Transforming Data Centers with Sustainability Guarantees

Green Global Solutions Founder and CEO Bob Sharon put his finger on it when he addressed the Datacenter Dynamics Converged big industry event in Singapore last week, drawing attention to what the industry needs to do to cut their significant energy use as they are known to be excessive consumers of power, consuming up to 3% of all global electricity production, and roughly ten times more per square metre than the average office. Why is there a reluctance by data centres to adopt energy efficient and sustainable practices? Read more

Editors note: Normally we would spell “Data Centre” this way. But as the name of the event and the media organisation organising it is quite clearly “Datacenter Dynamics”, we decided to be consistent – for this article at least – and spell in thus – “data center”.  

Green Global Solutions at Datacenter Dynamics Converged

Bob Sharon tells how Data Centers and the IT industry can overcome the reluctance to adopt energy efficient and sustainable practices

Report By Ken Hickson

Green Global Solutions made a big impression at the “most influential gathering of data center and IT professionals in South East Asia” through the involvement of its Founder and CEO Bob Sharon as a forthright speaker, through its eye-catching, well-placed exhibit and through the media coverage it achieved by making two significant partnership announcements at the show.

The event itself – Datacenter Dynamics Converged from 15-16 September at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands – was well attended by industry heavyweights and those with their fingers on the pulse of data centers with significant developments and challenges ever present.

Bob Sharon put his finger on it when he addressed the gathering. He drew attention to data center trends but paid most attention to what the industry and operators need to do to cut their significant energy use as they are known to be excessive consumers of power, consuming up to 3% of all global electricity production, and roughly ten times more per square metre than the average office.

Why, Bob asked the audience, is there a reluctance to adopt energy efficient and sustainable practices, in spite of the talk and incentives – from Governments and industry – to “green” data centers?

Quoting from the latest Green House Data survey, he set out the facts:

• Only 28% of respondents were metering their energy use

• A meagre 9% were taking advantage of free cooling

• Only 22% were early adopters in raising Data Centre temperatures

• 28% had chosen green service providers for their infrastructure needs

• Only 16% were engaging in aisle containment

• A little more than half (56%) were engaged in e-waste recycling.

(Source: http://www.greenhousedata.com)

He then poses the “Why are these figures so poor?”

Is it because there’s uncertainty over the future of on-premises Data Centers?  Of even the risks associated with change – even to save money?  Maybe it’s because of confusion over which applications can move to a Cloud environment?

Even more likely, Bob thinks, is some haven’t been able build the business case for change? Or maybe it’s just personal. Some industry professionals are not sure what their role will be in a year or two?

For an industry that has the latest technology at its disposal, when asked whether cloud computing will make any difference, 67% of IT professionals responded that the cloud will make enterprise computing more environmentally friendly,  while 33% said the cloud wasn’t any greener than traditional infrastructure.

When asked if the Data Center industry would be more sustainable by 2018, 46% said that was important only for business or cost reasons, while 36% reported they were important for both business and environmental reasons, 10% said efficiency and sustainability were not widespread concerns in the Data Centre industry, while the remaining 8% said going green was for Corporate Sustainability or environmental reasons only.

As an experienced IT professional himself who decided to embark on a mission to bring about an energy efficiency revolution for data centers – and any other mission critical facilities and buildings, Bob decided that his company could guarantee sustainability results.  A guarantee that no other company seems prepared to make.

The man who has introduced tried and true systems to industry and buildings knows that it is possible to achieve significant optimisation and efficiency by addressing IT infrastructure and energy performance.

The days of throwing hardware at problems are gone, he says, so we must address all equipment, processes and the building itself.

Paramount is Data Center cooling, identified as the largest single expense after IT load. Also very important to consider is the age of the building and equipment. Can they be retrofitted and optimised?  Containment and leakage must be considered, as well as location and single points of failure.

It is very apparent to Bob that most data centre operators – large or small – need to find a trusted advisor who is agnostic but qualified.  Committed to the outcomes, driven by results and prepared to take overall responsibility.

From work Green Global Solutions has undertaken in Australia for data centers and mission critical facilities, results can be achieved that are measurable and significant. Energy savings in the order of 50% and 70% have been possible.

Bob makes it clear that for data centers, acknowledged to be big energy guzzlers, these sort of savings means much improved business outcomes.

Green Global Solutions had a clear message at the Datacenter Dynamics Converged event that it’s in business to make a difference. To help those operators large and small to achieve results – guaranteed sustainability results – and improve the reputation of the data center industry itself.

