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Given the volume of data that all organizations must manage now to compete, it’s not surprising that the vast majority are planning to expand their data-center space this year, according to an annual survey of the North American data-center market from Digital Realty Trust Inc. The biggest trends? Leasing out space, instead of buying, and taking a do-it-yourself approach, according to the report & What's Driving the U.S. Data Center Market, 2011 .& “Increasingly, enterprises appear to be favoring the lease model, as fewer companies are choosing to go it alone on these capital-intensive projects,” says Michael F. Foust, CEO and director at Digital Realty Trust. “Unlike many of the large Internet companies, many enterprises that participated in the survey are choosing to lower costs and minimize development risks by working with a data-center specialist.& Meanwhile, CIOs are finding more budget room for data-center operations than in the past, according to the research results. Approximately 300 IT decision makers at large corporations in North America took part in the research. Here are 10 selected highlights:
Cloud Migration Report: Security, Monitoring Tools are Essential
A report from migration specialist SANpulse highlights the key areas enterprises need to consider when migrating to a private cloud environment, including security, monitoring, and performance degradation.
Today's Data Center: More Cloud, Less Mainframe
The cloud is in and mainframes are out, according to a new study, “The State of the Data Center,” from data center association AFCOM. The association surveyed 358 data center managers from around the world to find out how data centers are adapting to the ever-evolving IT environment. Their top three concerns? Physical space, energy efficiency and security. “In an environment where change is an accepted part of day-to-day life, it is important to recognize how data center managers are adapting to the new technologies and directions emerging in the industry,” said Jill Eckhaus, CEO, AFCOM. “One of the most interesting changes our survey illustrates is the continued transition to the cloud. When we last did this survey in October 2009, very few data centers were even interested in the cloud, let alone actually adapting it. However, thanks to information such as the Data Center Institute’s ‘Guide to the Cloud’ report, now we see that data center managers are more familiar with the risks and concepts, and cloud computing is quickly becoming a new standard of operation.” Here, we take a look at the survey’s key findings.
Time, Poor Planning Biggest Database Project Problems
There just aren't enough hours in the day, database professionals told Embarcadero Technologies in a recent survey.
Enterprise Data Breaches: Ignorance Isn't Bliss
A significant number of IT professionals in a recent survey say that their companies are likely to be the target of a data breach over the next year, according to the report & Data in the Dark: Organizational Disconnect Hampers Information Security.& The report, sponsored by security vendor Application Security Inc., is based on a survey conducted by Unisphere Research. The survey polled more than 760 members of the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS). The majority of respondents are database administrators; other respondents included IT managers and developers. Respondents attribute the shortcomings of overall data security to several factors, including budget limitations, a lack of understanding, and poor accountability and oversight. In fact, four of 10 respondents say they don't even know how much their company spends on IT security.
MIT Data Analytics Report
Top-performing enterprises are increasingly depending upon analytics tools to shape future direction and address day-to-day needs, according to a report, Analytics: The New Path to Value, from the IBM Institute for Business Value and the MIT Sloan Management Review. Unfortunately, CIOs and other top executives who are attempting to leverage such tools often face pushback due to company culture. There's a lack of understanding about how to use analytics , and, too often, departments are discouraged from sharing information. These obstacles, however, are not stopping CIOs and other key decision-makers from pursuing the increased use of analytics throughout all levels of their organizations. “The correlation between performance and analytics-driven management has important implications for organizations whether they are seeking growth, efficiency or competitive differentiation,” says Fred Balboni, global leader of business analytics and optimization services for IBM. “When organizations use analytics to tackle their biggest challenges, they are able to overcome seemingly intractable challenges.” Nearly 3,000 executives and business analysts from 108 countries and 30 industries took part in the survey that forms the basis of this report. Here are selected highlights:
Bad Customer Data is Common, Costly
There's a lot of bad data out there when it comes to valuable customer-contact information. Maybe it's a database in which 23 percent of the home addresses aren't valid anymore. Or one with outdated area codes. And, of course, let's not forget good, old-fashioned data-entry errors caused when busy call-center employees input typos. Whatever the source of data dysfunction, it often falls to you and your IT team to fix it. A new survey from Experian QAS reveals that organizations realize that data problems exist, and are taking systemic steps to take corrective action. Still, given the economy, progress is sometimes stalled. & While contact-data quality is becoming a priority as businesses focus on customer loyalty and retention, stakeholders are finding difficulty implementing projects due to cost constraints,& says Joel Curry, chief operating officer, Experian QAS. & To overcome this obstacle, organizations should review common-quality issues with data and prioritize projects based on their positive return on investment.& An estimated 300 organizations participated in the Experian QAS Data Quality survey, with CIOs, IT managers/directors and other top executives taking part.