ceOutlay on data centres and cloud infrastructure increased by more than 30% last year as the transition to the cloud accelerated during the pandemic. However, as the demand for data centre services grows, so will their capacities. In only five years, data centres will appear and operate significantly different than they do today.
Fig 1: Predicted main trends in the data centre facilities of the future
Image credit: blog.huawei.com
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how these next-generation data centres will look, how their capabilities will alter, and what these changes will entail for the end user.
Next-generation data centres
Next-generation data centre services feature hybrid infrastructures, software-defined environments, cognitive computing, and evolving technology to satisfy the demands of data expansion and management. They are software-defined, with intelligent software controlling them rather than IT employees who must manually conduct procedures. They also offer physical and cloud environments, addressing traditional data storage requirements while simultaneously creating cloud technologies. Next-generation data centre technology aims to integrate disparate environments and offer data, networking, and compute resources to satisfy demand, with data and infrastructure scattered over diverse environments and geographical areas. The terms virtual data centre and software-defined data centre are interchangeable.
The following are some of the most important needs for a next-generation data centre:
- Automation: Rather than requiring constant human management, data centres must have procedures that can run autonomously.
- Interconnection: Data management cannot be categorized, especially as businesses increasingly employ both physical and cloud environments.
- Flexibility: A data centre’s architecture must change to manage applications, workloads, and machines and operate procedures as effectively as possible.
- Business focus: Data centres must deliver real-time solutions and rapid reactions to enterprises that rely on them.
- Support: Next-generation data centres must have a solid infrastructure that maintains and secures data while also providing a hybrid environment (physical, virtual, and cloud).
- Loose coupling: If the pieces in a data centre are overly interdependent or tightly coupled, they can be prone to large-scale failure if one application or machine fails. Loose coupling provides greater flexibility and scalability.
Some of these traits appear to contradict one another. Data centres must not only keep up with the increasing demand for larger and better data storage, but they must also successfully manage data – a difficult undertaking as data is spread even further across geographic boundaries and into different cloud environments. Data centre managers face difficulty concentrating data for simpler management and security while also growing it across several environments: the organization-flexibility paradox.
How will the next-generation data centre evolve?
Fig 2: Edge data centres
Image credit: techtarget.com
- Shift to edge data centres
Hyper-scale data centres will replace traditional cloud data centres focused on critical task processing and long-term data storage. These data centres will not only be small, but they will also be on-site or near enterprises. Edge data centres are small facilities near customers that supply cached material, cloud computing resources, and hardware to end users.
They typically connect to larger central or numerous data centres. Edge computing allows enterprises to minimize latency and deliver speedier services by processing data and services near the end user.
Because so many businesses are physically unable to relocate closer to data centres, data centres will be forced to relocate closer to them. These edge data centres will provide the resources needed to handle critical information in real-time, allowing businesses to run smoothly. Many IaaS providers, such as AWS, are establishing edge centres to deliver seamless cloud services to various businesses.
- Robotics and physical automation for better data centre management
Automation and robotics lessen loads of manual maintenance by simplifying workflow. It will give resources more diligently. As a result, less manual engagement will make operations more disaster-proof and less expensive.
Data centre security patrol robots are now in production and will most likely be commonplace over the next five years. Autonomous Security Robots (ASR) will undertake security jobs with vigilance. FANUC Robotics has been producing compact, intelligent, and quicker robotics.
- Environmentally friendly data centres
Next-generation data centres are automated with minimum manual intervention and are energy efficient. The transmission of data in next-generation data centres consumes a significant amount of energy.
There is increasing pressure on data centres to become more environmentally friendly with such a high demand for data. More renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, will be used in next-generation data centres.
In the United States and Europe, data centres recycle centre heat into warm water and heating for buildings and houses using community heating or water/air source heating pumps. As a result, next-generation data centres will benefit from lower cooling and heating expenses as well as increased sustainability.
- Data centre as a service (SDDC)
Everything in information technology is virtualized, including operating systems, storage devices, and servers, and everything is given as a service. Next-generation data centre virtualization is gaining control of data centres, giving greater flexibility, security, and agility. In addition, this layer provides considerably greater control over physical and virtual resources.
Atlantis USX for storage, VMware NSX for networking, Juniper Firefly for security, and VMware OS for the data centre are some robust platforms that govern new parts of the next-generation data centre.
- Control of a multi-layer data centre
Each data centre houses a diverse set of systems. Similarly, the control layer must be greatly varied. To achieve increased scalability, data centres are now prepared to control numerous important elements, including waste and cooling/heating systems. Furthermore, the DCOS layer has significantly improved infrastructure due to its implementation into every critical part of data centres.
Data centre infrastructure reservation
The next-generation data centres will contain tiered management tools that will logically allocate resources based on workloads. This infrastructure will be purchased with an agnostic data centre, allowing management to create more effective and valuable cloud outputs. In addition, the data centre will become more conceptual, and infrastructure optimization will be able to prevent vendor lockout.
