News From Around The Web

1. VeriSign On Data Consolidation

   Explore Article Forbes.com (Feb 4 2010) Cloud Computing , Servers

   VeriSign is a billion-dollar company that provides identity and Internet infrastructure services to businesses. Chief technologist Ken Silva spends about half his time working on internal IT projects. One of Silva's main goals is to reduce the overall number of computers and applications it takes to run VeriSign's ( VRSN - news - people ) various services through "data center consolidation," the process of taking many small data center setups and combining them into a larger, more centralized operation. Silva talked with Forbes about winnowing its infrastructure and what that means for employees and customers. (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   IBM   Forbes

2. Data Centers Heat Offices, Greenhouses, Pools

   Explore Article Data Center Knowledge (Feb 3 2010)

   A growing number of data centers are redirecting the heat from their hot aisles to nearby homes, offices, greenhouses and even pools. The ability to re-use excess heat from servers is being built into new data centers, helping to improve the energy efficiency profile of these facilities. The latest example comes from Telecity, which is using waste heat from its new Condorcet data center in Paris to heat an on-site Climate Change Arboretum, where scientisits will recreate the climatic conditions expected to prevail in France in 2050. Société Forestière and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) will use ... (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   IBM   Syracuse University

3. Savvis Ready to Build, and May Go Shopping

   Explore Article Data Center Knowledge (Feb 3 2010) Construction , Cloud Computing

   Savvis (SVVS) is in building mode, and may be going shopping as well. The managed hosting provider plans to build additional data center space in the northern Virginia and London markets, in addition to the expansion announced today in Chicago. The company estimates that it will spend about $55 million on its current data center projects, which also includes an expansion in Weehwaken, New Jersey. Savvis also detailed improving results in its cloud computing operation, and predicted further growth ahead as companies shift to a pay-as-you-go model. (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   Europe

4. Green Data Centers Sprouting Across the Land

   Explore Article Insurance Networking News (Feb 3 2010) Power and Cooling , Cloud Computing

   This week, IBM Corp. opened up a new pavilion at Epcot Center, which focuses on its “SmarterPlanet” initiatives—green, collaborative and intelligent technologies. At the center of the Epcot exhibit is its green data center, based on the latest energy-efficient technologies and IBM's Scalable Modular Data Center concept. The green data center also features a cloud computing demonstration. And, in the true spirit of green, IBM will donate unused computing resources to the World Community Grid, which allocates thousands of computers from around the world to accelerate medical, humanitarian and environmental research. (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   IBM

5. HP Offers 20-Foot Version of POD Container

   Explore Article Data Center Knowledge (Feb 3 2010) Construction , Container

   HP has rolled out a 20-foot Performance-Optimized Datacenter (POD), offering a smaller version of the 40-foot container it introduced in 2008. The new offering offers a lower price point for companies that need mobile computing or expansion space, but may not require a full container of IT equipment. With the smaller form factor, HP also matches the container options from Rackable, Verari and IBM, which all offer the choice between a 20-foot or 40-foot container. The marketing of the 20-foot unit also reflects a focus on customer choice. The 40-foot POD was painted blue and featured prominent HP logos. The ... (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   IBM

6. Will Carbon Reduction Commitments Hurt U.K. Green Data Centers?

   Explore Article greenercomputing.com (Feb 3 2010) Emissions , Cloud Computing , Servers

   IT industry experts are calling on the UK government to amend the imminent Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme, warning that it will force participants to outsource energy-intensive IT infrastructure to offshore operators, which could drive up overall emissions from the sector. The legislation comes into effect in April and will apply to about 5,000 large UK public and private sector organizations that consume more than 6,000MWh of electricity per year. As a result, many of the UK's larger data centers will be covered by the scheme and will be required to report on their energy use and attempt ... (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   United Kingdom   Carbon Reduction Commitment

7. New at Disney: It's a Data Center World After All

   Explore Article NetworkWorld.com (Feb 2 2010) Construction , Cloud Computing , Servers

   Visitors to Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando can walk around the world, stopping at pavilions that aim to give them a taste of other countries. Now, Disney and IBM hope to give visitors a unique look at the information technology that delivers the modern world's everyday necessities as well. Last week, the two companies unveiled the latest revision of their collaboration-the Smarter Planet-an exhibit on how technology can save energy and Earth's resources. Based on concepts espoused in IBM's 14-month-old marketing push of the same name, Smarter Planet allows guests to explore the impact of various technologies, such as using ... (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   IBM

8. Facebook’s Green Data Center, Powered by Coal?

   Explore Article Data Center Knowledge (Feb 2 2010) Fossil Fuel , Solar

   Here’s an interesting wrinkle on the unveiling of the new Facebook data center in Prineville, Oregon. In announcing the facility, Facebook emphasized its energy efficiency and use of renewable power resources. Cheap, green hydro power was a major attraction when Google built a data center in Oregon, so it was assumed that the Facebook data center would be supported primarily by hydro power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Not so, according to Matt Stansberry from SearchDataCenter. Matt, an Oregon resident, took a closer look at the utility power that will support Facebook. (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   Google

