StructurenetX

VMware Partners With Server Manufactures

Today VMware announced a partnership with Dell, Fujitsu, HP, and IBM to embed the ESX server 3i across broad lines of servers for small to enterprise customers. Server ESX is thin client that takes up little hard drive space and does not require an operating system to host the client.  Admins can just start packing on operating systems out of the box. This is an effort to accelerate the proliferation of virtualization.  This is a smart move for VMware to gain more market share and expose customers to the features of VMware.  With Windows Server 2008 integrated virtualization, Sun buying German based company Virtual box open source virtualization, and Parallels server virtualization the market is about to get very competitive.  I think users will benefit with the development of new robust features to make one platform outshine another along with falling prices for software.

A Boutique Data Center

With the current trend of small to medium sized business moving to co location space how do you find one that will stand apart from the rest.  Xnet is a Lisle, IL based boutique data center, the Xnet critical computing facility was co-founded by President Arthur Zards.  www.xnet.com Linked is how he describes a boutique data center on his blog.xnet/blog 

I have had the pleasure of speaking with the staff of Xnet and can tell you hands down these guys a serious about customer service and customization.  Working with Xnet is one of the best customer service experiences you can expect.  I would compare it to renting a car from Hertz verses Enterprise.  With the Hertz experience I get superior customer service a great car and the preferences I prefer.  With Enterprise the customer service is good, but they always are trying to use scare tactics to make you get services you don't need. 

If you want the Hertz gold customer service experience give Xnet a look.  Not to mention you won't have to worry about anyone bashing through a wall to grab your servers like some other co locations out there.  Xnet facility is located in a hardened FBI facility.  An impressive facility for a boutique co location.

Symantec Study Reveals Global Struggle to Adopt "Green" Data Centers

According to Symantec, interest and execution are two different things when trying to implement green initiatives.  Here is the link and a brief review of their findings from its 2007 Worldwide Green Data Center Report:

http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20071120_02

-Energy efficiency is a priority, but must be balanced by business needs.

-Data Center pros are turning to software solutions to manage server consolidation and virtualized environments as they develop green initiatives.

-51 percent plan to consolidate servers.

-47 percent plan to vitualize servers.

-30 percent at plan on adding power management products on selected equipment.

-34 percent are either planning to use or currently evaluating management products.

-Energy efficient CPU's, monitoring power consumption and reducing space used by servers is also an area of concentration.

-U.S. lags behind Asia, Japan and Europe on corporate green policies.

-Canada, Germany, China, India, Mexico, and South Korea are more likely to have green initiatives than not.

-Regionally, organizations with larger data center budgets implement green data center strategies more frequently than those with smaller budgets.

-Server consolidation and virtualization is more prevalent in the U.S.companies and surpasses implementations in other parts of the world.

-Organizations in APJ countries who are currently implementing consolidation/virtualization strategies in their data centers cite energy consumption and energy reduction as the primary reason.

SKI

Low Tech bandits attack co-lo

Michael Milners story in the Chicago Reader- Insecure Servers is hilarious http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/hottype/071115/

In all my years of breathing precision air I have never heard of such a thing.  I have heard stories of laptops, tool bags, and even PDU's being pinched but never quantities of servers.  The fact that they cut through a wall to get in is mind blowing.  Don't they know server prices are falling?  Seems like an inside job to me.  "The corporate leaders are apparently much harder to get to than the servers..."  I laughed and laughed. 

SKI