Recent Clearview engagements have uncovered a pattern for enterprise data centers that is working at firms across multiple industries. This pattern is driven by continuing improvements in the flexibility and speeed of virtualization software,  by accelerated equity investment in the data center colocation industry,  and by the strong cash savings provide by each as they are adopted by enterprise IT leadership.  In only three words:

Virtualize

Source

Recover

1. VIRTUALIZE – Virtualization enables consolidation of infrastructure, increases server utilization, creates a “Cloud”, and reduces operating expenses. Administration, hardware, maintenance, power, space & cooling costs are all reduced. If you think you have seen this before, you have. Software virtualization is to servers what IP telephony was to telephone systems. Telephone systems have consolidated from many to few in most enterprises. Consolidate your infrastructure with virtualization tools. Savings impact = 30%.

2. SOURCE – Datacenters cost either $1000/sqft to build or $35/sqft/mo as a service from data center colocation providers. If you buy datacenter as a service, you benefit from cost avoidances such as maintenance, network access, auditing, staffing, and security; these are typically bundled with your space & power charges. Simple math reveals a payback advantage for colocation services exceeding five years. Computing will change significantly over the next five year and datacenter requirements will change even more. Externalize all or a portion of your datacenter footprint. Savings Impact = 20%.

3. RECOVER – Disaster Recovery is often a bridge too far. However,  consolidation and sourcing can enable an IT disaster recovery plan as an affordable part of your new solution. Datacenter sourcing allows you to contract for two facilities where you could only build one. Most datacenter service providers will provide similar pricing for both single and multi-center deployment. Network connectivity, a key requirement for DR, is a highly competitive market with advantageous pricing trends. A DR solution, accelerated by services providers and virtualization software, is now within reach. Split your infrastructure into multiple locations and leverage duplicated systems, dev/test infrastructure, private cloud, and public cloud for enhance disaster recovery. Cost = +15%

As an operational plan: Create cash flow and reduce footprint and power consumption with virtualization. Move this efficient architecture to an external datacenter provider split across two locations each with different risk profiles and a minimum separation of 50 miles. Then,  re-invest a third of expense run rate reduction the into DR systems, software, and workspace. You are left with a 30% expense run rate reduction, an agile virtualization environment (with a cloud “check-off”)  and good resiliency with the new DR deployment.

Data Centers 2012: Virtualize.  Source.  Recover.

“Amidst today’s uncertain business climate, global organizations increasingly face unforeseen challenges that can affect their IT infrastructure, workforce and data security needs,” said Clay Hill, Clearview partner. “With the opening of our Waco data center, we can now bring highly sought after capabilities to our clients who seek added security and business continuity for their data.”

The 43,000-square-foot facility includes the following security and business continuity features that can withstand the physical, virtual and personnel disruptions that nationwide disasters create:

• A layered security protocol that includes biometrics, smart cards, DVR cameras and 24×7 personnel
• Dual transformer commercial power feeds and multi-carrier fiber availability for operating capacity and redundancy
• Large staging area to support mobile recovery vehicles and client employees displaced from their daily work environments
• Disaster recovery office space

Disaster Recovery
Today, most data centers operate on a cold-site recovery plan that requires building a solution after a disaster. Further, good disaster recovery plans and better data security are increasingly becoming a corporate requirement brought about by global security and weather-related threats. Clearview’s high-availability approach has a recovery solution built in.??That means customers experience little or no downtime in the face of a disruption.

The Waco Information Technology Gateway repurposes a Cold War nuclear fall-out shelter, providing physical security previously unmet in the commercially available data center market. Its Central Texas location is within a 100-mile radius of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, and within 200 miles of Houston, allowing for true data replication between the Waco ITG and clients in those cities. In addition, the Waco location is easily accessible by car in the event that the nation’s airways are disrupted and is located on a power grid separate from Texas’ major city systems, providing an advantage during potential blackouts and brownouts.

Jay Looney, Clearview partner, notes, “Disaster recovery and business continuity are becoming more and more important to clients every day. We have developed a business unit to specifically focus on these important business issues, turning what otherwise might have been catastrophes into predictable, manageable continuity and recovery scenarios.”

Global Gateway
Through high-speed data transport, the ITG provides the Waco area in Central Texas a new path to global corporations. The data center incorporates diverse fiber paths to a carrier hotel in Dallas with access to more than 200 international carriers. This allows companies to safely keep and access their information in Waco.

‘America First’
Waco’s positive business climate and availability of highly skilled employees makes it a U.S. alternative to companies contemplating outsourcing overseas.??Clearview is working with the Texas State Workforce Commission to find ways to keep jobs here and to train and transfer knowledge to workers who can stay in Texas.

“ ‘America First’ is Clearview’s approach to not-so-remote application outsourcing and business process outsourcing,” said Jay Battershell, Clearview partner. “While off-shoring has come to be a part of many business’ strategies, Clearview can offer on-shore services that offer superior services and come close in price to many foreign soil solutions.”

Paul Kite Company teamed with Clearview as developers of the facility. Cody Campbell, executive vice president of New Development for Paul Kite Company, said, “We are thrilled about completing the Waco ITG project, and thrilled about our partnership with Clearview. This development is part of a broad, nationwide data-center development initiative for us. In this challenging economic time it is a testament to the effectiveness of our strategy and the proficiency of our team.”

About Clearview: Clearview International LLC has been bringing clients improved IT strategy and outsourcing services since 1996. Through our multiple data centers, Clearview provides a redundant, reliable, scalable and practical suite of services that can be tailored to support clients’ needs from business and IT strategy to complete computing infrastructure. Clearview is headquartered in Dallas and has facilities throughout North America, Europe and Australia. http://www.clearviewfocus.com

About Paul Kite Co.: Paul Kite Co. is a privately funded and widely diversified real estate development and investment firm headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Paul Kite Co. actively engages in real estate development projects from coast-to-coast. These projects encompass many sectors of the real estate market including retail, office, multi-family residential, single-family residential, hospitality, industrial and medical properties. The company has strategically focused its considerable resources to the pursuit of mission critical facilities development. Paul Kite Company is quickly becoming one of the preeminent data center developers in the United States.http://www.paulkiteco.com