Larger enterprises often have global data center locations. These companies deal with large amounts of data on a daily basis. Because of this they are forced to prepare for all types of disasters. For these companies, ineffective recovery strategies can lead to millions of dollars in losses.

Having multiple locations across the globe is a great way to minimize the effects any single event has on your organization as a whole.  However, possessing a large number of data facilities spread out over the globe can lead to monitoring difficulties. Therefore, data center consolidation has become quite important.

Consolidating Data Centers
The concept behind data-center consolidation lies within being able to make the most out of server resources. A single data center has the ability to host a limited number of servers. The actual capacity of a Dallas data center is dependent upon factors such as cooling and power considerations. A large server space requires a large amount of bandwidth combined with a redundant power network to keep servers online at all times. Servers also generate a lot of heat that needs to be regulated via an efficient cooling system.

One of the heftiest costs borne by the data center operators is that of operating a cooling system.

Virtual Machines at Data Centers
Server virtualization allows companies to use their server space resources as efficiently as possible. A virtual server has a much larger capacity as compared to a conventional single server. Therefore, operational costs within data centers, and the need for increased rack space, are handled quite adequately with a virtual server.

A conventional server normally handles only a single application. Often, this is actually a waste of server use, as running one application does not use the server to its full capacity. Often, many servers are being used at partial capacity but still using full power and cooling resources. On the other hand, servers that are virtual can host a number of different applications. Within a virtual server, a variety of Operating Systems are loaded and used. Each of these systems has its own computing resources redirected from within the virtualized server itself.

Cons of Server Virtualization
Virtual servers have made life easy for enterprises. However, they also come with some significant security threats.

Monitoring the different systems within a virtual server is complex task. With conventional servers, a network administrator could keep an eye on all of them using simple security protocols. But with server virtualization, things have become much more complicated.

Over the years, Dallas data centers have witnessed a number of Denial of Service attacks. A DOS attack can be extremely harmful for data centers because it can cause a server to crash. A DOS attack overloads network traffic within a server, causing it to malfunction. In such scenarios, the server normally has to be restarted. This can result in downtime, which can cost companies revenue and customers. Just a few days of in operation can be devastating for a company. In the worst case, it can even cause a permanent shut down.

With virtual servers, protection against DOS attacks becomes a complicated task. This is because each server does not house just one application. It can cause an issue for companies on several fronts.

However, with the benefits provided by server virtualization a variety of techniques have been developed to help handle these security breaches.

Kevin Woods discusses colocation opportunities in the Dallas Area.  He believes the colocation service should be considered by any company that wants to keep data safe. Kevin helps educate readers about the benefits of colocation and data centers for companies of all sizes.