Issue of Comatose Servers & Findings in Uptime's Data Center Survey 2013 Report

In reading Uptime’s Data Center Survey 2013 report, the below stats from the report seem silly since there are simple inexpensive solutions to audit, identify and eliminate comatose servers.

 • 43% of respondents have no scheduled audit of their server environment
 • 33% of respondents report > 5% comatose servers
 • Decommissioning (1U) servers can result in a savings of $500 per year in energy costs, an additional $500 in operating system licenses and $1,500 in hardware maintenance costs.

In the Northeast, utilities such as ConEd, NYSERDA and PECO offer attractive incentives for eliminating comatose servers as well as virtualizing underutilized IT equipment so why are many still sitting on the sidelines in addressing this issue?

PTS Data Center Solutions Moves to a New Headquarters and Cloud Data Center in Oakland, NJ

PTS Data Center Solutions, a turnkey solutions provider offering expertise in IT, cabling, and facilities, relocates its headquarters to 16 Thornton Road, in the McBride Corporate Park in Oakland, NJ, 07436, to facilitate its growth and expansion in a wide array of services available to its customers.

After almost 15 years of operating out of Franklin Lakes, NJ, the PTS companies including PTS Data Center Solutions, Inc., PTS Information Technology Solutions Group, Inc., and PTS Design & Engineering, Inc., relocated its headquarters to a completely renovated 45,000 square foot facility located in nearby Oakland, NJ.

PTS' New Cutting-Edge Office Environment

From start to finish, PTS relied entirely on in-house expertise for the new innovative and technology-centric headquarters. PTS staff handled planning, facility architectural and engineering, network and IT systems design and implementation, data cable plant and pathway design and installation, facility construction management, commissioning, and equipment migration planning and execution.

Read the Entire PTS Press Release here

Got Cabling?

Not all data cabling contractors are the same. There are many companies and individuals who can perform adequate data cabling for data centers, computer rooms, server rooms, IDFs, desktops, etc. However, not all can capably manage a complex project with many moving parts such as demolition, construction, deployment, testing, troubleshooting, and integration. This is where PTS Data Center Solution's Data Cabling team excels.

Unlike many other contractors, PTS understands the keys to becoming your trusted data cabling provider:

• Be competitively priced
• Respond quickly to requests for quotes (RFQs)
• Produce quality work on time and on schedule
• Perform exceptional data cabling project management
• Deliver superior quality control
• Supply outstanding project closeouts with proper documentation, as built drawings, and test results

PTS has RCDD staff engineers, expertise installing cable per ANSI / IEEE / BICSI standards, 30+ years of industry experience.  Services include:

• Structured Cable Plant & Pathway Design Services
• Data Cabling Project Management Services
• Data and Voice Cabling Installation
• Fiber Optic Cabling Installation
• Video and CATV Deployment
• WIFI, Physical Security Installations
• PA & Noise Canceling Systems
• Aerial and Underground Deployments
• Data Center Cabling Installation
• Campus Environment
• Fiber Fusion Splicing

To learn more, check out our new website, Data Cabling Services

Are Company Owned Computer Room Deployments Making a Comeback?

Like many other market sectors, the data center space has its ebbs and flows. The latest trend and forecast is that cloud computing and colocation are continuing to grow in popularity and one day, due to cloud's promise of ubiquitous computer platforms, could nullify the need for company-premise-built data centers or computer rooms. That said, this promise has lingered for some time now without being realized. In fact, at PTS Data Center Solutions we see a different, more recent trend.

For example, in the last several years, the northeastern U.S. has experienced substantial utility outages due to inclement weather (Hurricanes Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012). Given these extended outages, for over a year now, PTS has been called upon to engineer and install more whole-facility backup power generation systems than ever before. Further, and in keeping with Levitt and Dubner's position in their book Freakonomics, that there is a hidden side to everything - so it seems to be the case with this whole-building generator boom.

For small- and mid-size companies, installing a generator is the single highest CAPEX obstacle to realizing a corporate computer room (what PTS refers to as a "Tenant-Space Computer Room"). However, it's those very companies that have realized their operations (much less their computer rooms) cannot go without power for an extended period of time and as a result are installing whole-facility backup power systems. What was once the largest financial impediment to computer room ownership is now gone. Along with this is the promise of eliminating the ever increasing OPEX of an outsourced IT model.

