Sentrum, a specialist in data centre solutions, has today released new research findings which show that 50% of senior IT decision makers would consider using emerging technologies in the data centre if the price was right, whilst a further 30% also cited an interest in experimenting with new technology irrespective of where it was deployed.
“Surprisingly, the research has identified varying opinions which suggest that the industry is perhaps more willing than ever before to investigate new technology options,” said Franek Sodzawiczny, Chief Development Officer and Co-Founder at Sentrum. “Yet, on the other hand the report also showed overwhelmingly (64%) that specialist data centre knowledge and expertise remains key during the selection of a new data centre operator. So perhaps it’s more a question of trust?”
The fourth report in the research series – entitled ‘The Data Centre Gamble’ – was commissioned to question a number of issues facing the data centre sector, one of which was current attitudes towards advancements in plant and infrastructure technologies. Despite some strong claims being made about steps that may be taken to uncover cost savings, 47% of large companies remained resolute that they would only ever use ‘best of breed’ technologies, whilst 31% cited that they would not use a cheaper data centre operator that was offering emerging technologies to reduce costs.
Technology wasn’t the only area that opened up an interesting debate in the findings, as there were also mixed opinions on what type of data centre offering large UK companies preferred; 49% preferred a bespoke solution against 31% opting for a pre-configured one.
“Sentrum has noticed an increased shift in the market towards pre-configured approaches, particularly as they are often sought by businesses as an immediate solution to a short term data centre requirement, and we have evolved our business accordingly,” continued Sodzawiczny. “The specialist knowledge and experience that is available in the Sentrum team means that we can now offer a pre-configured solution that has been designed to the same level of quality that a bespoke data centre would bring.”
As well as focusing heavily on deploying only best of breed technologies, Sentrum also believes that ‘location’ of a data centre is a critical factor. In fact, when it came to questioning the value of the right location, 50% of respondents said it was very important, with 43% adding that latency and location combined would certainly be part of the decision making process when selecting a data centre operator. 47% also highlighted that they would be focused on ensuring the location was away from potential hazards such as airports and flood plains.
“Cost is just one element of any business decision and whilst it’s important it’s no longer the deciding factor. Companies today need to ensure that they have also found a business partner that can offer expertise and experience in order to help them remain effective in the long term,” Sodzawiczny concluded.
About the Research:
The report was commissioned by Sentrum and undertaken by Dynamic Markets Limited. It is the fourth report in a series dating back to 2008. A total of 103 interviews were collected with senior IT professionals across a wide variety of industry sectors and in large organisations with 250 or more employees. All respondents confirmed prior to interview that they were an IT professional responsible for the company’s data centres from an operational and/or strategic perspective. They also confirmed their level of seniority: 29% are at CIO / Director level and 71% are at senior level manager. Responses, where relevant, have been compared with research results collated in 2008, 2009 and 2010.