Summary Insights: 10 Ways to Cut DC Costs
RFG Perspective: IT executives should be able to reduce data center costs by more than 40 percent, which should help them fund investments that better enable current applications, develop new generative AI (genAI) apps or other solutions that improve the enterprise’s competitive advantage. Most data centers today are not monitoring and measuring their operations’ performance so that they can run at optimum or maximum efficiency. There are 10 levers at their disposal that they can use to lower data center costs short- and long-term whether the workloads are in on-premises data centers, colocation sites, or in the cloud. While some of the benefits may go to the Facilities group, most of the savings will accrue to the IT operations group. In that the demand for more compute and solutions is increasing and that power is, and will be constrained over the foreseeable future, the time to act is now.
10 Ways to Cut DC Costs
Analytics Maturity: From Basics to GenAI Generational Gains
RFG Perspective: We have taken a generational leap in analytics capabilities with Generative AI (GenAI) and those who use it will have a distinct business and productivity advantage over competition. It is no longer good enough to have a feel for the current environment. With genAI enterprises can know things more deeply and in real-time than ever before.
Analytics Maturity: From Basics to GenAI Generational Gains
Summary Insights: Unleash the Power of OpEx To Transform Data Centers and Kill CapEx
RFG Perspective: The two main drivers of data center transformation today are AI (primarily generative AI) and sustainability. Both shifts will have substantial effects on hardware acquisition strategy and data center design including requiring evolutionary operational metrics and added funding. GenAI capabilities will add huge costs across the categories of compute, storage, network, and power, necessitating IT executives understand and appropriately allocate limited resources to achieve business objectives.
Summary Insights: Unleash the Power of OpEx To Transform Data Centers
Predictions for 2024
RFG Perspective: 2024 will be a year of uncertainty – domestically, economically, financially, geopolitically, and technically. While it appears inflation is abating, prices and interest rates will remain higher than they have been over the past decade and the potential for no-growth or business contraction remains a possibility. The war in Ukraine,the Israeli-Gaza war, and the concerns for a China-Taiwan war or siege will continue to impact business (and government) growth, plans, and supplies. Additionally, we remain in the age of scarcity, which will continue to affect data center systems and components supplies at varying levels. If the Israeli-Gaza war expands to a broader Middle East war or the China-Taiwan clash heats up, supply chains could worsen significantly, which could impair AI and other transformation initiatives.
Predictions for 2024
10 Sustainability Advantages of IBM LinuxONE
Executive Summary: The age of abundance is over having been replaced by the age of scarcity. Corporations, and especially IT and facilities executives, need to address the near-and long-term challenges posed by power and water costs and shortages, supply chain constraints, and sustainability obligations and objectives. All this must be tackled while concurrently meeting business needs for growth in compute and storage capacity.
10 Sustainability Advantages of IBM LinuxONE
Summary Insights: Infrastructure Considerations for Generative AI
RFG Perspective: Unlike the "cloud first" directives, which were viewed as saving operational costs, a "generative AI first" directive will add to one’s data center operation's Capex and OpEx. Generative AI (genAI) models are computationally intensive, necessitating robust processors, large datasets, and sophisticated data handling. Those AI “engines” may be located on-prem, or at a colocation or cloud provider site, but they are there, and will not be inexpensive. The recent versions of ChatGPT and other genAI models have advanced exponentially over prior attempts. They now offer the potential to become a force multiplier for productivity – playing a variety of roles by supporting work being done by different personas within the company.
Summary Insights: Infrastructure Considerations for Generative AI
Predictions for 2023
RFG Perspective: The outlook for 2023 is one of fear, uncertainty, and depressing news. While there are some bright spots, business and governments are planning on continued high inflation, high interest rates, and a recession for part of 2023. The war in Ukraine will continue until both sides feel a diplomatic solution – i.e., compromise – is better than waging war. Additionally, we are now in the age of scarcity, affecting data center systems and components, which will last at least through the end of the decade if not longer.
Predictions for 2023
Summary Insights: Meeting Growth Amid Hardware Shortages and Energy Constraints
RFG Perspective: Satisfying enterprise growth and transformational requirements in data centers in 2022 is a major challenge for IT executives. Near-term capacity problems, constrained supply, and rising prices are impeding IT executives’ ability to deliver additional data center capacity and to contain costs globally.
Summary Insights: Meeting Growth Amid Hardware Shortages and Energy Constraints
Summary Insight: Keeping Employees Engaged in the Hybrid Work Environment
RFG Perspective: As companies begin their transition to a Return to Office (RTO) work environment, executives must develop a strategy to blend remote work with in-office work, using a business model that satisfies corporate and personal needs. Certainly, many companies will not return to a traditional office setting – as it existed before the pandemic’s onset in March 2020.
Summary Insight: Keeping Employees Engaged in the Hybrid Work Environment
Summary Insights: Shoring Up Cyber Defenses
RFG Perspective: Shoring up cyber defenses must become an urgent priority for organizations given the heightened threat of a global cyber warfare. As the theater of war evolves in Ukraine, DDoS and ransomware offensives may increase – whether sourced from Russia, its allies, and other state actors that might increase their attacks on Western governments and organizations by employing cyberattacks. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some published reports claim we are already seeing attacks on American banking institutions up more than two-fold.
Summary Insights: Shoring Up Cyber Defenses