Did you know that green computing norms indicate that any data center more than seven years old is considered out of date? This is the case even though the average lifespan of a data center is widely agreed to be nine years. Seeing as data centers are a major investment, it might be frustrating for some companies to get such a short amount of time out of their initial capital. Fortunately, there are ways to get some extra time out of existing equipment.
Replace or Retrofit?
There are two ways of getting a data center up to par. The first is through retrofitting your existing equipment with new and more modern equipment. Network racks, electronic cabinets, servers themselves, and data racks — this is just a short list of items that might need to be upgraded. Wear and tear naturally takes a toll on equipment in any industry. Servers and other high volume electronics will eventually burn out and need replacement. This is a good opportunity to improve energy efficiency, temperature control (especially for server rack enclosures), and longevity of your data center. Eventually, though, you will need to consider other options.
If your data center is, for want of a better phrase, falling apart, you might choose to replace it with a new data center entirely. Replacement is typically put on the table when it becomes apparent that retrofitting would cost nearly as much as the replacement. Think of it as a used car. You’ve had it for a while and it still works, but it keeps breaking down, costing you time and money. You could continue to replace parts whenever they break and it wouldn’t cost as much upfront as a new car, but other things will break and it will be an ongoing expenditure for years to come.
You could also sell the data center, but selling it in an outdated condition wouldn’t yield enough of a return to do this. The best plan for data center ownership is to know exactly when it will stop being maximally profitable and then cross reference that to good market timing if you are looking to sell.
If you are looking into retrofitting, check out our wide array of up to date hot and cold aisle containment systems to give your efficiency and safety a boost into the modern data world.