Forsythe: The ABCs of Strategic Planning

According to Fred Latala, director of data center relocation services for the Forsythe Solutions Group, 2007 may be the year of the data center. When he attended the G?rtner 25th Annual Data Center Conference at the end of 2006, he heard the same concerns being voiced again and again. As the IT industry

and companies age, so do the data centers, many of which were built a generation ago. Companies are facing the realities of updating systems. State compliance and auditability are new concerns, so companies are looking at ways to have redundancy and capability in their systems. The question is how to adapt and understand the new technology as it applies to these aging systems.

Steven Harris, director of data center planning and design at Forsythe, explained that 7 years ago, "we were all concerned about spending enough to protect ourselves for Y2K." But as budgets opened up and the economy grew stronger, companies began rethinking their strategies.

The trouble is, said Harris, there are fewer facilities available at the time the companies need them the most. "Seventeen years ago, when some of these big data centers were built," said Latala, "there was nothing around them. Urban sprawl have left some of these facilities right in the middle of urban areas, where security has become an issue."

Moving the entire data center isn't always a cost-effective solution, according to Harris, who advised companies to think about systems, equipment, updates, and what they'll need for the future. Building and designing a new data center can take a minimum of 18 months-sometimes longer. "Many of our clients are waiting until the last minute," said Harris. "Think ahead, and plan out a course of action that will safeguard your data."

-B.B.