Getting Your Data Center Ready For Going Green

Do you own or manage a data center? If so, you may be concerned about making the workplace you oversee a "greener" environment. Perhaps you do not feel like you are ready to make a complete transition. The good news is that your efforts to lower your carbon footprint do not have to be all done at once. A number of companies make a gradual transition. The following points are designed to give you ideas for how you can too.  

Audits

Perform an audit to determine which hardware is obsolete or nearing the end of its lifecycle. Make plans to routinely perform audits in the future to ensure that you know whether you have hardware that is no longer being used or could be transitioned to a greener alternative. For example, you might be able to transition from a physical storage solution to virtual storage. Check your data backup strategies. It is possible that your current practices involve redundantly backing up data, which may be unnecessary and contributing to excess storage. Some of the unused equipment that you have may also be eligible for trade-ins or a buy back program. Your audit should include checking this information.   

System Migrations

Perhaps you have several pieces of hardware that are consuming massive amounts of energy. Migrating from these older systems to more up-to-date hardware could curb your energy costs, which could help absorb some of the costs associated with your migration. You may not necessarily have to buy brand new hardware. For example, replacing older hardware with refurbished hardware that consumes less energy is still a step towards a greener data center environment.

Recycled Hardware

Obsolete hardware can be recycled, which will benefit the environment. If you are leery about recycling because of data sensitivity concerns, ensure that you discuss the recycling process with the vendor who is assisting you. They can explain their disposal and recycling processes, which should include destroying remnants of data and recycling the appropriate portions of the hardware. For example, metal scraps and plastic housing materials can be recycled. 

Data Compression

By exploring data compression options, you may be able to conserve energy that is being consumed by "power hungry" servers. By compressing data, you will be able to get more out of your storage solutions. 

A data center hardware maintenance company is the best resource to use for more ideas on how your firm can lower its carbon footprint over time. They can also assist with hardware lifecycle management options.