Without appropriate monitoring measures, the electricity consumption of the data centers in the public sector and the public sector in the USA may increase almost twice and reach an annual volume of 2011 billion dollars in 7.4 ● However, if the measures recommended by the ministry are taken, the electricity consumption in the data centers in 2011 will be lower than the consumption the current one
Anthony Gonzalez, InformationWeek
In a report published at the beginning of August 2007, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends curbing electricity consumption in data centers - otherwise the electricity bills of data centers in the public sector and in the public sector may reach an annual volume of 2011 billion dollars in 7.4. The 133-page report was submitted last Thursday to the American Congress, and it may have significant business consequences - if the US lawmakers decide to take the steps recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Based on the current growth rate of electricity consumption, the US Department of Environmental Quality estimates that in 2011 the electricity consumption in data centers across the US will be almost double what it was in 2006, and will reach 12 gigawatts during peak hours. Today, electricity consumption during peak hours is 7 gigawatts - equivalent to the output of 15 power plants.
In 2006, the electricity consumption of data centers in the USA amounted to 61 billion kilowatt hours, about one and a half percent of the total electricity consumption in the USA. The price of the electricity consumed to operate electrical equipment for information processing, data storage and operation of communication networks reached 4.5 billion dollars. In 2011, the price is expected to jump to 7.4 billion dollars, and due to the increased demand, it will be necessary to build 10 more power plants.
"From the estimates and forecasts it appears that the electricity consumption in the data centers will reach a huge scale, which requires formulating an effective strategy for saving electricity. Electricity consumption must be monitored and reported in order to implement an appropriate policy," the report said. Besides the economic consequences, increasing the production of electricity, in response to demand, will have severe environmental effects - due to the increased emission of carbon oxides and other greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and government entities can dramatically reduce the increase in electricity consumption through the application of advanced technologies that are already offered today, adherence to the best practices for operating data centers, and more efficient utilization of existing equipment through server consolidation and effective management of consumption their electricity. These and other measures could save between 23 billion kilowatt hours and 74 billion kilowatt hours, costing between $1.6 billion and $5.1 billion. At the same time, the emission of carbon oxides will be saved in the amount of 15 million tons to 47 million tons.
In fact, according to the American Ministry of Environmental Quality, if these measures are taken, the electricity consumption in the data centers in 2011 will be lower than the current consumption, and not higher than it - although it is clear to everyone that it will not be easy to achieve this goal. For this reason, the US Department of Environmental Quality recommends programs that include incentives for more efficient use of energy and the establishment of a uniform standard for measuring the performance of data centers. "The federal government and industry must cooperate in the development of an objective and reliable rating system for data centers," the report said.
After the standard is established and the rating system is developed, the report recommends that the federal government serve as an example and report to the public on the energy performance of the data centers, perform repeated tests every two or three years, and operate economical computing environments. Today, the electricity consumption of the data centers of the federal government amounts to about ten percent of the total electricity consumption of the data centers in the USA.
The US Department of Environmental Quality also recommends that the federal government call on the CEOs of business companies to perform assessments of energy utilization, in a manner to be defined by the US Department of Energy, to improve utilization and to report on the energy performance of the data centers.
The government, in collaboration with the industry, is required to demonstrate in the field, through test cases, the best methods - and to cooperate with the private sector to develop objective and reliable performance indicators for the various types of equipment in the data centers, such as servers, storage arrays, network equipment and UPS. The administration is also called to cooperate with industry parties, universities, electricity companies and other bodies in research and development of technologies and methods for saving electricity, formulation of public policy and other projects.
Gartner report: Green IT is expected to have a significant impact on the purchasing decisions of the managers
Yossi the Tony, The People, DailyMaily system
By the end of the decade, the trend of considering environmental aspects when deciding on the implementation of IT systems in organizations will increase - according to a new report by the research company Gartner. In the report, Gartner's analysts state that "organizations, like the whole world, are going to be affected by changes in the expectations of their employees. And this - following social trends, including the expectation to adopt environmentally friendly business procedures". It is further stated in the report that "green IT is a concept that has already entered the professional language, and it will definitely influence IT procurement decisions and data center planning. This aspect may even trigger a demand for more detailed reports and data about the dimensions of the organization's carbon emissions."
According to Gartner, organizations must adopt consumer-oriented technologies in order to benefit from additional opportunities for innovation. In the report, Gartner recommends that organizations change their approach to consumer-oriented technology penetrating the organization: "You should stop seeing it as an 'unavoidable nuisance' and start thinking of it as 'another opportunity for innovation'." Gartner's analysts say that, in any case, employees will continue to push consumer-oriented technologies into the organization, especially in areas such as tools to improve personal productivity and communication. "Adopting and leveraging their experiences and the experience of employees, with consumer-oriented technologies - will allow organizations to benefit from a significant addition to the pool of resources available to them, when they come to test innovations," said Jackie Penn, vice president at Gartner.
At Gartner, the analysts have identified the next cycle of consumer-oriented innovations and the timetable in which these innovations will begin to significantly affect revenues, or internal expenses and business processes. By the end of the decade, the study says, the specific gravity of network platforms will rise. "The use of network-based application services will certainly begin in the area of personal output, and especially in the creation and publication of content for online collaboration. From there it will also spread to corporate applications," it said.
Regarding community communication platforms, the report's editors conclude that "the working assumption of the successful consumer community sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Cyworld, is the opposite - according to which the default is that posts and communication messages are viewable, unless we define them otherwise. In a space designed for collaboration, the migration of alternative work premises such as this will be just as important as any other specific functionality."
Regarding video conferencing on the desktop computer, the authors of the report state that "the function of video conferencing using the desktop computer will continue to grow in the coming years. This, with the help of technologies such as instant messages, collaboration on the desktop computer, as well as the convenient and increasingly frequent use of video conferencing, which is carried out with a simple keystroke on the desktop computer."
The authors of the report assume that the mobile entities will grow: "A usage pattern that is becoming more and more common is bringing home environments - that is, a combination of preferred but non-standard applications - to work, and bringing work environments to home." According to the authors of the report, like the instant messages, this pattern also falls into the category of technologies, which the users will adopt for themselves and because of this the organization will be forced to check and regulate aspects involved in it, of licensing and security.
2010-2012
Regarding the continuation of the years, the authors of the report state that "virtual worlds - if you consider the value of the XNUMXD virtual worlds, such as Second Life, and their contribution to organizations today and in the near future, then the 'media noise' they generate - is definitely excessive." However, the report's editors point out, "There is no doubt that the virtual worlds will play an important role in marketing, branding and other types of remote collaborations."
The report refers to user interface technologies: "There are several user interface technologies, which are already making waves," it says, "first, in the consumer world, and then surely they will waver in the business world as well." According to them, the adoption is driven by low prices in technologies, such as large screens; By making new features (such as Nintendo's Wii as a XNUMXD controller) more commercial, as well as by ease of use (such as simple and routine use in video conferencing).
five years and more
In the more distant future, the report's authors point out, "augmented reality" should be considered: according to Gartner's analysts, "the routine and simple availability of location-based sensing and augmented reality will lead to a situation where new organizational applications will be developed, such as location-sensitive information and the context, and the appearance of alerts that will bother you, when a manager walks in a manufacturing plant.
The authors also point out that another trend that will lead the beginning of the next decade is life/work systems, between which there is no separation: "Another social trend will force employers to provide technological environments that support the 'mixing' between work life and home life. Thus, for example, systems that at the same time also support expenses and business and personal communication, and also maintain a separation between them."
20/8/2007
