Microsoft moves data center out of Washington - taxes largely to blame | Washington Policy Center In what should be a larger news story than it is so far, Microsoft on Tuesday announced via its blog that they will suspend construction of their Windows Azure data center and re-locate to another state (right now the prevailing rumor is San Antonio, Texas). This all stems from the construction of the data centers being ineligible for a state tax credit. Passed in 1985, the manufacturing sales and use tax deferral program was designed to address unemployment and poverty in distressed areas of the state. See the RCW here. The purpose of the program was to promote economic stimulation and employment opportunities by deferring taxes for specified investment projects in rural areas. Microsoft and Yahoo! Microsoft and Yahoo! But Attorney General Rob McKenna's office ruled that construction of these farms did not fit under the RCW's qualification. "Under this [RCW]! Jumping ahead: Mike M! The bottom line is that it appears to be too late to change Microsoft's mind. What should be done?
Outsourcing risks: Loss of personal data, Stolen identity, ID theft BY: Tim | Category: Others | Post Date: 2008-10-02 The biggest risks which a company takes while outsourcing some of their operations are concerns about the loss of personal data of their customers or employees. This is not necessarily about outsourcing risks to countries like India, China, Philippines, Mexico etc .. sensitive personal data can be lost even in the home country or even in another developed country. These companies should ensure they follow excellent security practices to eradicate this issue of identity theft and data breaches. Lets be very clear, I am not trying to exaggerate this issue of personal data theft and there is a very low loss of data as a result of outsourcing so far. But as more and more companies outsource their operations, the the outsourcing outfit itself using services of other companies, this problem is likely to detoriate in future. Article Source: About Author / Additional Info: Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
CGISecurity - Website and Application Security News Five Trends Shaping Data Center Designs - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership CIO — In the past, companies built data centers like parents buy clothes for their children: Buy big and wait for the kids to grow into them. However, companies that designed spacious data centers ended up wasting a lot of money, powering unnecessary infrastructure. Today's data-center design decisions all pivot around maximizing efficiency, while giving companies a path for future growth, says Steve Sams, VP of global site and facilities services for IBM (IBM). "We see our customers make very different design decisions than they used to," Sams says. About four years ago, IBM did an extensive study of contemporary data center designs and found that the three questions that drove design decisions—how reliable, how big and how to satisfy those requirements at the lowest cost—were not enough. 1. IBM's study of its customers' data centers revealed that the costs to run a data center quickly outstrip the original outlay for designing and creating the facility. 2. Continue Reading
digital-realty-trust-boosts-power-and-capacity-at-210-n-tucker-property-in-st-louis-89590337 ST. LOUIS, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), the world's largest wholesale datacenter provider, has begun expanding power and datacenter capacity at its 210 N. Tucker property in St. Louis. The centerpiece of these enhancements is the addition of 16 MW of new electrical power, which effectively quadruples the power available to the facility. "These improvements to 210 N. Located in the heart of downtown St. Construction has begun and is expected to be completed by Q3 2010. Digital Realty Trust is partnering with the St. RCGA President and Chief Executive Officer Richard C.D. "These improvements to 210 N. Digital Realty Trust Turn-Key Datacenter facilities provide state-of-the-art environments for supporting mission critical infrastructure, with advanced cooling, power, redundancy, and sustainability features to ensure that critical applications are available while optimizing energy efficiency. For more information about leasing space at 210 N.
The Risks of Outsourcing IT References (12) 1. L. Loh and N. Venkatraman, “Determinants of Information Technology Outsourcing: A Cross-Sectional Analysis,” Journal of Management Information Systems, volume 9, Summer 1992, pp. 7–24. 2. J. F.W. M.C. D.F. 3. 4. 5. Cross (1995); and McFarlan and Nolan (1995). 6. Show All References TechCrunch Feds Commence Huge Data Center Consolidation « Data Center Knowledge Federal CIO Vivek Kundra tour the NASA Nebula cloud computing container last year. Kundra has announced plans for a major consolidation of 1,100 U.S. government data centers. The federal government has begun what looms as the largest data center consolidation in history, hoping to dramatically reduce IT operations that are currently distributed among more than 1,100 data centers. On Friday Federal CIO Vivek Kundra outlined details of the ambitious plan in a memo that directs federal agencies to prepare an inventory of the IT assets by April 30 and develop a preliminary data center consolidation plan by June 30. These plans will need to be finalized by Dec. 31, 2010, with implementation beginning in 2011. Huge Implications for Data Center Sector The government data center consolidation has huge implications for the fortunes of system integrators, data center service providers (especially in northern Virginia), and cloud computing platforms optimized for hosting government apps.
Slashdot Stories (10) LEED - the Logo Program for a Green Data Center? Not necessarily - Green (low carbon) Data Center Blog The popularity using LEED to identify Green Data Centers has been interesting to watch. I had the opportunity to take the LEED exam and add LEED AP to my business card. But, this is where my renegade/contrarian side kicks in. I saw the exam as a waste of time, having a LEED associated with what I work on. Why am I negative on LEED? The problems are several. These are all good points, and the biggest one I agree with is cost. Uhhh? What happens if you did what Cornell did and built to LEED standards but didn't get certified? Certifiable Cornell's Alice Cook House, the first of five nearly identical dorms. Cornell asked that question. That's why some are looking for ways to circumvent the official process. On Earth Day when LEED data centers are a top topic. I've watched this go on for years when I worked at Microsoft and had various roles in Windows Logo Programs. LEED is a marketing program.
IBM Launches First Two-Year Green Data Center Degree | Business ARMONK, NY — A new, two-year associate's degree from the Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Neb., is being touted as the first of its kind to give students an intensive focus on designing and managing green data centers. The program was launched today in cooperation with IBM, and will offer students coursework on virtualization and server consolidation, energy efficiency, security and compliance skills. The training center is built on IBM hardware, software and online training resources. The online component was developed between the MCC and IBM's Academic Initiative, a project that provides online training to more than 3,000 schools worldwide. As a result, the courses in MCC's green data center program will be offered online to remote students. Among the courses on offer in the program are: The news comes during a significant push for increased training in the nation's colleges and universities to help meet the demand for skilled workers in the green economy.
IBM’s Big Green Generating Big Revenue « Data Center Knowledge When IBM rolled out its $1 billion a year Big Green data center initiative last May, we noted the program’s “symbolic importance as a sign that Corporate America is mobilizing to tackle the tough environmental challenges.” But are companies making Big Green purchases? They are indeed, according to IBM, which says the Big Green initiative “has emerged as one of the most successful in IBM history.” IBM says it made $300 million in new revenue from green client engagements in the fourth quarter of 2007, working with 2,000 clients and building more than 40 green data centers across the world. The success of Big Green and other data center programs focused on energy efficiency is driven by business imperatives to capture savings, rather than environmental sensitivity. For more news from Big Blue, visit our IBM channel.