If you’re a facility executive responsible for data centers, the following undoubtedly makes immediate sense. As servers, storage devices and other IT gear get smaller and more powerful, they generate more heat. That translates into greater cooling load in the same space, which in turn means more energy use, as well as a greater risk of failure, should the demand for chilled air outrun the supply. For IT, however, that logical equation is a little more complicated than it seems. For one thing, just what are they supposed to do – stop buying blade servers? After all, top management expects them to support more powerful software applications from across the business, without adding expensive data center real estate. If the goal is to educate the IT department about energy efficiency, the facility infrastructure may not be the best topic to start with. What about energy efficient power supplies or fans for servers? Or low-voltage processors? If it sounds like I’m speaking a foreign language, well, I guess I am. It’s the language of IT. But learning to speak at least a bit of that language may help you make headway in your efforts to sell energy efficiency. Places to look for information include the Uptime Institute, Energy Star, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, 80 Plus.
Speaking of Energy Star, the EPA group recently released a draft specification for servers. One way to start a dialogue might be to email your IT compatriots information on the new spec.