5 Ways Data Centers Must Adapt to Support IoT

Data center transformation and preparation are now top priorities for IT and tech decision makers.

IDC predicts the digital universe will reach 44 trillion gigabytes of data from a variety of “things,” by 2020. At the center of this data growth is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a vast network of physical objects (“things”) all of which collect and transmit information from their environments (such as sensors, wearables, medical devices, etc.). As the demand increases for “smart” – smart homes, smart cars, etc. – the IoT has rapidly become the center of attention as it is the key enabler for innovative technologies.

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things has put data center transformation and preparation as top priorities for IT and tech decision makers. Forecasting the demand from this emerging market is not an exact science – making data center planning and management more difficult. In order to support the next era of IoT and increasing demand on resources, Data-Center-as-a-Service (DCaaS) and other forms of outsourcing must be a core pillar in the data center strategy.

Here are five capabilities data center managers should be thinking about to support the growth of IoT

• Scalability – As near exponential growth is forecasted for IoT, data center scalability is vital in order to meet the changing requirements for resources and capacity.
• Things in the Data Center Technology – To create further efficiency in data centers, IoT can support data center transformation. This includes leveraging real-time asset management with RFID, environmental and infrastructure sensors, biometric scanners and network enhancements.
• Data Center-as-a-Service – DCaaS has become a preferred solution as demand for data storage and bandwidth have increased from the rise of IoT. DCaaS provides organizations the ability to scale their infrastructure as needed, while leveraging a pay-as-you-go model.
• Storage – As the current storage demand is predicted to be only one tenth of what will be needed in the future, dramatic storage advancements will be necessary in order to meet IoT demands on capacity and accessibility.
• Security - With the increased numbers of network connected devices comes with an increased attack surface area.  Utilizing guidance such as ISO 27001 can protect data, and create an effective security management strategy for IoT.

We would love to get your feedback on which capabilities you feel are required for the data center to support IoT, please post comments below.

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