9. Carbon Dioxide, Cap and Trade, and the Data Center

   Explore Article Relocate (Feb 2 2010) Cap and Trade , Carbon Tax , Emissions , Fossil Fuel , Geothermal

   Regardless of what you may think about anthropogenic global warming (climate change caused by human activity) or the recent scandal centering on the ethics and motivations of certain climate scientists, carbon dioxide is a substance that is in the political dog house. Residents of member states in the European Union have already seen the institution of a cap and trade system designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through government regulation; residents of the United States may well be in for a similar system. Although data centers generally do not, by themselves, spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, their operation does ... (Read Full Article)
   

   Comment on Article Mentions:   Iceland

10. Morse Identifies Loopholes in CRC Regulations

    Explore Article Home - eWeekEurope.co.uk (Feb 2 2010) Carbon Reduction Commitment , Emissions , Wind

    The government's CRC laws are flawed, as companies can simply offshore their data centres and it doesn't take into account power from renewable sources, warns Morse's Brian Murray IT services provider Morse has identified what it believes are a number of serious flaws with the British government's looming CRC (carbon reduction commitment) regulations. The UK's Carbon Reduction Commitment is now called the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and is due to begin in April 2010. However Morse feels it has the potential to pose a “serious threat to UK businesses and could even have little, no or possibly negative effect on ... (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Europe   Carbon Reduction Commitment   CRC

11. Google Extends Outside Research Funding to New Fields

    Explore Article Technology (Feb 1 2010)

    Google, like other leading technology companies, funds university research in fields where its interest and the interest of science coincide. Until now, the company has done that mainly with lots of smaller grants, typically $50,000 or so. But Google is stepping up its funding. In a focused approach that it is announcing on Tuesday, the company is making a $5.7 million commitment to a dozen university research projects. The program funds are earmarked for four areas: machine learning, the use of cellphones as data collection devices in science, energy efficiency in computing and privacy. “We’ve identified four extremely important areas, ... (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Carnegie Mellon University   Google

12. UK total emissions fall by 1.9%

    Explore Article edie.net (Feb 1 2010) Construction , Emissions , Fossil Fuel

    Total UK emissions fell in 2008 according to figures published by the Department for Energy and Climate Change. Announced today (2 February) UK emissions in 2008 of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol were estimated at 628.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide. This was 1.9% lower than the 2007 figure of 640.5m tonnes, with the fall largely down to cuts of 7.3% (1.3 MtCO2e) from industrial processes. However, the residential sector saw an increase in emissions of 3.1% equal to 2.5 MtCO2e. (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Carbon Reduction Commitment

13. Take one step at a time when planning data center energy efficiency agenda

    Explore Article ZDNet Technology News (Feb 1 2010) Servers

    Riddle me this: What’s the easiest thing you can do to improve energy efficiency in your data center? Answer: Turn up the heat. That’s the opinion of John Bennett, worldwide lead for data center transformation solutions with IT giant Hewlett-Packard. That comes through actions such as rationalizing hot and cold aisle placement, optimizing airflow, investing in thermal zone mapping and simply letting the thermostat run a little higher. “Anyone walking into a data center should break a sweat, not have to wear a jacket,” Bennett says. (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Hewlett Packard

14. Cap and Trade - By Peter Judge

    Explore Article Views and Opinions on Green IT (Feb 1 2010) Carbon Reduction Commitment

    There is a law of unintended consequences. Pompously, it says "any intervention in a complex system may or may not have the intended result, but will inevitably create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes". More simply, it just says: things don't always turn out the way you want. Governments who set up regulations mandating green behaviour are going to have to deal with a lot of unintended consequences this year, as they build complex new systems designed to change behaviour. As I said last week, cap and trade schemes are an attempt to build a system with a financial incentive to ... (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Peter Judge   CRC

15. Humana Builds A Twenty-First Century Data Center For Healthcare

    Explore Article Network Computing (Feb 1 2010) Cloud Computing , Servers

    Healthcare costs face national scrutiny--and healthcare companies are responding with green data centers designed to deliver lower capital and operating expenses (CAPEX and OPEX).They are doing this by systematically reducing energy costs and by virtualizing away hardware and the costly software licensing fees that go with it. A case in point is Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana, Inc., a Fortune 200 corporation that employs 23,500 associates to market its health benefit consumer services in 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Humana decided in the mid-2000s to proceed with a green data center build that would not only deliver hard dollar savings ... (Read Full Article)
    

    Comment on Article

16. See all articles >>