights a selection of the questions
posed in the survey. Access to the full survey data is
limited to the DCUG membership.
Respondents to the survey primarily represented
data center management (32 percent), facilities
management (23 percent), IT management/operations
(20 percent) and engineering (10 percent). Primary
facility size ranged from less than 500 square feet to
greater than 50,000 square feet. Figure 1 shows a
specific breakdown.
Grater than 50,000 sq ft
25,001-50,000 sq ft
18.3%
12.8%
23.2%
10,001-25,000 sq ft
5,001-10,000 sq ft
500-5,000 sq ft
Less than 500 sq ft 0.0%
Unsure 0.0%
0.0%
23.2%
22.6%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
Figure 1. Respondents represented data centers ranging from less than 500 square feet to more
than 50,000 square feet.
2
The timing of the survey coincided with the run up to
the 2012 presidential election, which is often a time of
heighted uncertainty in the business community, with
many organizations taking a conservative approach
to planning, spending and budgeting. During this
timeframe there also appeared an article from The New
York Times that was critical of data center energy usage.
This caused a renewed discussion in the industry around
data center energy efficiency.
fourth most important concern just six months earlier
to the number one concern. Availability remained in
the top three concerns in 2010 and 2011 while energy
efficiency sunk back to the fourth concern of data center
managers from fall 2009 to spring 2011. Spring 2009
also saw infrastructure monitoring and management
enter the top three concerns, rising to the number one
spot in the spring of 2010 and 2012.
The fall 2012 DCUG survey results show that, for the
second time this year, energy efficiency, availability and
infrastructure and monitoring are weighing heavily on
the minds of data center professionals. When asked to
identify their top three facility/network concerns, 48
percent of respondents cited energy efficiency, making
it the leading response to the question. Adequate
monitoring and data center management (46.3 percent)
and availability (45.7 percent) were second and third on
the list of top concerns. (See Figure 2)
Returning Focus on Energy EfficiencyTop concern of Fall 2012
The issue of energy consumption emerged in 2008
as data center power usage significantly increased
and the U.S. economy entered a deep recession
that forced companies to find ways to reduce
spending. IT organizations began to look seriously
at energy efficiency in terms of cost savings as well
as environmental responsibility. This was reflected
in survey data compiled by the DCUG. Members of
the group surveyed in 2005 did not include energy
efficiency in their top five data center concerns. In spring
of 2008, efficiency made the list at No. 5. In spring of
2009, efficiency had moved to the second position.
To make sense of these results, one only has to
understand the period of great change the data
center is currently undergoing. Data center managers
are struggling to keep pace with growing capacity
needs while working under the constraints of
tightened budgets and energy efficiency initiatives.
New technologies such as virtualization and cloud
computing are transforming data centers into dynamic
environments, optimizing the space in ways few could
have predicted only a few short years ago.
Energy efficiency dominated industry discussions until a
rash of well-publicized data center outages in 2009 led
to increased downtime. In the wake of those outages,
respondents to the fall 2009 DCUG survey showed a
renewed respect for availability. It jumped from the
Energy efficiency (energy costs
& equipment efficiency)
48.2%
Adequate monitoring/data center
managemet cpabilities
Availability (uptime)
46.3%
45.7%
34.8%
Heat density (cooling)
Power density
27.4%
Space constraints/growth
Technology changes/change management
23.2%
20.7%
Security (physical or virtual)
17.1%
Data Center consolidations
14.6%
Data Storage
10.4%
Regulatory compliance
6.7%
Other, please specify
4.3%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Figure 2. Respondents identified top three facility / network concerns.
3
Tweet This:
Energy efficiency
named #datacenter
managers’ No. 1
concern for
the first time in
@EmrsnNPDataCntr
#DCUG survey
Already analyzed efficiency
36.6%
Currently analyzing efficiency
25.0%
Will be analyzing efficiency
19.5%
Might analyze efficiency
10.4%
Not planning to analyze efficiency
8.5%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
Figure 3. Respondents discuss conducting an efficiency analysis.
