Higher energy bills are pushing IT departments to adopt more energy efficient technologies, and the downturn in the economy has become one of the key drivers for the adoption of green data centers, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. Green data center technologies include virtualization, cloud computing, and innovative power management techniques, all of which can considerably reduce energy consumption of a data center.

"It is estimated that IT infrastructure alone contributes about 5-10 percent of the total energy utilized for running a company," says research analyst Achyuthanandan S. "Consequently, companies are scouting for technologies and solutions that would aid in significantly reducing the energy consumed by IT infrastructure."

The report, Green Data Centers--Emerging Trends and Developments, finds there are three big advantages to green technologies. Dissipation of less heat in relation to traditional data center hardware leads to minimal cooling requirements. Reduced energy consumption in data centers leads to both cost and environmental benefits. Virtualization helps reduce the number of servers required for IT operations, saving considerable space.

"Although there are considerable savings in the future, enterprises are expected to be cautious before procuring green technologies as costs associated with implementing a green IT infrastructure is high," notes analyst Gaurav Sundararaman. "The cost associated with building a state-of-the-art data center could exceed $200.00 million. Industry leaders should channel R&D efforts towards the development of cost-effective green technologies that are affordable for data center owners. Consortiums can take assistance from university researchers to develop low cost green techniques that improve the energy efficiency of data centers."

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Source: http://www.pacificra.com/index.php/pa/article/892/