Furthermore, managers can handle increased traffic while optimizing hardware and software. It will be critical in next-generation data centres to provide resources to the management layer smoothly regardless of the type of hardware dispersed, allowing clients to integrate with external technologies seamlessly.
Cabling for the future in data centres
There is no need for point-to-point cabling in next-generation data centres. Next-generation data centres will reduce installation costs by futureproofing their cabling, improving airflow and cooling, lowering energy and maintenance costs, and having fewer resources for finding and correcting data centre cabling problems.
Distinction between next-generation and traditional data centres
Fig 3: Evolution of traditional data centre into software-based futuristic data centres
Image credit: wikibon.com
In terms of functionality, next-generation and traditional data centres are very similar. Both data centres are designed to support and store a company’s data and applications for duties such as file sharing and storage, efficiency programs, data analytics, and e-mail.
Nonetheless, next-generation and classic data centres differ in terms of configuration and performance. As previously said, next-generation data centres employ cutting-edge technology that allows for increased efficiency and performance.
Because of software-controlled management, these advanced data centres do not rely on hardware. Instead, robotics, multi-layered controls, automation, DCOS, SDDC, and other technologies help them.
Benefits of a next-generation data centre
Next-generation data centre technology will someday be useful in a variety of ways, including:
Flexibility
Because of software-defined technologies, the hardware layer does not limit next-generation data centres; suppliers can design their data centres to meet any need.
Increased security
Data administration is always concerned about security and safety; next-generation data centres offer numerous security enhancements. Managers can regulate entrance with enhanced automation, and data will be protected with a solid infrastructure.
Improved performance
A next-generation data centre will deliver exceptional performance thanks to active resource distribution and enhanced efficiency. There isn’t much space for error with fewer data centres services systems and interfaces.
Enterprises may have three or more data centres in public or entirely owned cloud infrastructure: an on-site or near-site edge data centre, a local area data centre, and a regional or national hyperscale data centre. These physical locations will all work together to provide a unified cloud infrastructure that will benefit businesses of all sizes.
What does a next-generation data centre mean for the user/consumer?
For starters, it implies improved connectivity, speed, reliability, and security for both businesses and consumers. Furthermore, with more extendable cabling that can be used for longer periods of time, next-generation data centres can assist in reducing costs when there are fewer workers, lower heating/cooling costs, and sell extra energy. However, the alterations are more profound.
Edge-based data centres of the future will usher in the age of broad IoT and 5G deployment.
Most of the technology we use every day, from smart home assistants to manufacturing sensors, will rely on a nearby data centre (and its supporting data centre network) in the near future. Large enterprises, such as hospitals, will be able to use cloud-based computing resources that they could never afford on-site, while smaller businesses will benefit from huge speed gains to unearth real-time insights provided by AI and machine learning algorithms.
In other words, data centres will be the foundation for society’s advancement. Almost all technological developments will rely on at least hybrid cloud connectivity, and the growth of data centre services will ensure that the current rate of progress can be maintained.
Conclusion
To adapt to the cloud computing development trend, next-generation data centres, virtualized computing, storage, and other resources provide customers with dynamic resource deployment across the network. Cloud platforms rely on equipment and technology such as servers, storage, security, and software to come together to build the infrastructure.
The next-generation data centre market is expected to grow by 10% between 2021 and 2030. Vendors now realize that the market wants to move toward a more responsive approach, and the benefits of next-generation data centre services are critical for future growth in the data centre business. The next-generation data centre will be important in ensuring long-term evolution.
FAQs
- What is a data centre?
Data centre is a hub that consists of virtual or physical servers that connect either internally or externally through the communication or networking equipment. It is used for storing, accessing or transferring digital information. Each of the servers within a data centre has storage space, memory and processor. They offer security, efficiency, scalability and technology to the organizational data.
- How are next-generation data centres different from traditional data centres?
The next-gen data centres are relying mostly on software technologies. It is because the logic layer embedded to these data centres will have better control over all of the virtual and physical resources. Moreover, the next-gen data centres will also be open for automation of the workflows and will reduce manual efforts. Finally, the implementation of ML concepts for breaking down the acquired data in real-time and adjusting the performance accordingly.
- What are the needs for a next-generation data centre?
There are specific needs for the next-generation data centres to be implemented successfully, which includes:
- Implementation of procedures that can run automatically
- The architecture of data centres must change to manage the machines, workloads and applications effectively.
- Data centres must have a business focus architecture to deliver real-time solutions.
- The infrastructure must be solid to secure and maintain data more efficiently.
- Loose coupling is important to enhance scalability and flexibility.
- What are edge data centres and why are they important?
Edge data centres are small and decentralized facilities which will provide computing and storage solutions in locations that’s close to the place where data is being used and generated. It becomes a great approach as new applications can be enabled by lowering the latency and increasing the bandwidth.
- How will next-generation data centres become more environmentally friendly?
As per specified plan of adaptation and growth, the next-generation data centres will soon be utilizing more of solar or other renewable energy resources. Moreover, they are also looking after innovative ways to reduce the usage of water, and capturing heat for converting it into energy.