There’s no doubt about it — we’re living in the age of data.
Data-driven business models are accelerating digital transformation and innovation. As a result, data has become a significant asset for many organizations.
Data collection and analysis forms the basis of modern applications. New technologies consume massive amounts of data. This includes both machine learning and AI.
That’s why organizations rely on data centers for storing and processing data, but how are data centers evolving? Keep reading to understand the future of data centers.
What Are Data Centers?
A data center is a large facility used to store important data and applications. Data centers are made up of several key elements, including computing and storage resources.
Data centers have high-end networks and servers. These provide the memory and processing power to run programs and applications.
Data centers store huge amounts of data on solid-state drives (SSDs) or other media. And there are usually multiple backups to ensure data safety.
Data centers provide a network connection between their components and the outside world. This is how they deliver applications in real-time. Data centers are comprised of storage systems, firewalls, servers, routers, and switches.
Modern data centers support resource-intensive applications.
The integrity of data center components is protected by important services. This includes network security features such as firewalls. Application delivery controllers maintain application performance and assure resilience via load balancing.
Legacy Data Centers
Traditional data centers formed the backbone of technological systems for some time. However, they can no longer support the needs of advanced applications.
High-tech AI platforms and machine learning apps are data-intensive. They require a more robust solution.
Traditional data centers are also called ‘siloed’ data centers. They rely predominantly on physical hardware. As such, you cannot expand storage except by investing in more space for physical servers.
When you’re running more hardware, you need to upgrade the cooling systems, which requires a huge investment of resources. This is why traditional data centers have struggled with scalability and expansion.
Evolution of the Cloud
The cloud came about during the early 2000s as virtualized data centers began to take hold.
Several siloed data centers began to share computing, network, and storage resources. This formed a more central, flexible resource that could be allocated based on need.
Cloud computing has become the backbone of recent technological development. With the increasing number of smart devices, cloud technology is more important than ever.
Cloud computing enables users to run applications on their computers without installing software. Organizations make use of cloud technology to house their applications and email servers.
The entire industry of ‘software as a service’ (SaaS) would not be possible without cloud computing.
Why is cloud computing so important for businesses? There are several reasons.
First off, it’s cost-efficient. Instead of investing in their own servers and computer hardware, companies can save costs by deploying their apps in the cloud. This way, they only pay for the resources they use.
Cloud computing is also scalable. It’s easy to add more resources and acquire larger storage with cloud solutions. So as businesses begin to grow, they don’t need to worry about investing in or maintaining more hardware.
Cloud providers also offer advanced security. In fact, cloud security is one of the ways that data centers and cloud storage is evolving. As more and more businesses invest in cloud solutions, the risk of data breaches increases.
Are you thinking of using cloud storage for your business? Check out different data companies for more information.
Software-Led Infrastructure
The future of conventional data centers is a software-led (SLI) infrastructure. This model aims to take advantage of virtual data centers while enabling application automation, portability, and functionality.
In this model, software controls all processes. This includes deployment automation and resource provisioning. The software also controls network and cooling infrastructure.
Software-led infrastructure has evolved to support the needs of today’s dynamic workloads. It takes advantage of the flexibility of the cloud. By utilizing automation, SLI makes resource handling a whole lot more efficient.
SLI can support the needs of modern cloud computing services and legacy applications.
AI in the Data Center
One of the biggest evolutions in data center technology is the integration of artificial intelligence. So what advantage does AI bring to the data center?
First off, AI can improve security. Hackers are always looking to steal important data from data centers. That’s why companies hire cybersecurity experts. But, manually finding and analyzing cyber threats is labor-intensive.
AI can analyze network behavior and detect deviations. AI is also capable of detecting malware and advanced security threats. Experts would take longer to find these kinds of issues.
AI systems can also control and conserve energy expenditure. Data centers consume a lot of electricity, mostly for cooling infrastructure. In fact, data centers in the US consume over 90 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
AI can also detect and reduce downtime. If servers go down, this can result in outages that cost data companies and cloud-users a lot of money. Experts analyze and fix network issues, but AI can do this more effectively.
AI systems track server performance and resource use. They can also monitor storage capacity to predict data outages. AI can identify risks and potentially defective system components.
This can reduce downtime and improve performance.
The Future of Data Centers
The data revolution isn’t going away any time soon. Data will continue to drive modern application development and technological innovation.
As the use of AI and machine learning increases, so will the need for secure and efficient data storage solutions. As cloud systems develop and software-led infrastructure takes over, data centers will become more cost-effective and more secure.
The future of data centers is exciting. If you enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.
