Description
Most companies hope to get as much as 20 years of dependable service from their data centers. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles to achieving that length of service. In particular, some of the key mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) components that data centers rely on are not designed to last that long. In addition, rapidly changing data processing requirements demand that data centers remain flexible and support greater rack densities.
Organizations with a data center 10 years of age or older have several options, including building a new data center, putting applications in the public cloud, leasing space in a colocation facility or modernizing the existing data center. Many companies looking to make the most of previous investments choose to modernize their existing facilities, as it can often be done more cost effectively than the other options and usually yields significant improvements in reliability, efficiency and operational effectiveness.
This white paper discusses how aging MEP infrastructure components can affect older data centers; suggests a series of beneficial upgrades; and outlines best practices for successfully planning, implementing and testing those renovations.
