Data centre
Deciding where and how to build and operate a datacentre is one of the most important decisions your organisation will make. This section covers how to build a solid datacentre infrastructure, including selecting the right location to build your new facility, best practices for designing a new datacentre, and cooling and air flow techniques. Learn about green IT, data management systems, servers and operating systems.
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E-Zine
07 Dec 2023
CW EMEA: Prepare for cyber war
When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, cyber security professionals and major government and private organisations braced for an inevitable accompanying online war. In this issue of CW EMEA, we outline cyber war, patterns of threat activity, and find out what security teams can do to protect their organisations. We also look at Finland’s advances in quantum computing, how Belgian researchers have developed technology to help datacentres process data faster, and the secrets of KPN’s successful business transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2023
Belgian researchers raise speed limit in European datacentres
Researchers have developed a prototype of an optical receiver that will help datacentres process data at a much higher rate Continue Reading
By- Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management
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Photo Story
08 Feb 2013
BYOD with VMware
New Windows 8 tablets and laptops are great...but not exactly corporate. So why not run a Windows 7 virtual machine? Continue Reading
By- Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
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News
08 Feb 2013
2e2 datacentre administrators hold customers' data to £1m ransom
Administrators of insolvent datacentre services provider 2e2 have asked customers for £1m in funding if they want uninterrupted services Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2013
Totaljobs hires public cloud services for agility, better performance
Totaljobs Group, the recruiter that runs Totaljobs.com, adopts AWS public cloud to improve IT performance and have an agile infrastructure Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Feature
05 Feb 2013
How to effectively manage datacentre temperature and humidity
A datacentre is a complex facility with different cooling equipment and power systems. Here's how to monitor its temperature and humidity Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2013
Capacity management most underestimated cloud problem
Capacity management is the most underestimated problem of cloud computing, says Morgan Stanley strategy director Evangelos Kotsovinos Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
31 Jan 2013
Case study: Menzies Aviation upgrades in-house datacentre
Menzies Aviation has updated its three internal datacentres with new servers, storage and cooling products rather than invest in cloud computing Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
29 Jan 2013
Windsor and Maidenhead council migrates services to cloud
Windsor and Maidenhead borough council will migrate critical services such as childcare, benefits and transport services to the cloud by 2014 Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2013
Enterprises bringing data back in-house for more flexibility, shows study
European enterprises are improving their internal datacentres and storing data in-house rather than on the external cloud Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
28 Jan 2013
Travel service provider Concur builds datacentres in Europe to support growth
Integrated travel and expenses service provider, Concur Technologies, has built colocation datacentres to cater to European customers Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2013
National Rail Enquiries puts web services on the public cloud
National Rail Enquiries is migrating applications that power its home page, online journey planner service and real-time service updates on to AWS cloud Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2013
Interview: Alan Clark, chairman, OpenStack Foundation
Alan Clark, chairman of the board of the OpenStack Foundation, talks to Computer Weekly about the future of cloud and the role of open source Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Feature
18 Jan 2013
GE uses big data to power machine services business
GE, one of the UK's largest manufacturers, is using big data analytics with data generated from machine sensors to predict maintenance needs Continue Reading
By- Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
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News
11 Jan 2013
Whiptail tops the class with flash array plus SAN two-tier strategy
School slashes virtual desktop login times with two-tier Whiptail flash array plus budget Huawei SAN Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Dec 2012
Amazon: Gold standard of the cloud?
