Pundits' predictions about data centers for 2015

Everything will be virtualized in data centers. This prediction is past conjecture. In 2014, I penned article after article describing how every facet of data-center infrastructure is or will soon be virtualized or software-defined. (Note: It seems those making predictions grouped virtualization and software-defined together under virtualization.)

If one were to prioritize the "things" in "everything," virtualizing networking infrastructure would top the list.

The IoT will impact data centers in a big way. This prediction is another gift to the pundits. Research firms Gartner andForrester have made, almost obscene, predictions about the growth of IoT devices. The fallout being a dramatic increase in information data centers will have to process and store.

There is one area of debate. Some feel large, centrally-located data centers will handle the influx. Others disagree saying smaller, closer to the "edge," and geographically-distributed data centers are required. Timeliness and network latency requirements will decide who is correct.

Data centers will both shrink and expand. This prediction, confusing as it is, simply means businesses with internal data centers are looking -- weighing the potential "issues" of transferring services off site against the benefits of less burden, less technology, and less staff -- to move existing services and or deploy new applications to the cloud. Colocation data-centers operators, who make up the cloud, are more than willing to absorb the services.

The bottom line: Services will shift from in-house data centers (shrinking) to commercial data centers (expanding).

Automating the data center. Automation is high on the wish list of data-center operators. The big three -- Apple, Google, and Facebook -- because of their in-house capabilities, have custom-built Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) systems in place. However, commercial operators, not having that luxury will make due with off-the-shelf DCIM systems.

Data centers must handle the four Vs of Big Data. The four Vs -- Volume, Variety, Velocity, and Veracity -- will impinge on commercial data-center operators in a big way.

Companies trying to address the four Vs are finding they have neither the space nor the money to build out internally and are looking to outsource. "The data center of the future will approach data as information services and view it through dashboards that enable efficient use of high-level, business-driven metrics," states this Hitachi Data Center report. "With the data center engine in place, organizations can better capitalize on increasingly expansive and complex data for faster and more advanced insight and innovation."

Modular data center design. Designers and architects who specialize in data centers are rethinking their construction methodology. Previously, data centers were designed with a 20-year life cycle in mind. Today, it is hard to fathom a data center remaining competitive that long without major rework every few years. That's why builders will increasingly think modular: from prefabricated components (power centers, cooling towers, backup generators, etc.) to entire data centers being "turnkey" modules.

Besides longevity, modular offers the following advantages:

• Quick project turnaround, and a simple way to scale.
• More efficient and standardized data centers: a significant benefit for commissioning and training employees.
• ● Turnkey data-center modules allow companies to react to market trends.