Site or System
Perfomance Improvement 10%
Retrofit /
Data Center Upgrade 4%
38%
48%
New Build 3%
Cooling System Design 5%
Power System Design
12%
9%
57%
35%
9%
0%
10%
4%
40%
20%
40%
14%
9% 6%
13%
10%
5% 5% 4%
14%
10%
28%
4%
10% 5%
9%
23%
60%
7%
12%
9% 4% 12%
80%
Infrastructure
Hardware Vendor
Consulting Engineer/
Design Firm
IT Vendor
Power /
Cooling Sales Rep
Service Provider
Design Build Contractor
Other
100%
Figure 4. Respondents identify who they turn to for expertise.
The growing complexity of data center environments
is forcing many organizations to better track the
usage and performance of their assets to ensure
IT investments align with the enterprise’s needs—
driving the increased interest in monitoring and
data center infrastructure management (DCIM).
As DCIM tools become more sophisticated and
prevalent, data centers are evolving to a new stage
of maturity marked by a more proactive approach
to management that gives data center managers
unprecedented insight into operations and allows
them to explore ways to reduce energy consumption
and meet growing demand without risking downtime.
4
The DCUG survey results show that this renewed
concern about energy efficiency is leading to action.
When asked if they have or will be conducting
an analysis of the efficiency of their data center
equipment, 62 percent of respondents stated that
they have already or are currently analyzing efficiency.
Another 19 percent said they will be conducting the
analysis in the near future. (See Figure 3.)
As data center managers embark on energy efficiency
initiatives, the DCUG survey results show they are
turning to trusted partners whom they believe best
understand their needs. Along with consulting
engineering and design firms, this also includes
the sales force of power and cooling equipment
manufacturers. When asked who they turn to first
for expertise in power and cooling system design,
23 percent and 28 percent of respondents cited
power and cooling sales representatives, respectively
(see Figure 4). When asked who they believe best
understands their power, cooling and efficiency needs,
26 percent, 23 percent and 15 percent cited the sales
reps, respectively. (See Figure 5.)
Overall System &
Site Level Functioning
10%
Available/ Reliability Needs
12%
Capacity issues remain a threat
40%
9%
35%
9%
12%
9%
37%
12%
Efficiency Needs
7%
41%
7%
Power Needs
7%
37%
Cooling Needs
7%
34%
20%
40% of #datacenter
managers will run
out of capacity
by 2014- most
exhausting power &
cooling before floor
space #DCUG
Along with energy efficiency rising back to the number
one concern, capacity issues continue to threaten to
strain resources and negatively impact performance
levels. Forty percent of DCUG respondents said
they expect to run out of data center capacity by
2014, with another 29 percent expecting capacity
constraints by 2017 (see Figure 6).
Growth/ Capacity Needs
0%
Tweet This:
3%
2%
40%
7% 3%
8% 9% 2%
7% 7% 4%
15%
23%
26%
Infrastructure
Hardware Vendor
Consulting Engineer/
Design Firm
23%
21%
IT Vendor
25%
6% 4%
Power /
Cooling Sales Rep
20%
Service Provider
10% 2%
18%
12% 2%
18%
60%
80%
Design Build Contractor
Other
100%
Figure 5. Respondents identify who best understand their needs.
2018 or beyond (6+ years)
20.1%
10.4%
12.2%
2017 (5 years)
2016 (4 years)
2015 (3 years)
2014 (2 years)
2013 (1 year)
2012 (0 years)
17.1%
22.0%
11.0%
7.3%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
Figure 6. Respondents project data center capacity constraints.
5
Power
34.8%
N/A- Compute capacity is not constrained
29.9%
Cooling
15.9%
Floor space
12.2%
Other
7.3%
0.0% 5.0%
10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%
Figure 7. Respondents name factors limiting data center capacity
Tweet This:
#DCUG survey:
#datacenter managers
exploring colocation
and modular solutions
to address diminishing
capacities
As in previous years, the survey also shows that
data centers are running out of power and cooling
before they run out of physical floor space. Thirty-five
percent of respondents cited power as the primary
factor limiting data center capacity, while 16 percent
cited cooling. Only 12 percent gave floor space as the
primary factor (see Figure 7).
