• About Us
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Privacy Policy

Data Center Frontier

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing.

  • Cloud
    • Hyperscale
  • Colo
    • Site Selection
    • Interconnection
  • Energy
    • Sustainability
  • Cooling
  • Technology
    • Internet of Things
    • AI & Machine Learning
    • Edge Computing
    • Virtual Reality
    • Autonomous Cars
    • 5G Wireless
    • Satellites
  • Design
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
  • Voices
  • Podcast
  • White Papers
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Companies
    • Data Center 101
  • Jobs
You are here: Home / Voices of the Industry / Fast-Tracking the Digital Future

Fast-Tracking the Digital Future

By Voices of the Industry - August 3, 2020 Leave a Comment

Fast-Tracking the Digital Future

Even before the pandemic strained our bandwidth capacity and thrust businesses into digital transformation virtually overnight, surging demand for public cloud services, soaring growth in social media and other related digitally-driven phenomena called for hyperscale and cloud provider expansion to keep up with) demand. (Photo: Aligned Ashburn; Courtesy of Aligned)

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tim Shaheen, Executive Vice President  of Strategy & Development at Aligned, explores what’s required to bring us into the next chapter of our digital future. 

digital future

Tim Shaheen, Executive Vice President  of Strategy & Development at Aligned

For the hyperscaler embarking on the design and build of a new data center, predictability and speed are core requirements of its data center partner. According Global Market Insights, the hyperscale market is expected to rise from $20 billion in 2018 to $65 billion by 2025 — that’s an increase of 225 percent. Accordingly, these types of organizations frequently require large-scale infrastructure deployments and stringent timelines that are fast-tracked to meet immediate business expansion opportunities.

Standardizing for Speed

Cisco predicts that by next year, hyperscale facilities will account for 55 percent of traffic within all data centers, up from 39 percent in 2016. Consequently, this is no time for new data center builds and capacity expansions by way of “snowflakes.” For those familiar with the movie – no, I’m not referring to a data center Fight Club. I’m talking about completely unique methodologies, processes and projects that may introduce potential unnecessary risk and schedule delays.

On the contrary, these projects require a high level of standardization, modularity and scalability, with a simple and repeatable model for expansion in new or existing markets. This standardization can range from data center design, to supply chain and inventory, to modular mechanical and electrical systems.

Proven and standardized data center designs allow for easy repeatability at scale while reducing engineering and manufacturing time. Moreover, standardized data center designs are also less complicated to manage because expertise can be transferable from site-to-site, and maintenance and service can be streamlined. Furthermore, leveraging modular and prefabricated modules can reduce and even eliminate on-site labor, which is especially desirable in view of the ongoing pandemic. In fact, activities such as integration, testing and pre-commissioning can all be accomplished in a controlled, off-site environment, thus limiting personnel and increasing safety.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel with every deployment; the objective is to deliver reliable infrastructure safely, quickly and risk-free, while still allowing for optimal flexibility and scalability to accommodate future growth.

The Right Cultural Fit

That being said, long before a site is determined to be shovel-ready, or a data center architect’s blueprint is unfurled, there exists a foundational prerequisite to predictability and speed. Namely, culture.

The companies responsible for fast-tracking our digital future must be assured that cultural alignment exists between their organizations and their trusted data center builders and / or operators. Corporate values such as inclusion, diversity, openness, integrity and sustainability are just some that comprise the bedrock of service excellence. At first glance, these principles may seem intangible. But when practiced by the data center ppartner, they touch upon every aspect of delivery, from design, build and technology, to commissioning and operations. In the words of one hyperscaler’s senior director of data center construction on a recent panel discussion, “When we get the culture right, execution is predictable, and everything falls into its rightful place.”

In the near future, we can anticipate that hyperscalers will turn towards a breadth of data center configurations, from edge and near-edge to traditional multi-megawatt facilities, in order to accommodate rising demand and latency requirements.

Enabling Digital Transformation, Overnight

In order to effectively address customer needs and accelerated expansion schedules, data center operators should be prepared by having a finger on the pulse of capacity demand. This means constantly evaluating land acquisitions and conducting thorough due diligence in matters of zoning, permitting and environmental mandates and opportunities, especially when moving into new regions and availability zones.