Amazon Web Services is the benchmark for cloud in the enterprise but can it handle the challenge of federated cloud services? Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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E-Zine
13 Dec 2012
Realise the benefits of virtualisation in safety
Many benefits come attached to virtualisation, however with it spreading into a variety of technology areas it is important that IT professionals keep up with the skills and expertise that is required of them to ensure their business remains safe and efficient. CW Europe looks at how European businesses are utilising the technology. This month’s digital magazine brings you the leading stories and expert tips from across Europe. Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2012
Free tool that tracks costs of AWS, Azure and Rackspace public clouds launched
Apptio has launched Cloud Express, a free tool that allows enterprises to track the utilisation rate and costs of AWS, Azure and Rackspace public clouds Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
06 Dec 2012
CW Buyer's Guide: Desktop virtualisation
This eight-page buyer's guide looks at desktop virtualisation and identifies some of the options IT directors must consider when planning a virtualisation project. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2012
Case Study: Tesco's £65 million data centre strategy to drive online growth
This Computer Weekly case study, packed with photographs and data, gives the inside story of Tesco's £65 million data centre strategy. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2012
VMworld Europe Case Study: DER Deutsches Reisebüro
A Germany travel agent gained control of its IT and increased its profits after implementing a desk top virtualisation project. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2012
VMWorld Case Study: Catalent Pharma Solutions
A robust virtulisation, back-up and disaster recovery plan, helped Catalent Pharma Solutions survive an earthquake, tsunami and a fire in 2011. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2012
VMworld Europe Case Study: Colt Technology
Managed service provider Colt designed and rolled out a scalable, cloud-hosted desktop virtualisation project that is reaping benefits for local councils. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2012
Firms must measure overall environmental impact of datacentres
IT must move beyond just measuring a datacentre’s power consumption to assessing its overall environmental impact to make it truly sustainable Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Nov 2012
Software-defined datacentres demystified
As datacentre managers increasingly rely on software and automation, what can a software-defined datacentre bring to the enterprise? Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
08 Nov 2012
Oracle buys cloud services provider Instantis
Oracle is buying Instantis, a cloud and on-premise project portfolio management company, to boost its cloud portfolio Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2012
VMworld Europe 2012 User Awards The National Trust
For many, a green datacentre and a reduced carbon footprint strategy is a nice-to-have, but it was the driving factor behind a virtualisation project at the National Trust. The project has allowed the charity to reduce its carbon emissions and drastically cut its IT energy consumption. Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2012
VMworld Europe 2012 User Awards Tiger Wheel and Tyre
Case Study: Tyre company innovates with back-up and replication in a virtualised IT estate Using virtualisation as a cost-effective alternative to refreshing an ageing physical server environment has helped tyre company Tiger Wheel and Tyre improve its R&D. The project has also enabled the team to future-proof its infrastructure and embrace new trends such as bring your own device (BYOD) to give the business a competitive edge. Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2012
Cheshire Constabulary polices network with SolarWinds
Police force in Cheshire uses SolarWinds’ infrastructure monitoring tools to keep its IT out of trouble Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2012
CIO interview: Gerry Pennell, CIO, London 2012 Olympic Games
As the job of a lifetime nears its end, London 2012 CIO Gerry Pennell talks exclusively to Computer Weekly about his Olympic experience Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2012
RBS spends £80m to link its multiple mainframes better
The Royal Bank of Scotland will dedicate £80m of its massive IT budget to eliminate problems caused by its mainframe infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2012
Google offers Street View of datacentres
Google offers Street View of its datacentres and a virtual tour of how users' data is stored, with an emphasis on security practices Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2012
VMworld Europe 2012: Key highlights and technology takeaways
VMworld Europe 2012 focused on software defined datacentres, cloud automation, mobile virtualisation, heterogeneity and building new IT skills Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
11 Oct 2012
VMworld 2012: Shift in cloud use says Lufthansa Systems
Lufthansa Systems chief information officer Jorg Liebe shares his views on cloud computing and a shift in use of public, private and hybrid cloud Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2012
VMworld Europe: Horizon Suite to help IT manage corporate assets on Apple iOS
VMware is launching a suite of products to help IT executives manage workspace apps on consumers’ mobile devices including on Apple iPhones securely Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
10 Oct 2012
VMworld Europe 2012 kicks off in Barcelona
VMworld Europe 2012 opens with updates from VMware on the cloud and new management suites Continue Reading
By- Kayleigh Bateman and Cliff Saran
