EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
WHICH TECHNOLOGIES SHOULD DATA CENTRE LEADERS BE PRIORITISING AS THEY PLAN THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES FOR THE COMING YEAR ?
Keysource , the data centre and critical environment specialist , has announced the key findings of this year ’ s industry survey which is designed to give an insight into the decisions and considerations that UK IT directors and senior decisionmakers in the data centre industry are making , which in turn are influencing the market . It ’ s titled The New Normal & It ’ s Green ! as it acknowledges that much of the developed world has taken the decision to ‘ live with the virus ’ and look to the future , embracing the increasingly important sustainability criteria for all businesses .
As for many respondents , the ability to bounce back or accelerate growth lies in their technology and continued Digital Transformation .
“ The industry will need to work hard to protect customers against transformation failure or worse , and perhaps step up with more innovative solutions to ensure that these objectives can be delivered ,” said Jon Healy , Operations Director at Keysource .
The report also highlights the increasing importance of sustainability – arguably the hottest topic in the industry – and there are some encouraging results that show a shift from reactive and regulatory action to a more proactive and ‘ how far can we go ’ approach . In fact , more than 80 % of those surveyed said they would consider making sustainable changes without a financial incentive or benefit , and with corporate social responsibility and Environmental Social Governance all moving to the fore this suggests that the opportunities here are significant for industry and society .
The results of the survey show that the data centre sector will continue to be at the heart of the global post-pandemic recovery , as for many respondents , the ability to bounce back or accelerate growth lies in their technology and continued Digital Transformation . The good news is that this is creating increased budgets which , combined with a market that is bursting with service options , suggests a positive outlook .
And finally , security and cybercrime are also flagged as a major concern , something that has grown substantially ever year in the survey . Despite this , only 40 % of respondents stated that they consistently undertake the necessary checks for suppliers which perhaps explains why only around half of those questioned were fully confident in their organisation ’ s resilience to a breach .
However , a large proportion of our respondents have highlighted real concerns around the challenges in delivering these often complex and multifaceted transformation projects . A large proportion ( 83 %) believe that social and economic challenges will have an impact on their ability to meet current goals and objectives . Confidence was low across all key phases of the change process alongside reports that existing investments are preventing transformation in some form .
“ The results of the survey are compelling , with demand for data centres continuing to grow but security , sustainability and the ability to undertake change all key concerns . The questions remain – can enough be done to keep up with this demand ? Or how much will the industry drop the ball and is that ok ? There is , however , no doubt that whatever happens it will be at breakneck speed . If it was easy , it wouldn ’ t be fun !” said Healy .
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