In an IT environment of increasing data demands, energy efficiency, among other ways to cut costs and do more with less, have come to the forefront.  In practice, however, energy efficiency, cost considerations, reliability and other factors are all addressed during site selection.

Site selection affects many issues for data center operators and, in many ways, is the umbrella under which cost, energy efficiency and other factors reside.  High-cost areas, for instance, present high-utility challenges. During site selection, one must consider what kind of connectivity will be needed, and where water, power, and fiber are available at affordable costs.  Moreover, the parameters drawn for a data center dictates in many ways the efficiencies that can be realized.

In sum, selecting a site for a data center affects virtually all other business and efficiency decisions that will be made.  It’s important to consider all of these factors ahead of site selection to ensure the best decisions can be made afterward.