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Networking technology provider CommScope has announced the formation of a new industry-led consortium that will aim to support the growth of multi-tenant data centres (MTDCs) and develop best practices for the deployment and management of these locations.
There has been significant growth in this market in recent years, driven by higher data consumption around the world, as well as a trend among businesses and service providers to outsource their data centre operations rather than owning and managing their own resources.
As a result of this, some forecasts suggest the total operational square footage of MTDCs around the world could reach as much as 177 million sq ft by the end of 2018, CommScope noted.
Stephen Kowal, senior vice president, Global Partners, CommScope, said: "Over the years, a shift has taken place in which companies increasingly outsource IT needs to shared environments in which data centres are viewed as an operating expense. By leasing third-party data centre white space, enterprises can remain focused on their core businesses while enjoying optimal data centre availability, reliability and cost control."
For users, there are numerous advantages to opting for an MTDC, aside from the fact they have to devote less time and effort to maintaining the technology. Such options can provide greater flexibility, as it is easy to add on extra capabilities when needed, as well as offering greater security and reliability than an enterprise could feasibly achieve on its own. The economies of scale also mean they can be a cheaper option than a dedicated alternative, while also delivering reduced latency.
But in order to ensure these solutions are effective, it will be important for key best practices to be followed and for organisations in the industry to work together to develop a strong approach to optimising MTDCs. This is where the new MTDC Alliance comes in.
"Demand will continue for MTDCs from hyperscale data centre operators, service providers, cloud providers and enterprises," CommScope stated. "However, with the increased competition, it is becoming harder to differentiate on build quality alone."
Operating as part of the PartnerPRO Network, which has active partners in 88 countries and serves as a resource connecting thousands of distributors, installers, integrators and consultants worldwide, the Alliance's members will be able to offer optimal network infrastructure solutions for customers who are looking to take advantage of multi-tenant environments.
Among the companies that will participate in the group is Equinix, which will bring the expertise it has of managing 179 data centres across 44 markets around the world.
Greg Adgate, vice president of global technology partners and alliances at the company, said: "Equinix is thrilled to be part of the CommScope MTDC Alliance to offer enterprise customers the optimal data centre deployments that best fit their needs ... We look forward to working with CommScope and their customers as part of this initiative."
