Data center managers in India expected to “do more with less ”

Bengaluru: Symantec released the India findings of its 2008 data center report. The second annual study found that data center managers are caught between two conflicting goals-more demanding user expectations and higher levels of performance, yet reducing costs remain the primary objective for the data center. The report also found that data center staffing remains problematic; servers, and storage continue to be underutilized and disaster recovery plans requires constant fine-tuning and updatation. Finally, the respondents indicated that while they are pursuing green data center initiatives, they are doing so primarily based on cost benefits.

“This research confirms what we are seeing in the field, ” said Anand Naik, Director, Systems Engineering, Symantec Corporation. “Attention has turned to initiatives that will drive immediate cost reduction, rather than longer term RoI driven programs, ” he added.

Of those surveyed, a staggering 91 percent reported user-expectations are rising rapidly. Furthermore, 52 percent of the respondents felt meeting the service levels demanded by the organization was proving to be difficult. At the same time, 39 percent of respondents felt that improving services levels was by far one of the top challenges that they face today.

This year's study also pointed out the continuing importance for companies to control data center complexity and costs. With the mandate to literally do more with less, companies are scrambling to find solutions that have an immediate effect on cost and efficiency.

“IT managers and executives are in a tough spot. Cost reduction is a non-negotiable objective this year, while user expectations remain high and demand continues to rise. We are seeing this translate into interest in solutions that provide customers with confidence and deliver immediate benefits in reducing server and storage spend without disrupting today's environment, ” said Naik.