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Photo Story
10 Oct 2012
Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2012: Winners
The winners of the Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2012 have been announced. Find all the pics from the awards here and details of the winning projects. Continue Reading
By- Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly
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News
10 Oct 2012
Complex and non-transparent Oracle licensing costing firms millions
Companies virtualising Oracle databases with VMware platforms face millions in penalties over non-compliance Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2012
Case study: How to virtualise SAP and migrate from IBM onto x86
At VMworld Europe Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores gave an overview of how it virtualised an SAP environment and migrated from an IBM mainframe to x86 Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Oct 2012
Customer relationship management vs business relationship management
Business relationship management (BRM) and customer relationship management (CRM) are different, yet must work hand-in-hand Continue Reading
By- Matthews Burrows
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News
03 Oct 2012
Case study: How WorldPay built its IT from scratch after RBS split
Former RBS payment processing division WorldPay will reach a major IT milestone this month on its journey to stand on its own since it was sold in 2010 Continue Reading
By- Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA
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News
01 Oct 2012
Practical Data Migration: PDMv2
Data Migration expert Johny Morris, explains how organisations can use the PDMv2 methodology to overcome common data migration problems. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2012
Google opens €75m energy-efficient datacentre facility in Dublin
Google’s new €75m Dublin datacentre facility that that uses air-cooling for energy efficency is now operational Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2012
Need for increased network bandwidth is IT's biggest datacentre pain-point
A majority of IT executives have said that a growing demand for increased network bandwidth is one of the most critical issues facing their datacentres Continue Reading
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Photo Story
24 Sep 2012
The future of computing at IBM Zurich research labs
Chips powered by the sun and cooled by water are just some of the long-term research projects at IBM's Zurich labs Continue Reading
By- Bryan Glick, Editor in chief
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Feature
24 Sep 2012
Tune Raid performance to get the most from your HDDs
Tune Raid performance at the storage controller to match application I/O demands to optimal hard drive (HDD) performance Continue Reading
By- Martin Taylor
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News
21 Sep 2012
Facebook engineer builds heatmap tool for datacentre troubleshooting
A Facebook engineer has built a server-monitoring tool using heatmaps to assess the status of cache systems and fix datacentre problems Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2012
Next Generation Datacentres: The Cloud
Analysts Clive Longbottom and Bob Tarzey reveal the latest research on the deployment of cloud in the datacentre. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Sep 2012
How centralised storage and server-based computing help IT face BYOD
Study shows that UK and EU IT pros are still scared of BYOD. But IT can overcome these BYOD fears. Here's how. Continue Reading
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News
15 Aug 2012
Virtualisation, backup and recovery tool helps firm beat data woes
Virtualising IT was only half a battle won for an advertising agency. Selecting an apt data backup and recovery tool to optimise its virtual infrastructure was equally important. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
02 Jul 2012
Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V: What features get users' thumbs up
Admins who have downloaded Windows Server 2012 RC give thumbs up to the new version of Hyper-V, inclusion of high-end features in free Hyper-V, and shared nothing live migration. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Tip
27 Jun 2012
Five things that can make or break your virtual desktop infrastructure
IT pros looking to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure project must have a strategy for storage, application virtualisation and must understand desktop users to succeed. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2012
VMware admins advised to apply patches to ESX, ESXi quickly
IT pros are urged to install security patches that VMware has released to address critical vulnerabilities in virtualisation products such as ESX, ESXi, Fusion and Workstation. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Tip
15 Jun 2012
DCIM: what it is and what it does
Data Centre Infrastructure Management holds unquestionable worth, but with the wealth of DCIM tools in the market, IT managers must choose carefully. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Jun 2012
Gartner’s fabric computing insights
According to Gartner, fabric computing has evolved over the past two years, and is here to stay. Read further for fabric computing implementation insights. Continue Reading
By- Naveen Mishra
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News
07 Jun 2012
Microsoft launches support for Linux on Windows Azure
Microsoft’s cloud platform Windows Azure now supports Linux-based operating systems and languages such as Python and PHP. It includes IaaS capabilities to build hybrid cloud. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
25 May 2012
Is Dell eyeing Quest Software following its Wyse acquisition?
