Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Cutting Back on Data Center Equipment Costs

In the November 19 issue of PROCESSOR, Carmi Levy examines how cost-conscious IT directors, CIOs, and CFOs are saving money by turning to the “gray market” to buy name-brand goods through nontraditional channels. The downside to cutting costs in this manner is that it “can impact warranty coverage, parts availability, and service turnaround and must be calculated into the ROI to ensure the cost savings...

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Cyber Monday Highlights Efficiency Issues

While consumers may save energy by shopping from home instead of driving from store to store, data center operators seem to be burning the candle at both ends. In the article, “Is Cyber Monday Really Energy Efficient?,” Michael Kanellos at Greentech reports:In an average year, the top 40 retailers spend an estimated $110 million more on energy during than they should in preparing for Cyber Monday,...

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Impact of IT Upgrades on Energy Usage and Operational Costs

With energy costs skyrocketing, it is becoming increasingly important that data center operators incorporate energy efficiency savings without sacrificing performance. In answer, the market has been flooded with various facility and product design techniques promising energy efficiency savings. But how well do they actually work?To find out, our team at PTS upgraded the IT systems within our own facility...

Friday, October 01, 2010

Data Center Events for October 2010

Here’s a look at the data center industry events that our team will be attending in October. Data Center World October 3-6, 2010 Viva Las Vegas! PTS Data Center Solutions will be presenting and exhibiting at the Fall 2010 Data Center World Event at the Mirage Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our representatives will take part in the “Upgrade or Build: You Decide” roundtable discussion,...

Monday, September 06, 2010

Data Center Design News

Our data center design experts are often asked to share insights with leading industry publications. Here is a sampling of our recent appearances:Upgrading Building Wiring To Support Gigabit & HigherUse The Newest Technologies & Follow Latest StandardsPROCESSOR, Vol.32 Issue 18Cabling projects are so disruptive and chaotic, most companies wait until they expand existing facilities or move...

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Data Center Events Schedule

Summer is quickly coming to an end and we’re gearing up for a busy fall. Before you head out for the Labor Day weekend, here’s a recap of our upcoming events schedule for the month of September. September 14-15, 2010 – 7x24 Exchange Borgata Event PTS is pleased to participate in the 7x24 Exchange Delaware Valley Chapter’s Annual Fall Conference. The event is in Atlantic City at the Borgata and will...

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Storage & Data Deduplication

PTS continues to build upon our Storage & Data Protection Consulting Services aimed at providing the right storage solution for our client's needs. Therefore, the IT-side of this month's Solutions Showcase provides an overview of our newest storage and data deduplication solutions.Compellent Fluid Data Storage solutions and ExaGrid Systems Disk-Based Backup with Dedeplication solutions add additional...

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

PTS Data Center Solutions Expands its IT Solutions Portfolio with Compellent Fluid Data Storage and ExaGrid Systems Disk-Based Backup Solutions

PTS Data Center Solutions has launched a strategic distribution relationship with Compellent Technologies and ExaGrid Systems. The relationship includes the full breadth of products from both manufacturers targeted for midsized enterprises. As a data center consulting and turn-key solutions provider, PTS provides integrated data center facility and IT technical expertise for clients. With a proven...

Thursday, July 08, 2010

To Co-Lo or Not To Co-Lo?

I'm interested in hearing how organizations have come to the conclusion that this was their best alternative to expanding data center capacity? We have seen some organizations dive into Co-Lo facilities because the industry is growing so they assume it is the right thing to do or they think it will be more cost effective before anyone has really analyzed the cost implications. I think it is critical...

Monday, June 21, 2010

AFCOM Data Center World Fall 2010

PTS Data Center Solutions will be presenting and exhibiting at the Fall 2010 Data Center World Event in Las Vegas, Nevada during October 3-6. Please visit us at booth #207 and experience our new Data Center Maintenance Management Software (DCMMS) Solution.PTS Data Center Solutions' presentations will include:Data Center Management...

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Alleviate Your IT Headaches

The June 4 issue of PROCESSOR magazine (Volume 32, Issue 12) takes a look at how consumer devices and tools are causing problems for IT. From technological solutions to corporate policies, the series of articles offers advice on managing and securing social networks, personal wireless access points, USB devices and other employee-owned devices. Check it out:Social Networking Nuisances – by Holly Dolezalek...

