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April 28, 2008

NetApp Honored for its Greener Data Centers

By Nathesh


NetApp says IDG's (International Data Group) InfoWorld has honored its innovative storage efficiency, data center design, and techniques to reduce power consumption in its data center and they have announced NetApp as the winner in InfoWorld’s inaugural Green 15 awards.

NetApp is a provider of storage and data management solutions. IDG's InfoWorld is the integrated media brand for IT decision makers. InfoWorld identifies and promotes emerging technology segments that add unique value for the organizations that implement them, as well as the vendors that provide those solutions.

NetApp has applied a lot of strategies in providing innovative ways in reducing power consumption and increasing energy efficiency in its data center. Their standards now meet or exceed the EPA’s 2011 energy usage state-of-the-art data center maximum achievable scenario.

Hot aisle/cold aisle equipment arrangement, vinyl strip curtains to prevent hot air from mixing with cold air, and Air Handling Units equipped with outside air economizers to cool the data center were the techniques used to maintain the overall temperature in the NetApp data center and these have improved energy efficiency 19.2 percent during the winter months and 11 percent during the summer months.

NetApp not only changed their cooling methods but the design and implementation of the data center too was modified to enhance efficiency and reduce power consumption. NetApp merged its storage systems and replaced 50 systems with 10 NetApp storage systems, increasing capacity utilization to more than 60 percent. The numbers of racks were optimally minimized and required chilled water was cut down to 94 tons, which helped reduce electricity by 494,208 kWh and led to an annual savings of $59,305.

The InfoWorld Green 15 awards recognize the 15 most innovative IT initiatives that use green technology for its product development and marketing and intend for increasing energy efficiency, trimming waste, and reducing or eliminating the use or the production of harmful substances.

“Many organizations worldwide are struggling with high energy costs as well as limited space and power to meet their computing needs. They’re also feeling pressure from investors, legislators, customers, and from within to cut waste, reduce their carbon footprint, and be better environmental stewards,” said Ted Samson, senior analyst, InfoWorld. “The InfoWorld Green 15 winners clearly demonstrate how sustainable technology initiatives can be complementary—even instrumental—to achieving business goals.”

“NetApp is honored to be named one of InfoWorld’s Green 15,” said Laura Pickering, vice president, office of the CEO, and environmental responsibility advocate for NetApp. “At NetApp, we’re focused both on innovative storage and design to make our data centers as efficient as possible. It’s also very important that we share these techniques with our customers to help them understand how they can achieve the same business breakthroughs and reduce their overall impact on the environment.”

Nathesh is a TMCnet Contributing Editor.

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