Dell may acquire Quest Software to expand its desktop virtualisation offerings and gain Quest’s customers. Experts wonder if there is too much product overlap for such a deal to make sense. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Tip
25 May 2012
Data centre design: Using engineered racks, pods and containers
IT pros must adopt a new approach to data centre design and consider using engineered racks, pods and containerised systems for better scalability, capacity and efficiency. Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2012
Microsoft volume licensing costs to increase up to 33.5%
Microsoft will increase its volume licensing prices in the UK between 7.5% and 33.5% starting July 1 to maintain price consistency owing to the sustained currency difference in Europe. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Feature
14 May 2012
Server SSD guide to form factors and implementations
Server SSD offers immense gains in IOPS and throughput. We look at how it works, form factors available and its advantages and pitfalls, and we survey key vendors in the market. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
10 May 2012
10 Indian server virtualization implementations you can learn from
Successful server virtualization implementation is more than just an install. Here’s a collection of Indian case studies that highlight best practices. Continue Reading
By- SearchDataCenter.in Staff
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News
12 Apr 2012
Server virtualization architecture case study: Mahindra Vehicle Manufacturing
Auto player Mahindra Vehicle Manufacturing Limited (MVML) reveals how server virtualization architecture helps it battle decentralization and save money. Continue Reading
By- Mitchelle R. Jansen, TechTarget
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News
10 Apr 2012
Free tool measures how 'green' your data centre is: News roundup
A free tool to measure data centre energy efficiency; Citrix’s open cloud strategy with its CloudStack platform and Dell’s acquisition of Wyse are this week’s news highlights. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Tip
22 Mar 2012
Troubleshooting bogus vCenter icons in VMware vSphere 5
The new vCenter icons that VMware introduced in vSphere 5 are buggy and issue false alarms. Here are some workarounds until the vendor issues a fix. Continue Reading
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News
14 Mar 2012
VKernel vOPS customers gain Quest integration sooner than anticipated
VKernel vOPS now includes Quest vFoglight and vOptimizer, just months after the merger. Is the knee-jerk integration right for tomorrow’s cloud infrastructures? Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
23 Feb 2012
KPIT leverages VDI solution’s success
In order to reduce refresh cycle costs of 1200 desktops, KPIT Cummins opted for a VDI solution. We take a look at KPIT’s implementation journey. Continue Reading
By- Mitchelle R. Jansen, TechTarget
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Tip
14 Feb 2012
Demystifying VMware Site Recovery Manager and its role in DR
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) simplifies disaster recovery, but managing it is tricky if users don’t know how it handles VMware snapshots and how it affects backup software. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
13 Feb 2012
8 ways to make your software applications more energy efficient
Software Improvement Group and Knowledge Network Green Software have identified ways to deliver quick wins towards energy efficient software applications Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Feb 2012
How IT can convince stakeholders of the value of technology projects
IT professionals must take data centre measures to convince stakeholders of the business value of technology projects. This will help IT emerge as a valuable business resource. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2012
Surrey County Council's data centre efficiency project: Case study
The council will replace its existing primary IT facility this spring with a new energy efficient data centre facility which will help it save around £160,000 every year. Continue Reading
By- Mark Allingham, Contributor
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News
19 Dec 2011
Virtualisation technologies: hits and misses of 2011
Amid a slew of virtualisation products and management suites that emerged in 2011, some products such as Spring platform impressed users, while others such as VMware MVP didn’t. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
07 Dec 2011
VMware vSphere 5 uptake slow among users
VMware vSphere 5 boasts of cloud-based features and monster VMs, but its uptake is lagging because of user satisfaction with vSphere 4. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
25 Nov 2011
HDFC Bank’s server consolidation move for branch-level competitive edge
Branch-level banking gets a boost with server consolidation at HDFC Bank, which wins for it the Best of vForum 2011 award for Outstanding Business Value. Continue Reading
By- Mitchelle R. Jansen, TechTarget
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Tip
18 Nov 2011
3 essential data center network cabling considerations
Data center network cabling requires meticulous planning and design. Use these tips to determine the best data center network cabling setup. Continue Reading
By- Neeladri Bose, Contributor
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Tip
14 Nov 2011
How to manage transient data and replication
Transient data can be tricky to manage, and best practice tips outlined by vendors may have limitations. But there is an easier way out. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Nov 2011
How Capex vs. Opex affects data centre outsourcing decisions
Capex vs.Opex comparison reveals that although cloud services help avoid capital expenses on building own data centres, its Opex model can turn costly if IT pros aren’t cautious. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
27 Oct 2011
VMware-based server consolidation yields long-term savings
Avis achieved long-term cost savings and efficiencies with a VMware-based server consolidation. Its transformation won the Best Virtualisation and Server Consolidation Project award at VMworld Europe. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
21 Oct 2011
Winner's photo: iPod Shuffle
