Data Center Builds/Expansion and Design

This presentation will explore the University of Michigan’s approach to meeting the ongoing need for additional machine room space in times where budget dollars continue to shrink. The importance of locating the right applications/hardware in the right space will be discussed as well as the UM’s investigation and move to an alternative data center solution utilizing modular data center technology. The pros and cons of a modular data center solution will be discussed as well as the financial business case.

Many organizations have tasked their data center teams to extend the life of their existing data center.  This session will go through a laundry list of techniques that are being used to stretch the life of data center space, power, and cooling: from low cost do-it-yourself solutions to more serious “surgery”.

In today’s dynamic data center market, firms needing IT space are faced with the “buy vs build” dilemma. Backers exist on both sides, but which factors and analysis tools should drive the decision? This session provides a high-level  overview, drilling in on options from financial, operational and technical perspectives. Issues discussed include: Functional; Cost; Operational; & Other Advantages/Disadvantages. The presenters will conduct a Comparative Analysis of options, showing how a structured evaluation process helps select a “best” solution that both upper management and users can understand.

The presentation will outline the full life-cycle of a data center design and build, including the budgeting and financial aspects of the project. Alcatex will draw on real life abstracted examples to show the opportunities and obstacles working in large corporations to first get large scale projects funded and then transition to selecting, designing, building, migrating and managing the data center. The focus will be on presenting successful case studies that drive progress, consensus and efficiency.