Data Center operators promote green features to lure tenants

InfoWorld has an article discussing green data center features to lure tenants.  One good part of the colocation providers like Fortune and Digital Realty Trust promoting green features is more people will be thinking of how their company owned datacenters should be green.

NOVEMBER 11, 2009

Datacenter operators dangle green benefits to lure tenants

Providers share their energy-efficiency secrets and link them to cost savings

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Hardware vendors aren't the only organizations out there touting their green credentials to lure customers. Companies specializing in building and operating datacenters, both for individual and multiple tenants, are increasingly trumpeting the energy efficiency and eco-friendliness of their facilities. These traits not only appeal to the "save the planet" sensibilities of more environmentally conscious decision makers but to cost-conscious decision makers as well.

Among the datacenter operators celebrating green achievements is Fortune Data Centers, which recently earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for an eight-megawatt facility in San Jose. By building and developing the facility with energy efficiency in mind, Fortune Data Centers asserts it will enjoy long-term cost savings that will be passed on to its tenants.

[ Learn how datacenter operator Digital Realty Trust transformed an old printing press into a LEED-certified datacenter. | Like green datacenter operators, companies find that green IT premiums are worth the cost. ]

"We're structuring our business so that customers can enjoy the benefits of LEED-certified datacenter space without paying a premium for it," said John Sheputis, CEO of Fortune Data Centers. "We believe companies shouldn't have to pay extra for energy efficiency; rather they should realize a reduction in costs."

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openQRM Project – open source data center management project

Found openQRM project in a PCWorld article.

Also in the management realm is the openQRM project, a revival of an open source data center management project begun by the now-defunct company Qlusters. OpenQRM is a single-management console for infrastructure both physical and virtual. It provides an API for integrating third-party tools, including Puppet, and incorporating plug-ins.

The newest iteration, version 4.4 includes Simple Object Access Protocol -based Web services for remote control and other infrastructure management tools for cloud deployments

NetworkWorld has more details.

Instant Cloud Computing at UKUUG 2009

By MattR on Fri, 01/16/2009 - 10:53am.

Additional to next weeks presentation about "Cloud Computing with openQRM" at LCA2009 (Virtulization Miniconf) there is another possibility to keep up with openQRM's Cloud Computing features at the UKUUG Spring 2009 Conference in London (24-26 March 2009). This upcoming presentation deals with why open-source is serious for Cloud Computing and provides details about openQRM's implementation of a fully automated and rapid deploying Cloud environment which can be used for private and public Cloud services. It also explains openQRM's business model for Cloud Computing via its integrated billing system and ends up with a live-demonstration.

Please find the abstract about "Instant Cloud Computing with openQRM" as a teaser at :
http://www.ukuug.org/events/spring2009/programme/instant-cloud-computing.shtml

openQRM site is here.

About openQRM

Submitted by matt on Tue, 11/18/2008 - 00:47

openQRM is the next generation, open-source Data-center management platform. Its fully pluggable architecture focuses on automatic, rapid- and appliance-based deployment, monitoring, high-availability, cloud computing and especially on supporting and conforming multiple virtualization technologies. openQRM is a single-management console for the complete IT-infra structure and provides a well defined API which can be used to integrate third-party tools as additional plugins.

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TVTechnology discusses green data center and broadcast TV.

The green data center topic has even reached the broadcast TV market in TV Technology’s article.

The 'Greening' of the Data Center

by Karl Paulsen, 11.10.2009

ALEXANDRIA, VA.
A fascinating change is occurring in the IT and data center space that may be extending into the broadcast space given thoughts of hubbing or distributed operations. The emerging concept of the "cloud" is possibly the most prominent trend in the IT industry, with at least one rationale being the "greening of the data center."
Today's growing focus on both green-IT and the cloud is more than just a trend fueled by the watchful CFO eyes. It is clear that green philosophies must be worked into all future business models. An example of approaches to greening up the broadcast facility was previously covered in "Looking Toward the Green Blades of Servers," (Dec. 2, 2008), where I pointed out that many facilities now employ a plethora of discrete PC-based workstations as utilitarian components or communications interface buffers. If the broadcaster looked to blade server technologies for those simpler utility-grade applications, the number of PC-workstations could be boiled down considerably. Blades emphasize compactness and reliability while reducing the physical and the carbon footprints left behind by employing efficient power, cooling and product consolidation.