A member of the audience wins an iPod Shuffle for attending the Best of VMworld User Awards Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Oct 2011
CRAC unit sizing: Dos and don’ts
A CRAC unit can consume a lot of power, but using it correctly can save costs and avoid fatalities. Read more about correctly sizing CRAC units in this tip. Continue Reading
By- Pratik Chube
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News
13 Oct 2011
Best of VMworld Europe 2010 winner adopts Cisco UCS
An Italian bank expands its virtual infrastructure to meet growing needs after winning the “Best virtualisation and server consolidation project” award at VMworld Europe 2010. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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News
11 Oct 2011
Moving from in-house IT to third-party hosting services: Case study
A supplier of civil engineering and building materials moved its IT infrastructure to a third-party data centre to resolve its in-house IT problems, including cooling and flooding issues. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Feature
04 Oct 2011
Bombay Stock Exchange’s server consolidation journey
BSE recently consolidated its servers and began its cloud computing journey. Find out more about BSE’s server consolidation initiative in this case study. Continue Reading
By- Mitchelle R. Jansen, TechTarget
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Tip
28 Sep 2011
8 power usage effectiveness (PUE) best practices for your data center
Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a measure of power efficiency in data center IT equipment. Use these best practices to learn how to tweak PUE levels. Continue Reading
By- Ashish Dandekar
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Tip
09 Sep 2011
Free-air cooling – using natural cooling in the data centre
If your energy bills are soaring and you want a cost-effective means of maintaining your data centre’s temperature, consider natural cooling or free-air cooling. Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2011
Citrix buys RingCube for desktop personalisation: News in brief
Citrix has acquired RingCube, a desktop personalisation software provider, for an undisclosed sum. Citrix will add RingCube’s capabilities to its XenDesktop platform. Continue Reading
By- Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor
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Tip
18 Aug 2011
Application migration to the cloud: Selecting the right apps
Migrating applications to the cloud depends on many parameters. This tip helps you prioritize and carry out application migration correctly and effectively. Continue Reading
By- Yusuf Rangwala
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Tip
05 Aug 2011
Water cooling vs. air cooling: The rise of water use in data centres
When comparing water cooling vs. air cooling techniques in data centres, you will find that air cooling is more popular. But water cooling is making its presence felt again. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2011
Building the business case for a server refresh
As IT managers consider a server refresh, they need to create a solid business case for replacing hardware. Here’s how to garner support for the project. Continue Reading
By- Daniel Eason, Contributor
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Tip
29 Jun 2011
13 LUN management tips for VMware environments
Use these LUN management recommendations to ensure your VMware-based virtualization exercise results in optimal storage utilization and performance. Continue Reading
By- Anuj Sharma
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News
14 Jun 2011
VDI technology rollout at Sterlite Technologies reaps rich dividends
Sterlite Technologies deployed virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology, and was rewarded with cost and energy gains. Here’s how they went about it Continue Reading
By- Mitchelle R. Jansen, TechTarget
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Tip
03 May 2011
VMware snapshot best practices
Expert insights to help organizations ensure efficient VMware virtual machine snapshot mechanisms. Continue Reading
By- Pankaj Nath, Contributor
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Tip
12 Apr 2011
Tier 3 data center design: The cooling checklist
Our expert gives insights into data center cooling system considerations that will ensure adherence to tier 3 data center standards. Continue Reading
By- Mahalingam Ramasamy, Contributor
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News
28 Mar 2011
Storage is key to getting the most from virtualisation
A Forrester survey shows that the benefits of server virtualisation aren’t fully realised unless the proper storage technology is in place; plus more news in brief. Continue Reading
By- Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly
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Tip
15 Mar 2011
Server sizing considerations for virtual environments
Right sizing physical server capacities is the key to a successful server virtualization deployment. An expert lists down key server sizing lookouts. Continue Reading
By- Satish Pai
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Tip
11 Mar 2011
Tier 3 data center specifications checklist
Getting a data center tier 3 certified translates to high uptimes. An accredited tier designer shares insights to meet tier 3 data center specifications. Continue Reading
By- Mahalingam Ramasamy, Contributor
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News
03 Feb 2011
Interxion hits colocation sweet spot and sees market shares soar
Colocation provider Interxion recently made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange and saw its shares soar 18%; plus more news in brief. Continue Reading
By- Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly
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News
14 Jan 2011
NetApp bags Akorri to bolster capacity planning lineup
NetApp has entered into an agreement to buy data centre management software provider Akorri Networks; plus more news in brief. Continue Reading
By- Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly
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Tip
06 Feb 2009
Which is cheaper?: Hyper-V or VMware?
Microsoft's Hyper-V costs less on the price list, but sometimes VMware ESXi can be cheaper to implement Continue Reading
By- Bridget Botelho, Editorial Director, News