Even before the pandemic strained our bandwidth capacity and thrust businesses into digital transformation virtually overnight, surging demand for public cloud services, soaring growth in social media and other related digitally-driven phenomena called for hyperscale and cloud provider expansion to keep up with demand. And yet, we can reasonably expect hyperscale data center expansions to accelerate even further as next-generation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT-connected devices, and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) become mainstream over the course of the coming years, and companies transition to permanent remote work forces as a means to build more resilient business operations in the coming months. According to research by Gartner, going forward, nearly half of all companies recently surveyed have said they intend to allow employees to work remotely full-time, and as many as 82 percent of firms intend to permit remote working some of the time when employees can safely return to the office.

In the near future, we can anticipate that hyperscalers will turn towards a breadth of data center configurations, from edge and near-edge to traditional multi-megawatt facilities, in order to accommodate rising demand and latency requirements. It’s self-evident that these companies must be able to achieve the necessary speed-to-market and scale with minimal exposure to risk when expanding in new and emerging geographies to remain successful and keep up with their own consumer demand. It’s equally true that data center providers must maintain a culture that aligns with hyperscalers’ principles of doing business.

Tim Shaheen iis EVP of  Strategy & Development at Aligned. 

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tagged With: Aligned Energy, Data Center Infrastructure, Hyperscale, Hyperscale data center

Newsletters

Stay informed: Get our weekly updates!

Are you a new reader? Follow Data Center Frontier on Twitter or Facebook.
voices@richmiller.biz'

About Voices of the Industry

Our Voice of the Industry feature showcases guest articles on thought leadership from sponsors of Data Center Frontier. For more information, see our Voices of the Industry description and guidelines..

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Voices of the Industry

Digitization Driving Increasing Requirements for Enterprise IT

Digitization Driving Increasing Requirements for Enterprise IT Sean Baillie, Executive Vice President, Connectivity at QTS Data Centers explains how digital transformation is putting more pressure on data center providers to provide a flawless experience for a variety of end users in a constantly scaling environment.

DCF Spotlight

The COVID-19 Crisis and the Data Center Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic presents strategic challenges for the data center and cloud computing sectors. Data Center Frontier provides a one-stop resource for the latest news and analysis for decision-makers navigating this complex new landscape.

An aerial view of major facilities in Data Center Alley in Ashburn, Virginia. (Image: Loudoun County)

Northern Virginia Data Center Market: The Focal Point for Cloud Growth

The Northern Virginia data center market is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Data Center Frontier explores trends, stats and future expectations for the No. 1 data center market in the country.

See More Spotlight Features

White Papers

data center operations

How People, Processes and Technology are Redefining Data Center Operations

In an industry where 100% uptime is the expectation,  what can owners do to proactively de-risk their data center operations and protect their company? Based on BCS’ decades of experience both operating data centers on behalf of enterprises and serving as data center operators ourselves, the company propose five questions data center owners should be asking operators to ensure that service provider goals are consistent with their own in this new report.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

Newsletters

Get the Latest News from Data Center Frontier

Job Listings

RSS Job Openings | Peter Kazella and Associates, Inc

  • NETA Technician - Ephrata, WA
  • Regional Data Center Facilities Manager - Denver, CO
  • Project Manager - Colo Data Center Construction -Contract - Toronto, ON
  • Director of Data Center Construction - San Jose, CA
  • Construction Project Manager - Data Center - Columbus, OH

See More Jobs

Data Center 101

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Open Spectrum, brings our readers a series that provides an introductory guidebook to the ins and outs of the data center and colocation industry. Think power systems, cooling, solutions, data center contracts and more. The Data Center 101 Special Report series is directed to those new to the industry, or those of our readers who need to brush up on the basics.

  • Data Center Power
  • Data Center Cooling
  • Strategies for Data Center Location
  • Data Center Pricing Negotiating
  • Cloud Computing

See More Data center 101 Topics

About Us

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing. We write about what’s next for the Internet, and the innovations that will take us there. We tell the story of the digital economy through the data center facilities that power cloud computing and the people who build them. Read more ...
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Our Founder

Data Center Frontier is edited by Rich Miller, the data center industry’s most experienced journalist. For more than 20 years, Rich has profiled the key role played by data centers in the Internet revolution. Meet the DCF team.

TOPICS

  • 5G Wireless
  • Cloud
  • Colo
  • Connected Cars
  • Cooling
  • Cornerstone
  • Coronavirus
  • Design
  • Edge Computing
  • Energy
  • Executive Roundtable
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • Hyperscale
  • Interconnection
  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Network
  • Podcast
  • Servers
  • Site Selection
  • Social Business
  • Special Reports
  • Storage
  • Sustainability
  • Videos
  • Virtual Reality
  • Voices of the Industry
  • White Paper

Copyright Data Center Frontier LLC © 2021