Why are you still thinking about cabinets? I understand we live in a physical universe and you have to put your servers somewhere, but come on already it’s 2013 and you are still wondering whether or not to take a quarter cabinet, half cabinet, full cabinet or just buy the whole data center. This is not how you should be thinking when you’re considering colocation.
Let me explain what I mean. In previous years it was all about space. In addition to the fact that servers were big enough for people to be buried inside of them, they all needed very little power. In today’s modern world your smart phone has enough power to send a rocket ship to the moon and soon you may be reading this through your surgically implanted Google machine.
Ok so maybe the last part is still a stretch but the point is size doesn’t matter. A cabinet of blade servers can do more than an entire room of servers could ten years ago, and if you are built on the cloud you may not even be in the same hemisphere as your gear. So what really matters?
Power. The alpha and the omega of the modern IT world. Whether you are building websites or running an IT shop the least important factor is how much space you will need but rather how you will deliver the power your gear needs.
So why are you still trying to buy cabinets? Because the industry wants you to. There is more margin in it and frankly it’s easier. But I am here to help you open your mind and your vision to a different way of doing things. It is just about knowing how to calculate what you really need, and only paying for that. So let’s get into the details.
First: Focus on the amount of Watts you need. This is easy. All hardware comes with a manufacturer’s recommended power utilization. Simply write this number down.
You’re halfway home.
Second: Do you remember the numbers you wrote down for your hardware? Add all of them together. Then move the decimal point three places to the left. This will give you your Kilowatts.
Third: Take that number and call your data center provider and say I want X kilowatts.
Fourth: Pay for only the power you use.
Still don’t believe me? Let me explain it simply:
Cost for full cabinet 120 x 20 with 10 Mbps national average: $700.00
Total Number of Kilowatts: 2.4
How much you need: 1 Kilowatt
How much extra you are paying for: 240%
It’s that simple. It truly is all about the power and now you know how to get you and your company the best deal. If you have any further questions about colocation or want to get more information on how much power your solution needs, please reach out to us directly. We would love to answer your questions!
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This guest blog was written by Ryan Barbera, president of Unleashed Technologies. Ryan has over 12 years of sales and management experience. Moving into the advanced technology arena in 1999, Ryan has developed strong relationships and leadership in the areas of data center, hosting, cloud computing and development throughout his career. Throughout his experiences in these markets, Ryan has continued to grow his reputation as an innovator and expert in advanced technologies and is a thought leader on these subjects.