Data Center Consolidation

Today, there is increasing pressure on IT organizations to improve service levels, increase availability and reduce costs. Organizations are striving to achieve these goals through better manageability of their IT environment. By its nature, being the central location for shared computing resources, the data center is the single most concentrated, complex and strategic component of the IT environment, and therefore is the starting point for pursuing reduced complexity and better manageability.

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Server Consolidation One approach to achieving these goals is through server consolidation.The planning and execution of server consolidation has immense implications on the availability/disruption and the level of IT services delivered. Limiting physical servers or combining machine processes provides the opportunity for both cost savings and reduction in energy consumption.
Application Consolidation As consolidation occurs, multiple application instances and information streams can end up scattered across several databases. By eliminating duplicate applications, processing requirements are reduced and can run more efficiently on fewer servers. Standardization also simplifies management oversight and secures software application operations.
Storage Consolidation Consolidating storage to a separate network from the servers enable greater sharing and access for provisioning of resources as needed. Different consolidated storage technologies offer better protection and maintenance and allow for easier backup of hardware and software.
Shared Services Streamlining internal agency functions allows greater control over costs and processes. File de-duplication and increased content management functionality can be optimized for use and functionality on fewer IT resources Additional solutions to help achieve consolidation:
Cloud Computing Moving certain applications or functions to a cloud computing solution enables control, security and management of servers to help avoid sprawl. Resources can be managed and reallocated, as well as backed up, enabling better disaster recovery planning.
Virtualization Physical server reduction is the first step in leading towards lower energy consumption and systems administration costs. Virtualization allows for shared access and security control, through centralized monitoring, maintenance and patching updates.