Best of the Data Center Blogs, April 30th

Here’s a roundup of some interesting items we came across in our weekend reading of data center industry blogs:

Is Building a Data Center More Sustainable than Building a Soccer Field? - Mark Thiele at Data Center Pulse offers thoughts on data centers and sustainability:  "Much ado has been made about the amount of energy utilized by power hungry data centers and new technology in general. ... However, the question I've asked before and I am now asking again (only in a different way) is; are those data centers actually hurting us or are they benefiting us by consolidating IT gear and providing us efficiencies through the use of technology?"

Data Centers: Much More Than CO2 - Also on the green front, Jack Pouchet of Emerson Network Power weighs in on Greenpeace's "How Clean is Your Cloud" report: "As thought provoking as the Greenpeace paper is, the one-dimensional, source CO2 fixation is almost detrimental to the entire concept of creating a ‘green’ cloud. We have previously discussed that there are numerous paths to green. Each with their pros and cons but at the end of the day the individual business needs to decide what approach will provide the best overall long-term ROI."

When Data Center Downtime Infringes on Your Rights - From Robert Faulkner at Server Technology: In Atlanta, "a power outage at the state data center caused prison officials to be unable to determine the status of the prisoners within. Thus, individuals who had bond posted may have been held beyond their allotted time. From the political point of view, this is a classic case of personal liberty versus public safety. But, from the point of view of our little data center focused world, it brings up other concerns."

Infinera Throws Down the 100G Gauntlet - At Telecom Ramblings, Rob Powell digs into Infinera's earnings and says the company "seems to be preparing for a 100G price war" and land grab. "The transition to a new technological framework is a period in which lots of future revenue is up for grabs and hence an opportunity for dramatic marketshare changes. Infinera entered the 10G market years after it was already fairly mature, and thus its ability to break into the big accounts was impeded. They’ve been planning for the days of substantial 100G adoption for a long time, and obviously do not plan to miss it."