At the same time, given IT's ability to deliver operational resiliency, CIOs and CFOs alike are realizing not every data center facility needs to operate as a Tier IV bunker. It's even more premature to state that cloud computing is taking over. PTS is actually experiencing a resurgence in company built and operated data centers and computer rooms. As such, you can almost hear Yogi Berra's immortal words, "it ain't over 'til it's over".

It is likely the industry will hit a stasis point between in-sourced and out-sourced data center facility and IT operations. Many enterprises already have (or will have) a hybrid model whereby some applications are cloud based (i.e. Salesforce.com), while others are housed in company owned and operated data centers.

PTS, too, is currently undergoing a transformation by including our own cloud data center site and services offering as part of our new HQ facility build. This offering will complement our client premise-based IT and facility solutions. This way, PTS will be prepared for whichever way the wind blows (pun intended).

If you are considering expanding your data center or adding a generator to improve expected uptime, it may be prudent to reach out to a professional data center design & engineering team to discuss your requirements, options, and costs. Also, there are a variety of issues that should be discussed prior to considering a generator deployment for any enterprise.

Contact us to speak with a data center design professional. 

The Storm Is Coming: Check Your Generators, UPSs, and DR Plan

This year, don't leave your customers out in the rain. With the recent history of Metro New York hurricanes and storms, PTS Data Center Solutions engineers recommend you consider testing and verifying your generator, UPS, and Disaster Recovery solutions and systems. Make sure everything is in good working order well before any announcements of pending storms, power outages, or downed network services.

PTS provides Data Center Maintenance Management services for generator and UPS servicing as well as Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Assessment services. If you need help in procuring and commissioning the right solution for your IT environment, we can also help you validate your requirements for an emergency generator and make the right choice.

In addition, PTS recommends you perform a recover from backup or test your DR infrastructure whether it is at a DR co-location facility or offsite in another of your facilities. If you don't have offsite backup and DR functionality today, give us a call and we can discuss relatively inexpensive High Availability and DR appliances that might fit your budget and help you avoid soaking your customers.

Contact PTS.

Application of Nanotechnology to Cool a Data Center

As the latest heat wave in the Northeast passes, PTS Data Center Solutions engineers came across an interesting use of nanotechnology to overcome heating problems within a data center.

Mexico's Social Security and Health Administration (IMSS) had an issue with its data center in Monterrey, Mexico which holds patient medical records. Even though their data center was air conditioned, the heat coming through the roof during the summer raised the data center temperature enough to cause the servers to automatically shut down to prevent heat damage.

Nansulate® insulating coating, a patented, award winning clear coat technology, was used on the roof of the Cenati Data Center, applied at a 3-coat coverage. After application of Nansulate® effectively reduced the data center temperature to a safe level for the servers. The coating insulated the roof from excess heat transfer and stopped the server shut down due to high temperatures.

Read the Full Nansulate® Crystal Case Study

DCMMS Online Demo Video - Data Center Maintenance Management Platform

PTS Data Center Solutions has released a demonstration video for the popular Data Center Maintenance Management Software (DCMMS) solution. Using the unique Demos on Demand service which provides complete, in-depth, and on-demand demonstrations of popular IT and Data Center solutions, PTS President, Peter Sacco, provides a complete demonstration of the DCMMS solution in 14 user-controllable chapters with overviews of:

• Login
• Calendar
• Dependencies
• Asset Management
• Services
• Work Orders
• Recurring Tasks
• Reports
• Documents
• Administration
• Help
• Mobile Functionality

Demos on Demand presents in-depth product information videos using advanced streaming video technology. These clips assist viewers by showing them what the product is, what it does, and how it does it. Demos on Demand serves the communication needs of tech vendors and resellers across vertical industries with their video platform and content library. The video platform is comprised of a number of integrated components, including advanced player technology, delivery tools, and analytics and reporting.

Watch the DCMMS Demos on Demand Video
Additional DCMMS Information
Sign Up for Free Trial
Browse All Demos on Demand Available through PTS

Tips for use of VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager

There are various ways to deliver Backup & Disaster Recovery for your enterprise. Backup, which is a necessary requirement for Disaster Recovery includes tape, local disk, remote disk, or some other means of storing your data in case of IT equipment failure or loss. For Disaster Recovery,  PTS Data Center Solutions has presented solutions which include all-in-one appliances, co-location disaster recovery service providers and Storage Area Network or SAN replication. VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an excellent approach to consider given:

