In our last blog post , we shared the first year success of the IBM PureSystems product line, including PureFlex. The rapid adoption of this product line has a lot to do with its performance and availability capabilities, but Managed Service Providers (MSPs), such as Aegis Technology, are also implementing these solutions for the improved energy savings. IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System boast energy cost reductions of up to 40%. This is important in a 24x7x365 world where data centers must always be fully operational and consume a significant amount of energy.
An article in IBM Systems Magazine’s April issue title “Smarter Data Centers Improve Energy Efficiency” talks about energy reduction in depth. The author, Kristin Lewotsky, explains how energy efficiency was not a top priority in the past; however, in more recent years with increased energy prices and a down economy, more attention has been paid to saving energy to help reduce costs.
Organizations, like Aegis Technology, have turned to IBM to build smarter data centers. These more sophisticated data centers have advanced monitoring and control capabilities, superior virtualization and highly efficient microprocessors that all help reduce the power required to run these facilities.
In addition to a sophisticated design of these smarter data centers, the article discusses other ways IBM is helping to make them more energy efficient, such as using water cooling rather than air cooling and using variable speed fans for air conditioning units versus static on/off controls.
Lewotsky shares the benefits of virtualization to reduce power consumption as well. When complex software applications are deployed on a dedicated server that must always be on, significant power is consumed. With virtualization where clients only pay for the storage capacity they need at the time, utilization is lower and therefore more energy efficient.
She also hits on performance power and how it is an important component in reducing energy consumption. IBM’s PureFlex Systems offer power-saving modes when systems are not in use and a feature called “EnergyScale” to help users better control their power consumption..
All of these energy savings transfer into reduced costs for MSPs and therefore for their clients and are also critical in helping to protect the environment for future generations.