Monday, June 07, 2010

Design & Construction Network Networking Event, June 29 @ 6pm

PTS is sponsoring the upcoming Design & Construction Network Networking Event near Philadelphia, PA. The event will bring together many members of the local design and construction community. RSVP online at http://dcnpa3.eventbrite.com/. Additional Details:When - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)Where - Fox & Hound Pub & Grille 160 N. Gulph Road King Of Prussia,...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

PTS Education & White Papers

Looking to continue its tradition of providing content-rich educational materials for data center managers through its website, PTS has significantly upgraded its white paper section. As we continue to add our own industry-specific content through white paper development, presentations at numerous industry events, discussion threads on the PTS blog and through the LinkedIn Computer Room Design group,...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Achieving a Dim Data Center

In my post, “Dark Data Centers: Dream or Reality?”, I discussed how dim data centers remain a sought-after solution for IT professionals and users, and an attainable design goal for most companies. One of our readers requested examples of solutions which can help to achieve a dim data center. As such, here are some key things to consider:1. Move supporting infrastructure (power and cooling) out of...

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Data Center Videos

Looking for online video of data center tours, product demos, tradeshow highlights, and more? Tech analyst Rich Miller of Data Center Knowledge has done a great job gathering some of the best data center videos on the web into one place: the Data Center Videos YouTube Channel.There are nearly 60 videos uploaded to date, plus more to come. To give you a quick intro to the type of content you’ll see,...

Monday, April 19, 2010

Get the Most Out of Your IT Assets

In “Extend the Life of Your IT Assets: Strategies to Keep Assets Running Strong”, Elizabeth Millard takes a look at techniques for extending the life of your critical IT assets while ensuring the highest level of system availability.Key points include:Focus on power and cooling efforts, because improper cooling can decrease the life of IT assets.Look at SLAs to determine whether they’re meeting the...

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Presentation on: “Creating & Implementing a Proactive Data Center Management Plan”

PTS will be presenting at the next 7x24 Exchange DelVal meeting @ Citizens Bank Park on 5/11, the only stadium in Philly that breeds champions. There are only 90 seats for this event so if you’re interested you should sign up quickly. http://7x24exchangedelval.org /index.php?option=com_7x24&task=listEvents&Itemid=51 PTS Presentation Synopsis: “Creating & Implementing a Proactive Data Center...

Friday, March 26, 2010

REMINDER: ‘Devils in the Details’ Event on March 30th

This is a quick reminder that our educational event, “The Devils in the Details - Enhanced SAN & Switching Solutions for Next Generation Data Centers,” will be held on March 30, 2010. This event was previously postponed from 2/10 due to the snow storm.For those who registered, we hope you’ll join us for an informative discussion and learn about:PTS Data Center Solutions' strategic data center...

Cut Your Data Center Cooling Costs

Modern data centers face a number of cooling system challenges due to the requirements of today's IT systems, combined with the way those IT systems are deployed. In the latest issue of PROCESSOR magazine, Elizabeth Millard examines strategies for keeping power and cooling operations streamlined during the summer months when outside temperatures rise.The article includes my thoughts on the topic,...

Monday, February 22, 2010

Considerations for Storage Consolidation

The growth of company files, e-mail, databases, and application data drives a constant need for more storage. But with many networks architected with storage directly attached to servers, growth means burdensome storage management and decreased asset utilization. Storage resources remain trapped behind individual servers, impeding data availability.There are three storage consolidation architectures...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

“Devils in the Details” Data Center Event - IMPORTANT UPDATE

** EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER **The data center management event planned for tomorrow night, The Devils in the Details - Enhanced SAN & Switching Solutions for Next Generation Data Centers, has been rescheduled for March 30, 2010 due to the forecasted snow storm.If you have questions regarding event tickets, please contact Amy Yencer at AYencer@ptsdcs.com. For more details and the...

BLADE Network Technologies Wins Top Spot in 10G Data Center Switch Test

Congratulations to BLADE Network Technologies, PTS’ top-of-rack switch vendor and a trusted leader in data center networking, on winning the top spot in the 10G data center switch competition.BLADE's RackSwitch G8124 received Network World's Clear Choice award in its lab test of top-of-rack 10G Ethernet data center switches for delivering a winning combination of features and performance as well as...

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Why are so many still using guesswork to determine their needs for power?

It is 2010 & so many data center & IT managers are still relying on manual derated name plate calculations to manage the power required throughout their power chain even though many of these data centers are on the verge of running out of power & many have experienced outages due to tripped circuits. So many data center & IT managers come to us looking for real-time monitoring of...

Monday, January 18, 2010

What is your definition of a "Green" Data Center solution?

Is your organization looking for "Green" Data Center Solutions or are you looking to incorporate "Green" into your Data Center Design in 2010 or in this decade? Below are some thoughts on this important issue in regards to building "Green" Data Centers. We're interested in hearing your opinions & ideas as well. For the most part “Green” Solutions for the Data Center, is in my opinion a bit of...