• Automated migration and site recovery
• Integration with your virtualized environment if you already leverage VMware solutions
• Non-disruptive testing on the site recovery environment
• Simple recovery plan management 

vCenter SRM will require replication of your server and storage environment offsite at a secondary, disaster recovery site. However, with the right expertise and experience, the control and consistent failover results in a manageable disaster recovery plan. VMware provides a series of technical tips for consideration when you are ready to move forward:

1. Start small with a single application or service before implementing across your entire enterprise
2. Learn and address application dependencies to confirm applications are available at the recovery site for the services that must run there
3. Determine the best replication tool (VMware or a 3rd party) for your situation
4. Load the recovery environment with data even if it is slightly stale to synchronize quickly.
5. Organize data by logical failover groups
6. Make sure storage replication adapters are up to date
7. Orchestrate the sequence in which VMs start at the recovery site to prioritize key groups and their dependencies
8. Build multiple recovery plans with common protection groups that fail over together
9. Make sure your VMware software is up-to-date at all times
10. Perform frequent recovery plan testing, particularly in advance of any storm warnings

To learn more, contact PTS or download the VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager Tech Tip (registration required).

E&Y Names PTS President a Finalist for the 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year Award

PTS Data Center Solutions is proud to announce it's President & CEO, Pete Sacco, has been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2013 Award in the New Jersey Region.

The awards program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at the Hyatt New Brunswick.

Pete was surprised and excited to learn about being named a finalist for such a prestigious award. He's had the entrepreneurial bug for many years and has started or been a part of a founding team for five startups in the last 16 years.

PTS Press Release

Critical Considerations during a Data Center Migration

If you've got more than a rack or two in your data center or computer room, a data center migration is rife with risk. Who wants to lie awake in the weeks before the migration wondering if they've missed something? Will everything go smoothly? Did I make the right choices for services companies, infrastructure upgrades, network service providers, etc.?

In a nutshell, planning and perspective are good critical as data center managers when it's time to complete a migration (or consolidation) of data center assets. Planning and perspective allow you to take a step back and make sure your approach holds water, allow you to check with peers in the industry for accepted best practices, and allow you to keep your job when the migration goes smoothly.

Critical Considerations in Preparation for a Data Center Migration include:

• Think About the Layout. Flow through a data center is critical to develop efficiencies. Flow includes power from utility through distribution to feeders to PDUs as well as battery backup and utility backup (generators) and is driven by a coherent data center design. In addition to power, think about network connectivity from the ingress at the street through to the network core. Also, how will data flow from core to distribution to access out to server/storage assets. A simple rule of thumb: Firewalls, DMZs, and network termination equipment should all be located close to the network entrance and/or network rack.
• Plan for Growth. It isn't enough to plan for growth within today's paradigm and technology. Rather, if at all possible, it's critical to consider the next two life cycles in technology. This means performing research on expected future rack power requirements as well as the data center key design criteria for today and 2-3 years into the future. Who would have thought 5 kW of redundant power at the rack may not be enough now if you're organization is planning to roll out blade server cabinets? Don't get caught having to migrate yet again.
• Plan the Cable Plant. Cabling architecture is the backbone of the data center network infrastructure. Careful planning and consideration is important when deciding on a data center cabling architecture. Key concerns are scalability, flexibility, manageability, availability, and total cost. Therefore, it is critical to plan in advance, leave space for core switches and future growth for the core and distribution switches and cable plan. Also, particularly if you are using a raised floor approach, deploy your cabinets, pull fiber to the cabinets, and run branch circuits for power. The incremental cost of the fiber and power cables waiting for use is minimal, you already have the labor onsite, and who wants an invasive change or upgrade several years down the road.
• Confirm the Asset Inventory. A data center migration gives you the opportunity to "clean out your attic". Like moving between homes, you shouldn't migrate or relocate assets that are decommissioned or not in the data center inventory list. Assets should be in the your Configuration Management Database (CMDB) including owner, department, business processes, applications, and dependencies. In fact, all data center assets should be tracked and maintained before the migration and after it takes place.
• Develop a Complete Relocation Plan. The final step in the data center migration is the relocation itself. Data Center relocations are expensive and require specific expertise and experience. Elements of a solid relocation plan include: Pre-planning and project management, pre-move site preparation, move plan creation, and post-move reviews.

Ultimately, a Data Center Migration requires careful planning, continuous communications, solid contributions from internal and external team members, and risk mitigation plans if/when the unexpected happens. Data Center Consulting Services are available from the consultants at PTS Data Center Solutions.