US businesses are planning not only to build much bigger data centres but a lot more of them, according to research by data centre hosting company Digital Realty Trust.
Canvassing 300 senior executives across a range of US companies, the company found 86% were planning data centre expansions in 2008 to 2009, with the average size increasing by 50% to 15,000 square feet. Around 45% also expect to expand their data centre footprint in three or more locations.
Disaster recovery and the increased storage demands associated with complying with regulatory requirements such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act were most frequently cited as drivers behind the data centre boom.
Michael Foust, CEO of Digital Realty Trust, says it is significant that companies are making major investments in IT infrastructure despite the current economic climate. “This reflects the critical nature of these assets to today’s corporations,” he argues.
Interestingly, despite a rising emphasis on ‘green’ IT, the survey also found that the average power consumption of data centres rose 12% compared with last year.
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