Data center consolidation challenges

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: STEVE TAYLOR AND JIM METZLER ON WIDE
AREA NETWORKING
09/06/05
Today's focus: Data center consolidation challenges

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Drivers for data center consolidation
* Links related to Wide Area Networking
* Featured reader resource
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This newsletter is sponsored by Ciena
Network World Executive Guide: Compliance can be an opportunity
for Network Improvements

Federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are driving
increased corporate spending on key IT areas such as security,
authentication, access control and document management. Get
advice from experts. Read about real-world tactics. Learn about
the dark side of compliance: what happens when thing wrong. And,
how mandates are affecting IT budgets.
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GAMBLING FORCES THE QUESTION: WHO CONTROLS THE 'NET?

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Today's focus: Data center consolidation challenges

By Steve Taylor and Jim Metzler

One of the ongoing technology trends that impact the majority of
companies is data center consolidation. There are two primary
components of data center consolidation: taking servers out of
branch offices and placing them into centralized data centers,
and the reduction in the number of data centers.

The primary driver of data center consolidation is the desire to
save money. For example, data center consolidation usually
results in a reduced number of servers. In addition to saving
money on the servers themselves, an IT organization also saves
money on related items such as real estate, software licenses
and administrative costs.

Cost savings are only one of the factors driving consolidation;
another is compliance with governmental and industry
regulations. For example, it is usually difficult for an IT
organization to assure the security and accuracy of information
that is located in servers in branch offices. This task becomes
notably easier once these servers are located in a centrally
managed data center.

However, data center consolidation introduces a number of
significant challenges. For example, in a previous newsletter
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6370> we discussed the fact
that centralizing file servers in corporate data centers means
that chatty file access protocols such as Common Internet File
System (CIFS) and Network File System (NFS) that were designed
to run over a LAN, now have to run over the WAN.

In the next WAN newsletter, we will discuss the challenges
associated with providing reliable high-speed access to a
company's data center.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. VoIP rollouts generate heat, power concerns
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6283>

2. Cell carriers tackle Katrina damage
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6371>

3. 2005 salary survey <http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan4011>

4. Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6051>

5. Katrina news <http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6372>

Today's most-forwarded story:

Cell carriers tackle Katrina damage
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwan6373>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Steve Taylor and Jim Metzler

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates
and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. For more detailed
information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter,
connect to Webtorials <http://www.webtorials.com/>, the premier
site for Web-based educational presentations, white papers, and
market research. Taylor can be reached at
<mailto:taylor@webtorials.com>

Jim Metzler is the Vice President of Ashton, Metzler &
Associates, a consulting organization that focuses on leveraging
technology for business success. Jim assists vendors to refine
product strategies, service providers to deploy technologies and
services, and enterprises evolve their network infrastructure.
He can be reached at <mailto:jim@ashtonmetzler.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Ciena
Network World Executive Guide: Compliance can be an opportunity
for Network Improvements

Federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are driving
increased corporate spending on key IT areas such as security,
authentication, access control and document management. Get
advice from experts. Read about real-world tactics. Learn about
the dark side of compliance: what happens when thing wrong. And,
how mandates are affecting IT budgets.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=112842
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the WAN newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/frame/index.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
VoIP

For the latest in VoIP, check out NW's Research Center on this
very topic. Here you will find a collection of the latest news,
reviews, product testing results and more all related to keeping
VoIP networks performing at their best. Click here for more:
<http://www.networkworld.com/topics/voip.html>
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