Bob makes it clear that Green Global is not pretending it can do this alone – and with that in mind he announced two significant partnerships with other key professional businesses at the event which were reported in the media.

One significant move for Green Global involved joining CenturyLink’s Channel Alliance Program, which gives members the opportunity to leverage CenturyLink’s solutions, services, training, support and tools, as was reported through the extensive ARN network news.

“Green Global Solutions founder and chief executive, Bob Sharon, said the company’s inclusion in the program allows Green Global to consult CenturyLink for enhanced capabilities to provide IT solutions to its clients.

“In return, CenturyLink will receive consultancy from Green Global Solutions regarding guiding its Digital/IT Transformation clients in moving from private to public and hybrid Cloud,” the ARN report added.

Another major partnership announcement involved “a deal with an Indian data services provider here to deliver superior energy efficiency solutions to their Asia Pacific customers,” according to the influential Economic Times of India.

The press report from its Singapore correspondent Gurdip Singh continued:

“Australia-based Green Global Solutions which has its Asia Pacific office here (in Singapore), said it will be entitled to deploy ‘GFS Crane DCIM’ software during its consulting engagements with Data Centre customers.

“The real-time measurements and analytic reports of power and environmental conditions from ‘GFS Crane DCIM’ would enable the Green Global team to deliver accelerated and superior outcomes of energy efficiency, risk, cooling and sustainability recommendations to data centre owners and operators, it said.

This partnership will for the first time extend the reach of the company’s products across Asia Pacific, Founder- Director of Kolkata-based GreenField Software Shekhar Dasgupta said.

“I am confident our association would provide significant value to Green Global’s Data Centre customers looking to improve operational efficiencies, reduce energy costs, mitigate risks and becoming a greener data centre,” he said.

Ken Hickson, Chairman/CEO of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) was invited by Green Global Solutions and the event organisers to attend and write about Datacentre Dynamics Converged.

Sources: www.greenhousedata.com/knowledge-center, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/, http://www.fii-news.com/greenfield-partners-green-global-for-asian-markets/, http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/584697/green-global-solutions-joins-centurylink-channel-alliance-program/, www.datacenterdynamics.com and www.greenglobalsolutions.com.au

Greenfield-Green Global pact for Asian markets

By Gurdip Singh in Foreign Invest India (17 September)

Kolkata-based software company Greenfield Software (GFS) has formed a partnership with Australia’s Green Global Solutions for the Indian and Asian Pacific markets.

Green Global will market GFS Crane Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software across Asia Pacific under the non-exclusive partnership.

The GFS Crane DCIM is designed to help data centres control capital costs, reduce operating expenses, and mitigate the risks of failures.

GFS is a major breakthrough for Green Global in India where the Australian company is seeking joint ventures to offer its green infrastructure, mission critical facilities, and digital transformation projects.

“Through this partnership, Green Global Solutions will be entitled to deploy GFS Crane DCIM during its consulting engagements with Data Centre customers,” said Bob Sharon, Founder and CEO of Green Global.

The real-time measurements and analytic reports of power and environmental conditions from GFS Crane DCIM, would enable the Green Global team to deliver accelerated and superior outcomes of energy efficiency, risk, cooling and sustainability recommendations to data centre owners and operators, he said.

“The partnership between Green Global Solutions and GreenField Software goes beyond mere supply cooperation: a collaboration that is geared towards providing enhanced customer service, combined with extensive expert knowledge and consulting services,” he explained.

Green Global Solution’s collaboration with GreenField Software was driven by the industry’s need towards Capital and Operating cost reduction, Risk Management against downtime, and reducing GHG emissions due to Data Centre Operations.

Green Global will market the software from its Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

“This is a first Asia Pacific partnership for us. We want to extend the reach of our solution to the Asian market, and later on to emerging countries,” added Shekhar Dasgupta, Founder of Greefield Software.

“We are looking to maturing this partnership for the longer-term,” he stressed.

In India, GFS is looking to supply solutions for monitoring remotely industrial units including Automatic Teller Machines across India. A pilot project, on remote monitoring of ATMs, will started by end of this year, according to Dasgupta.

“We are working with vendors to offer the solution and once it become successful, we will start to sell to the other service providers managing ATMs,” he told fii-news.com.

Dasgupta also elaborated on the company’s Crane brand. The Black Himalayan Crane has survived the impact of climate change by changing its migrating path, which has influenced GFS to make it as a brand for its environment-friendly software solutions.

Source: www.fii-news.com