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Green Data Center |
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The internet era and digital age has forced many companies to build massive data center infrastructure to stay ahead of the completion and use IT systems as a strategic tool to differentiate. Energy and utility companies across the U.S. are facing a big surge in demand for electricity from data centers. This demand is attributed to increase in power consumption of computing systems, cooling systems and new data center facilities. This has resulted in space, cooling, and energy capacity issues and has resulted in high energy costs and environmental or “ungreen” data centers.
Key Challenges with "ungreen" Data Center
- Increasing Energy costs with increasing needs of computing systems
- Increasing data center space have translated in more facility costs for and has become hindrance for further expansion
- Utility companies are not able to match unplanned and unexpected surge in energy demands and it can result in power capacity reduction
- Outdated or proprietary systems consume more space and need more heating which translates in high energy costs.
- Higher energy consumption in data center indirectly impacts Environmental regulations, trigger climate change and promote carbon emission.
Achieve Green Data Center vision with GRC approach
Define Green Data Center Governance Process
- Data Center Energy Efficiency Metrics Governance Process
- Data centers should define and maintain data center infrastructure efficiency (DCiE) and power usage effectiveness (PUE) metrics for its facilities and computer systems. Calculation of the data center efficiency metrics should include key factors as given below
- Energy consumption information based on areas or components of the facilities
- Efficiency rating for multiple components of the facilities such as cooling system, UPS, lighting.
- Hardware energy efficiency assessments and ratings
- Develop corporate environmental policy and ensure compliance through process audits
- Develop and maintain certified environmental management system such as ISO 14001.
- Develop plans for indirect CO2 emissions reductions and process to accomplish.
- Enable green supply chain governance to for supplier of facilities and equipments
- Create policies and processes to use renewable energy sources in data center operations.
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory compliance process should ensure that data center energy efficiency standards are maintained with necessary controls on its governance processes.
- Develop policies and process to ensure compliance with indirect green house gas emissions.
- Adopt compliance process for waste recycling and management
Risk Management
Organization are facing sever energy price risk, energy supply risks, environmental compliance risks and future sustainable business risks without an environment friendly green data centers. The data center governance and compliance processes should offer a closed loop risk management process by triggering risks associated with environment management systems, energy consumption and costs or any regulatory violations.
Technology managers are facing serious concerns with their data centers to achieve business sustainability. Increasing energy cost, unpredictable energy capacity, environmental regulations, corporate social responsibility initiative are forcing organizations to relook at their data center operations and adopt clean green data center with Governance, Risk and Compliance methodology. |
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