New metric for China facilities highlights benefits of space efficiency

Tense relations between U.S. and Chinese governments has stalled diplomatic progress, but business between the nations' IT sectors continues to thrive. The nation makes up a third of the Asia-Pacific data center market, according to Data Center Dynamics. Industry leaders have recently begun to expand in mainland China or are seriously considering the option. Suspicion of outside interest has begun to give the local data center market its own nuances, and companies considering an expansion into China should first consider the capacity of their company to meet Chinese demands. Companies will soon have to build data centers in China to remain competitive, so American IT professionals must familiarize themselves with laws of the land.

Floor space at a premium
One marked difference between data center operations at home and in China is floor space. The United States has a seemingly endless supply of open field and vacant lots to build data center facilities on, and construction is typically welcome by local communities. In China, however, physical spaces suitable for data centers are both extremely limited and very expensive, notes Data Center Knowledge. The issue is so pertinent to data center design in the area that the Chinese branch of The Green Grid has recently introduced a new metric for evaluating data center setups. Space Usage Effectiveness, or SpUE, provides a way to measure the number of racks operating in a data center against the total amount of available space. The metric is designed to operate like PUE and help data center facilities track improvements in space efficiency.

Improving space efficiency
An organized, space-efficient data center offers value beyond practice for designing a data center in China. An open space, free of clutter, allows IT professionals to move between racks more efficiently. Well organized data centers also feature better airflow, which can help to mitigate monthly energy demands. Thankfully, there are several simple but effective strategies that can be employed to improve efficiency around the data center. Trunking cables, for example, are great for minimizing trip hazards, says TechTarget. Serial to Ethernet devices can also be used to connect hardware in new configurations, creating potential for more compact rack arrangements.

Perle's serial to Ethernet converters connect serial based equipment across an Ethernet network. The Perle IOLAN range of Console Servers, Device Servers and Terminal Servers feature built-in support for IPv6 along with a broad range of authentication methods and encryption technologies.