These results make sense when one again considers
how the data center environment is evolving. As
mentioned earlier in the report, data center managers
are struggling to keep pace with growing capacity
needs while working under the constraints of
tightened budgets and energy efficiency initiatives.
Traditionally, data centers were designed with extra
headroom to accommodate growth. However, during
the last decade, capacity demands escalated so
quickly that added IT capacity consumed available
headroom and outpaced supply in terms of floor
space, as well as power and cooling capacity.
Within recent years, new technologies such as
virtualization and cloud computing having been
transforming data centers into dynamic environments
and providing data center managers opportunities to
better optimize physical space. However, these results
underscore the present need for many data center
operators to expand their data center operations to
add additional capacity.
6
Decisions about how to expand seem to be coalescing
around two options; one of which is utilizing thirdparty colocation providers. Thirty-eight percent of
respondents reported having decided to colocate
either their entire data center operation or a portion
of it. The growing interest in this option reaffirms the
related finding from the spring 2012 DCUG survey,
which had 68 percent of respondents agreeing that
few companies will own and operate dedicated
data centers in 2020. As the focus shifts from the
actual data center facility toward the data center
infrastructure, it is becoming easier for companies to
utilize colocation facilities.
The other option being considered by many data
center managers is implementing integrated
solutions. This new generation of infrastructure
systems is designed for simplified configuration and
greater scalability, enabling systems to be right-sized
during the design phase. Virtually every component
of the physical infrastructure is now available in a
modular design. These modular systems especially
help in managing a data center infrastructure that
experiences fluctuations in capacity needs.
Modularity can be applied to specific infrastructure
equipment such as UPS systems that can be expanded
by adding power cores, or rack power distribution
units with swappable power strip receptacles, power
cords and power modules. Modularity can also be
achieved holistically by quickly adding modular chilled
water plants or containerized power enclosures to a
data center when capacity is being added on a
large scale.
When asked if they have implemented any integrated
solutions, respondents indicated that they already
implemented or plan to implement IT enclosures
(17 percent), power enclosures (11 percent) and
integrated rack infrastructures (11 percent). A greater
number of respondents stated that they are still
considering the options (21 percent for IT enclosures,
23 percent for power enclosures and 34 percent for
integrated rack infrastructure) (see Figure 8).
The results indicate that many data center
professionals are beginning to understand that
modularity and scalability of infrastructure equipment
reduces costs and improves deployment speed during
construction and at a room and rack level when
adding capacity. These modular systems are typically
integrated packages of equipment and controls that
are built and pretested in a factory environment. In
many cases, these modular systems can be deployed
in as little as 14 to 16 weeks. The shorter deployment
time, combined with the “build it as you need
approach” offered by modularity, allows data centers
to quickly meet fluctuating demands while lowering
CAPEX (capital expenditure) costs.
Conclusion
Results of the Data Center Users’ Group fall 2012
survey provide a revealing look into the changes
occurring throughout data centers.
While each facility is uniquely different, the insights
provided by the more than 160 survey participants
serve as an accurate representation of what’s going
on inside the data center, including these two
notable realities:
• Today’s data center managers continue to struggle
to balance organizational pressure to meet growing
demand while delivering efficiency and availability.
• Many organizations understand the important role
third-party colocation providers and integrated
solutions can play in meeting growing capacity
needs while simplifying deployment time and
lowering operational costs.
Integrated Rack Infrastructure
(racks with integrated cooling,
power distribution & fire supression)
7% 4%
34%
Power Skid
4% 13%
15%
IT Skid
3%
13%
1%
15%
Power Enclosure (container)
IT Enclosure (container)
9% 2%
13%
0%
23%
4%
17%
28%
20%
39%
29%
23%
26%
40%
60%
14%
80%
Plan to implement
Considered,
but decided against
21%
22%
Already implemented
Still considering
39%
23%
21%
16%
23%
Will not consider
Unsure
100%
Figure 8. Respondents consider integrated solutions.
7
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