Today, we can watch videos and listen to music online, without even having to download them to our PC or mobile phone, has already become a commonplace activity.

This is one of the wonders of cloud computing, this technological transformation that is here to stay.

In this model, files, programs and even hardware resources (such as memory and processing) that are located on servers around the world can be accessed directly from your computer, tablet or mobile. So that’s how your webmail or your internet banking software, for example.

And cloud computing not only benefits our personal lives, but also companies, and much of this type of investment in technology. Instead of having to fork out huge sums to create and maintain a fleet of own servers, you can hire the resources you need in a flexible and scalable manner, increasing spending in a gradual fashion as the business grows.

This explains why cloud computing continues to grow. Last year, investments in technology have increased over 67%, according to the research.

And there’s much more to come. Check out some predictions for this market:

Growth in India

Although still small when compared to more mature markets, the Indian market embraces, increasingly, the cloud computing. The expected growth for the next three years here, according to IDC, is 74% – which means somewhere around 798 million dollars invested by Indian companies in the technology by the end of 2015.

Personal Cloud

Increasingly, ordinary citizens are adopting hosted services and storage in the cloud for personal and business files (photos, music, calendars, emails etc..). This not only helps to increase and cheapen deals, but also reduce fear and resistance to technology, even by firms.

Hybrid Cloud

Another change taking place is greater integration between private clouds (exclusive to one company) and public (contracted third party). Research indicate that the public cloud is more used – with 39% adoption, compared to 34% of the private cloud and only 27% of the hybrid model – the forecast for 2018 is that the adoption of hybrid cloud will be 43% (followed by public cloud, with 32%, and private, with 25%).

This tends to happen because there is a greater need for inter-connectivity between different clouds.

Access Points

Another trend that is already underway and will intensify even more impressive is the use of mobile devices to access the network, especially applications with sound, video and location technologies, so that accesses become more snapshots (requires a system of very competent response) and much more.

Internet for “All”

The clouds are not only accessed by people and businesses. Increasingly, equipment and appliances, such as refrigerators, TVs and cars, become part of this network, fed it with data and seeking information to provide it to their “owners” with speed, safety and convenience. According to Gartner’s forecast, the number of Internet connected devices is expected to reach 50 billion in 2015 (ie, we will have more “stuff” that people connected).

And your business is inside these trends and eager to try this new way of investing in technology and doing business? Update yourself!

Your server room is not only one of the most important assets of your business, but it can also be one of the most expensive. Although the “cutting corners” is not allowed if you follow certain aspects of the creation, maintenance and modernization of the fleet of equipment, costs can be reduced very significantly.

1. Stay cool

With all the heat generating devices that can usually be found in the server room cooling can cost a pretty penny. Sorry, but it is inevitable! Cooling is one of the most influential factors determining the durability and efficiency of your equipment. Poor cooling equipment heats up very quickly and can become completely new deep-fried crispy in a very short time. Savings in this matter, and therefore improper cooling, will cost you much more than the normal cost.

Many techniques have made a serious mistake of thinking that the cooling fans and air conditioners – this is the main thing you should pay attention to. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the most important elements of the cooling is actually a cable management system. In densely populated unmanaged server room, randomly placed cables may create a solid wall that blocks the flow of air to your equipment, making your internal and external cooling system completely useless. On the other hand, poor management of cabling system also damages your jacks, connectors and cables themselves, further reducing their lifespan! At the moment there are so many affordable, high-performance, easy to deploy network solutions for cable management, so there’s no reason not to do so.

Always try to balance the heat distribution across the server room. For example, do not select a whole section for servers and a separate section for patch panels or other passive equipment. This causes the appearance of “hot spots” that are loaded beyond measure your cooling system inside and outside the room.

In the data center building, we need to maintain cleanliness

For obvious reasons, the dust loves racks. While this may not seem like a big deal, but it do not take long to accumulate there to clog your case fans and lead to overheating of the equipment. Clean your server room – carefully and regularly. If possible, seal the doors and any other openings that can determine the penetration of outside air and dust.

Always recalculates your cooling needs for dedicated hosted server by adding new equipment.

2. Manage Power

Power is not free, so the less you use it, the less you pay. Manageable blocks of power distributors will facilitate gaining full control over your powers. They allow you to monitor, analyze and allocate power, at its discretion, that allow you to configure individual settings for virtually every outlet. It also gives you more freedom to install the equipment where it is most convenient and effective interaction with your cooling system, which is much better than group devices, focusing on the power plan.

To save even more, consider as an alternative solar energy. Such a power supply system are usually quite expensive to install, but counts worth. Keep in mind that their effectiveness varies depending on the weather in your area. Depending on your region, you can also try to evaluate the use of wind or water.

3. Do not buy any equipment just because it is expensive

Data Center is one of the most important parts of your business, then no one wants to make a bad bargain. This is understandable, but the main focus should be on performance yet. In the server business, only those companies survive that constantly produce reliable products. If you can get the server from a certain vendor that fit your needs, have good reviews and are available, check out their first opportunity, and do not buy high-end solutions from major manufacturers.

It is also important to buy just the right amount of equipment that you need. Preparing for the expected growth is extremely important. But nothing can be more wasteful than to keep thousands of dollars literally buried in the equipment lying around and obsolescent every day only to later be sold for half its original price, and never set you.

4. Look ahead

If you want to be competitive, you have to constantly make sure that your equipment was relevant as possible. You can always enable easy and fast start, follow the latest trends. Spend on the next generation of industry standards, and your hardware and software will have a much longer life.

5. Sell your old equipment

From the need to get rid of old equipment

We’ve all seen it … IT department decides to upgrade part of the technological park and the old equipment is collecting dust and in anticipation of the day when time travel will become a reality. While it may no longer be useful to you, most of this equipment is still quite relevant, to bring you a lot of money from someone with a low budget. If you are upgrading your equipment, sell old immediately.

All tips on saving the world can never be a substitute for common sense – keep abreast of your network. Never forget to perform regular maintenance and try to solve technical problems promptly. Otherwise, all the other tips are almost useless.