Microsoft to open two new data centers
- 30 June, 2009 07:12
- Comments
After postponing the development of one data center and losing a couple of high-level managers in its data center group, Microsoft said it will soon open new facilities in Dublin, Ireland, and Chicago.
The data centers will support Microsoft services such as its new search offering, Bing, and Azure, its cloud computing platform.
The Dublin facility, to open on Wednesday, will be the largest for Microsoft outside of the U.S. It covers 303,000 square feet and uses outside air to cool the facility, for power consumption savings.
The Chicago facility, scheduled to open July 20, will be more than twice as large, covering 700,000 square feet. Two-thirds of the center will be able to accommodate servers in containers.
In some data centers, Microsoft has started using standard shipping containers loaded with 1,800 to 2,500 servers, because it can save on electricity by cooling just the containers rather than the whole facility.
The openings come after Microsoft announced earlier this year that it would put a planned Iowa data center on hold. It also delayed the openings of the Chicago and Dublin facilities.
At the time, the company optimistically described the Iowa postponement as a result of successful efforts to improve efficiency of data center operations elsewhere.
But in fact Microsoft may have put off construction after discovering that growth in hosted services has been lower than it may have expected.
Revenue in Microsoft's online services group during the quarter ending March 31 dropped to US$721 million from $843 million in the same quarter last year.
Microsoft is not alone in reining back its data-center expansion plans during the recession. Google late last year decided to delay building a facility it planned in Oklahoma.
Microsoft has also lost a couple of well-known leaders in its data center group. In April, Michael Manos, the general manager of the data center services division, left to take a job at wholesale data-center provider Digital Realty Trust.
Late last year, James Hamilton, another respected data center engineer, left Microsoft to join Amazon Web Services.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.
- Bookmark this page
- Share this article
- Got more on this story? Email CIO
- Follow CIO on twitter
-
The 30 best Safari extensions -- so far
-
Apple and Google disagree over licensing of essential patents
-
Monash Uni reduces IT teams after consolidation project
-
FTC warns makers of background checking apps
-
QLD govt demands answers after pay glitch
-
Is your data center ready for virtualisation? Important power considerations for virtualised IT environments
Virtualisation brings the potential to deliver dramatic savings in terms of server count, footprint, power consumption and cooling requirements for data centers. For all its advantages though, virtualisation also brings some unique challenges. The power and cooling infrastructure—which may have been quite sufficient for pre-virtualization needs—could easily become inadequate when data center performance patterns are radically altered. The good news is that there are practical and affordable ways to address these challenges and improve data center efficiency in the process. This paper looks at some of the power-related challenges and the readily available technologies to address them. -
The Need for DLP (data leak prevention) now
When it comes to the terabytes of confidential and proprietary data on corporate networks, companies often use kid gloves to secure the data. This begs the question, why are office supplies subject to a higher level of security than the data? Many organisations are turning to a DLP solution to help them in gaining control over their seemingly uncontrolled data stores. -
2012 Pathways Advanced ICT Leadership Development Program
Developed by the CIO executive Council in conjunction with Rob Livingstone Advisory, Pathways Advanced is a 12 month CIO delivered, small group, mentor based professional development program. it brings together best practice, thought leadership and business insights for today’s most promising ICT professionals.
Get exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis. 
Comments
Post new comment