Data centers are heating up.  New technologies are transitioning a lot of the old-style thought surrounding data center management (cost center) and transforming them into a business driver.  While these new technologies are changing the way businesses think about IT, let’s face it, data centers still consume a lot of energy and have the accounting department shuddering when they get the bill.  Processors, hard drives and servers place a strain on energy supplies and our environment; It’s time to take those accounting sheets out of the red and into the green and go from red hot to Cool Blue in the data center.

IBM Cool Blue technology offers a few ways to help you create the best data center possible:

1.)    Energy Efficient Design

Built on IBM X-Architecture®, IBM System x™ and IBM BladeCenter® platforms are designed for energy efficiency.  System x offers x3550 M2 and x3650 M2 which feature energy-smart quad-core Intel Xeon 5500 Series processors with low 675 W and can provide up to 92% efficient power supplies.  BladeCenter offers better efficiency than rack servers and can save up to 35 percent on power of 1U servers.

2.)    Create a Budget and Plan a Data Center That Fits Your Business

Take the power challenge. The IBM System x™ and BladeCenter® Power Configurator lets you determine the best systems and IT infrastructure for your business. IBM can also assist you in creating a plan for deployment of energy-efficient technology, power savings and future expansion, by using IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager you can analyze power usage and determine where the problem areas are in your data center and, over time, these trends can be used to better plan the power needs of your servers. [Read more...]