IDCA Data Center Blog

The Infinity Paradigm Standards Framework from the International Data Center Authority (IDC-A.org) is the latest and I believe most complete standards set for IT. Many of us have participated in efforts to create a method to measure the value, effectiveness and efficiency of our IT infrastructure but I believe this to be the most complete by far. Early efforts to improve infrastructure efficiency came from The Green Grid with PUE, followed by WUE, the Data Center Sustainability Metric and the Data Center Maturity Model. There have been other efforts to improve communication and resiliency like the Data Center Pulse “Data Center Stack” and most recently Infrastructure Masons released their data center rating system . The aforementioned efforts helped to put focus on and provide measures and metrics needed for improved management and ownership of critical and costly IT infrastructure. In the case of the Infinity Paradigm perhaps the most important factor is the notion of treating yo

We are in an exciting time. It is not every day that you get to be on the forefront of a fledgling industry as it is being built brick-by-brick into what will most likely become the industry that dominates the 21st century. As was the case a century ago with the automotive industry, which dominated the landscape of economic growth and development for many countries worldwide, the data center industry was born of major advancements in technology and is poised to rule the economic landscape for the foreseeable future. Data Centers as an industry are in their infancy, and it has largely been up to the vendors and manufacturers to dictate what is “best” for the industry up to this point, however historically that usually only means what is best for their bottom line. We live in a “wild-west” of patchwork standards and best-practice documents that pertain to only small segments of our industry. There has yet to be a codified means of end-to-end design of a data center to be inclusive of

The future of IT/Data Centers is here. IDCA’s Infinity Paradigm® will be the road map that all aspects of the data center industry use. From application requirements to cloud computing, platform selection, information technology infrastructure, site facilities infrastructure, site selection, collocation and other services, capacity management, security, maintenance and operations, the Infinity Paradigm® Standards Framework enables a comprehensive and holistic view of the Application EcosystemTM that represents a visionary change in how the information technology and data center industry will do business going forward. The Infinity Paradigm® Standards Framework for The Application Ecosystem™ gives the end user the tools that will enable them to get the most value for their CAPEX and OPEX budget dollars and the capability and agility to adapt to rapidly evolving business requirements. As Program Manager of Data Center Operations for CHRISTUS Health, the AE360 framework will allow

With over forty years in the Information Technology industry I’ve seen my fair share of change.  I started working in the field back in the late seventies and started out as a data entry (keypunch) guy and worked my way into more demanding jobs with greater responsibilities wherever I worked (military or public service).  The one constant in all these years has been change. Some positive - and let’s be honest - some not so positive.  So why is this important today? Approximately two years ago I was sitting in an IDCA Data Center Infrastructure Expert (DCIE®) certification class and was introduced to the Infinity Paradigm® concept.   I was amazed by the concept and even more intrigued by how this concept could truly change the industry.  I got involved. Today the concept has truly taken flight with the release of the Infinity Paradigm® Standards Framework.  The framework is a solid foundation to provide organizations with a holistic view of their Application EcoSystemTM. It prov