2016 turned out to be a year of challenges for data center professionals and this indicates that the coming time will be even challenging. Some of the trends such as the emergence of disruptive technologies, growth in computing power, optimized security standards etc., will continue. IT infrastructures are experiencing considerable development and the new technologies are straining power and density. While data explosion will persist, here are a few predictions that we must watch in the near future.
Installing new technologies
In order to respond to the growing demands and to stay ahead in the competitive world, data center have to adopt newer and smarter technologies. This would assist in keeping a record of real time status of the equipment and environmental conditions in the facility to maintain a smooth flow of operations. The new equipment includes sensors that measure the overall situation of the IT environment and also monitors network equipment that further helps in maintaining uptime and reduce CapEx. New and upgraded version of IT equipment will keep emerging and it will work to keep the data centers going always.
Security challenges
The rise of new technology is not only multiplying the usage of resources, but it is also posing as a risk factor that demands better security. For instance, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud solutions and software-defined architecture all combined are raising security concerns that need to be fixed. Business sector such as government, healthcare, BFSI are in particular focusing more on security, however, protecting data the traditional way has become a thing of past and there needs to be a new solution that can tighten business safety. Experts suggest that security should be integrated into the entire business operation such as DevOps must be replaced with DevSecOps for better security.
Internet of Things
Internet of Things is the new buzzword and we must have heard it thousand times that by 2020, 25 Billion devices will be connected, globally. But this is merely an informative sentence for us readers but it means more than a jargon for the IT operators. The more the devices connected, the larger data it will produce. This increases the greater demand for storage and maintenance and directly data center service providers are pressurized. Thus, data centers will have to cope up with the evolving technology and build and utilize solutions that will help with the management.
Automation
As a result, data centers will have to become more agile and responsive to manage the increasing workload smoothly and automation could be one of the many beneficial solutions. On the other hand, automation of DC management activities will soon turn out to be a standard solution to cut down work load and manual errors and speed up receptiveness to machine failures. In the long run to upgrade data center solutions, IT operators will have to acquire new set of skills and shed the repetitive procedures such as provisioning storage. These IT companies will need to do away with single domain experts that deals with older technologies and higher a completely new set of expertise that are well-known with the changing trends.