With new technology and trends such as big data, mobile devices and the Cloud changing the way business is done, organisations need to ensure their datacentres have been future-proofed.
“At CenturyLink, we think it’s possible to have foresight with the same amount of clarity that reflection provides so that businesses can plan their datacentres for tomorrow,” says Stuart Mills, Regional Director A/NZ, CenturyLink.
“That’s why we’re making predictions about what the 2020 datacentre will look like.”
Five predictions for the 2020 datacentre:
1. Modular datacentres:
Big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) will transform the size and shape of the next wave of datacentres.
Modular datacentres will effectively couple hyper-scale and hyperlocal environments in smaller spaces while improving power usage effectiveness (PUE).
They can easily be distributed around the globe and used for initial processing, avoiding the logistical nightmare of trying to transport every piece of data to a consolidated, centralised location.
Furthermore, moving datacentres to the network edge will enable new approaches to infrastructure deployment that can reduce latency and improve user experiences, especially for content providers.
Modular datacentres will not come without challenges, such as the requirement for tighter integration around capacity management to keep from running out of space and forcing downtime.
2. Software Defined Networking (SDN):
Changing static networks into dynamic models will redefine networks and computing applications.
SDN and colocation deliver a highly adaptable network. Companies can enable rich interaction between application workloads and their network infrastructure by decoupling network typology and traffic management from network hardware.
This enhances network power while simplifying environment and IT management. CenturyLink foresees a 25 per cent annual increase in network traffic.
Network speeds will continue to accelerate upwards of 10 times their current capacity. To address these realities, SDN will emerge as the predominant network model because it will help control network traffic and improve scalability.
Virtualisation will also help ensure that private connections to the network can speed up and down as quickly as computing does.
SDN will lead to computing applications venturing out to places they have never gone before. CenturyLink predicts that 25 to 50 per cent of all datacentre workloads will move into the network core.
Furthermore, the simplicity and flexibility of SDN will enable companies to use multiple isolated networks and be able to distinguish between infrastructure allocated to different departments.
3. Energy efficiency:
As carbon footprints and operational expenses skyrocket, datacentres will turn to new sources of clean, low-cost energy.
To address the increasing power demands of datacentres and society at large without increasing our carbon footprint, CenturyLink predicts a shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable green energy Advances in energy conservation hardware will come from improving the efficiency and density of servers.
Modular datacentres will provide new efficiency through a combination of high density and low energy.