In a somewhat yet-to-be-recognized outcome, the broadcast server marketplace has adopted a similar attitude through the use of more efficient storage components, consolidation of channels, and improved encoding/decoding system architectures. Over time, a huge reduction occurred in the physical space requirements for both storage components and video serving engines while simultaneously realizing increased performance and storage capacity many fold. Manufacturers have taken a serious look at the green issues in their products, but surprisingly have yet to make it major thrust in their marketing "green," like their data center counterparts have.

Specific broadcasting equipment is mentioned for energy efficiency improvements.

For an historical example, the original Tektronix PDR100 took 5RU of space for four channels and included eight 4 GB RAID drives consuming 750 watts total power. The PVS1000 system took 6RU, plus 3RU of RAID for 8 channels and consumed 430 watts. Adding additional drives in an external array drove the total power consumption to 822 watts. Through evolution, this product line became the Grass Valley K2 platform—taking only 3RU for four channels and a power draw of 500 watts (with 10 internal 300 GB HDD). The newest K2 Summit takes up 2RU and consumes about 300 watts.

Harris' Nexio AMP platform evolved by adding feature sets in a like-chassis footprint, thus improving the green impact from both the space and power consumption perspective. Nexio, originally ASC, then Leitch, was not unlike Tektronix which became the Grass Valley Profile in their concepts of integrated drives and serving engines. Through evolution we have seen these platforms migrate from self contained to discrete components, and then back to self contained products again. Efficiencies gained are dependent upon many undercover green initiative byproducts.

Note this article for TV Technologies was written by Azcar Technologies, a television broadcasting solution provider.

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Evolution and the Data Center

7x24 Exchange is coming up with the theme of “Changing Landscape of Data Centers” and a bunch of my data center friends will be there.

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But, I am passing on this event to go to Santa Fe Institute’s Business Networking event where the bicentenary of of the birth of Charles Darwin and evolution theory will be discussed.

2009 Annual Business Network and Board of Trustees’ Symposium

Multi-Dimensions of Evolution

2009 is the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin. This year SFI has been celebrating this event through a variety of wide-ranging lectures, symposia, and public events on the topic of evolution. The idea has been to explore the many ways in which a Darwinian and Post-Darwinian perspective on life and time have changed our science, society and metaphysics.

This November we shall continue our celebrations with a series of talks on the multi-dimensions of evolution followed by a concert performance and readings -- extending our inquiries into the world of nineteenth century, romantic exploration, and historical synthesis, spanning science and music.

Each speaker will address some unique application of evolutionary thought, describing how an evolutionary perspective has transformed our knowledge of the world. Speakers will consider how evolutionary thinking transformed their fields, and how new, post-Darwinian ideas have been evolving and generating further insights.

I’ll be blogging from the SFI event and will let you know how a bunch of Evolution thinkers see a multi-dimensional future.  I am looking forward to immersing myself in people who think about how things evolve.

One potential theme I see is “survival of the fittest.”  Which companies leverage a fittest approach to data centers.  Fittest is about survival in this business environment.

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iControl thinks consumers want power metering to be free of monthly fees

I blogged about iControl over a year ago.  And, knew they were going to have a home energy solution, but was waiting for the public disclosure.  cnet news.com has a post.  Here is a point which shows iControl has done the research many haven’t.

"We don't see consumers willing to pay a recurring fee for energy management. They're willing to spend $50 for some energy management solution. What's going to change is when utilities go to time-of-use metering (where there are different prices at different times). Then, the economic incentive is much higher," Dawes said.

iControl is expecting that telecommunications and cable providers will start offering Internet-based home security services and then home energy management. But at this point, it's not clear how those companies will make money in energy management, Dawes said.

The power metering services are part of home security services.

iControl adds home energy services to broadband

by Martin LaMonica

Would you be willing to pay for home security services if they could also help cut your electricity bills?

In a nutshell, that's what start-up iControl is pitching to consumers with its energy management software and home automation gear. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is also working with utilities to get its energy management system installed as part of smart-grid trials.

On Tuesday, it said that its home automation equipment can now use the Zigbee wireless protocol to communicate with two-way smart meters.

Will home energy management enter through home automation networks?

(Credit: iControl Networks)

It's part of the company's plan to enter the field of home energy efficiency, where there are dozens of companies already vying for business. The path it's taking is either through security service companies, utilities, or broadband suppliers, such as cable companies or phone companies, said CEO Paul Dawes.

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