Vertiv Anticipates Advent of Gen 4 Data Center in Look Ahead to 2018 Trends

• Emergence
  of the Gen 4 Data Center: Whether traditional IT closets or 1,500
  square-foot micro-data centers, organizations increasingly are relying on the
  edge. The Gen 4 data center holistically and harmoniously integrates edge and
  core, elevating these new architectures beyond simple distributed networks.
  
  This
  is happening with innovative architectures delivering near real-time capacity
  in scalable, economical modules that leverage optimized thermal solutions, high-density
  power supplies, lithium-ion batteries, and advanced power distribution units.
  Advanced monitoring and management technologies pull it all together, allowing
  hundreds or even thousands of distributed IT nodes to operate in concert to
  reduce latency and up-front costs, increase utilization rates, remove
  complexity, and allow organizations to add network-connected IT capacity when
  and where they need it.
• Cloud
  Providers Go Colo: Cloud adoption is happening so fast that in
  many cases cloud providers can’t keep up with capacity demands. In reality,
  some would rather not try. They would prefer to focus on service delivery and
  other priorities over new data center builds, and will turn to colocation
  providers to meet their capacity demands.
  
  With
  their focus on efficiency and scalability, colos can meet demand quickly while
  driving costs downward. The proliferation of colocation facilities also allows
  cloud providers to choose colo partners in locations that match end-user
  demand, where they can operate as edge facilities. Colos are responding by provisioning
  portions of their data centers for cloud services or providing entire build-to-suit
  facilities.
•  Reconfiguring
  the Data Center’s Middle Class: It’s no secret that the
  greatest areas of growth in the data center market are in hyperscale facilities
  – typically cloud or colocation providers – and at the edge of the network. With
  the growth in colo and cloud resources, traditional data center operators now
  have the opportunity to reimagine and reconfigure their facilities and
  resources that remain critical to local operations.

  Organizations
  with multiple data centers will continue to consolidate their internal IT
  resources, likely transitioning what they can to the cloud or colos while
  downsizing and leveraging rapid deployment configurations that can scale
  quickly. These new facilities will be smaller, but more efficient and secure,
  with high availability – consistent with the mission-critical nature of the
  data these organizations seek to protect.

  
  In
  parts of the world where cloud and colo adoption is slower, hybrid cloud
  architectures are the expected next step, marrying more secure owned IT
  resources with a private or public cloud in the interest of lowering costs and
  managing risk.
•  High-Density
  (Finally) Arrives: The data center community has been predicting
  a spike in rack power densities for a decade, but those increases have been
  incremental at best. That’s changing. While densities under 10 kW per rack
  remain the norm, deployments at 15 kW are not uncommon in hyperscale facilities
  – and some are inching toward 25 kW.
  Why
  now? The introduction and widespread adoption of hyper-converged computing
  systems is the chief driver. Colos, of course, put a premium on space in their facilities,
  and high rack densities can mean higher revenues. And the energy-saving
  advances in server and chip technologies can only delay the inevitability of
  high density for so long. There are reasons to believe, however, that a
  mainstream move toward higher densities may look more like a slow march than a
  sprint. Significantly higher densities can fundamentally change a data center’s
  form factor – from the power infrastructure to the way organizations cool
  higher density environments. High-density is coming, but likely later in 2018
  and beyond.
•  The
  World Reacts to the Edge: As more and more businesses shift
  computing to the edge of their networks, critical evaluation of the facilities
  housing these edge resources and the security and ownership of the data
  contained there is needed. This includes the physical and mechanical design,
  construction and security of edge facilities as well as complicated questions
  related to data ownership. Governments and regulatory bodies around the world
  increasingly will be challenged to consider and act on these issues.
  Moving
  data around the world to the cloud or a core facility and back for analysis is
  too slow and cumbersome, so more and more data clusters and analytical
  capabilities sit on the edge – an edge that resides in different cities, states
  or countries than the home business. Who owns that data, and what are they
  allowed to do with it? Debate is ongoing, but 2018 will see those discussions
  advance toward action and answers.

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