To help organisations wrestle with budgetary cuts in the poor economy, tech research firm Gartner is offering seven ways to reduce costs in the data center during the next 12 to 18 months.

Gartner research released the list of practical recommendations for IT managers who have to deal with increasing computing demand while also trying to cut costs.

• First on Gartner's list is rationalising all hardware. Such an action will help with asset and inventory management and provide a clear picture of the machines being used effectively and those that are not.
• Second, Gartner recommends consolidating data center sites, which typically range from large, complex installations to small machine rooms. Savings from consolidation can range from 5% to 15% of the overall data center budget.
• Third, the tech researcher advises managing energy and facilities costs by raising the temperature of the data center to 24 degrees Celsius to reduce the level of cooling required.
• The fourth recommendation is to renegotiate all hardware, lease, software, maintenance and support contracts, getting rid of those that are too expensive.
• The fifth cost-cutting method is to manage people costs, the largest single cost element for most data centers. Gartner advises IT managers to review staffing levels and the types of skills needed for the next 24 months. 
• The sixth recommendation is to delay the procurement of new assets when possible. Instead, Gartner suggests negotiating maintenance and support on servers whose working life is being extended.
• Finally, virtualisation of hardware should be encouraged to improve operational efficiency, as well as to support consolidation, decommissioning, and cost management programs.

Virtualisation is also a good way to control energy costs, Gartner said. Effective use of the technology can reduce server energy consumption by as much as 82% and floor space by as much as 86%.

For more details, please visit: www.garner.com