Containers and Modules: Is This the Future of the Data Center?

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1 Research Publication Date: 8 April 2011 ID Number: G Containers and Modules: Is This the Future of the Data Center? David J. Cappuccio Modular and container-based data centers have emerged as yet another option for data center planners. These solutions can provide much-needed capacity quickly and, in some cases, be the cornerstone for a long-term data center strategy. Key Findings Container solutions can be efficient and rapidly deployed, but with important caveats. Modular designs will be a dominant trend over the next five years. Recommendations Use container-based solutions for rapid growth in very short time frames, at reasonable costs, for specific use cases. Use modular designs to reduce upfront capital expense dramatically, while still providing long-term expansion opportunities. Apply modular design concepts to data center retrofits, reducing capital costs and improving operational efficiencies Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. or its affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without Gartner's prior written permission. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information and shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in such information. This publication consists of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Although Gartner research may include a discussion of related legal issues, Gartner does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such. Gartner is a public company, and its shareholders may include firms and funds that have financial interests in entities covered in Gartner research. Gartner's Board of Directors may include senior managers of these firms or funds. Gartner research is produced independently by its research organization without input or influence from these firms, funds or their managers. For further information on the independence and integrity of Gartner research, see "Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity" on its website,

2 ANALYSIS Over the past few years, data center design has shifted away from the traditional idea of building out large expanses of IT-ready floor space to an era where smaller component-based solutions are the trend. A variety of different options from vendors have been introduced, and the two prevailing trends we see are container-based prebuilt solutions or modular component-based (assembled on site) solutions. Since these solutions are fairly new to the market, and the terminology can be confusing, this research will outline the differences between the solutions and offer possible use case scenarios for you to consider. What Are Containers? A data center container is a shipping container set up to accommodate IT equipment. The typical data center container is based on ISO standards for ease of shipping; also, it may be modified in a number of ways to better support the secure and practical use of IT equipment. The basic equipment that most of these containers are designed to support includes servers, storage and networking gear. In addition, containers may be designed to support some combination of uninterruptible power supply (UPS), generators and/or chillers, with some of that equipment supported in the same containers as the servers and storage equipment, or in separate and distinct containers. Generally, data center containers have some connectivity elements, so that power input, cooling capabilities (e.g., water pipes) and network traffic can be fed into the container from the outside. Containers are designed to be weather resistant, and, in some cases, are weather hardened for use in extreme environments, although most use cases see them being implemented within existing buildings or shells of buildings. Containers are also designed to be TIA-942 Tier 3 capable (depending on supporting infrastructure), and focus on high levels of energy efficiency, typically with a PUE of 1.3 or below. A list of many of the vendors providing containers today is provided in Note 1. What Are Container Use Cases? Use Case No. 1: Container-based data centers have been in use for years, but not until recently have they generated enough interest to be considered an alternative to traditional data center design. The most common use case mentioned by vendors is that of a cloud provider that had a requirement for very rapid growth. Microsoft's Chicago data center is often cited as an example where the design premise for the entire first floor of the data center was based on the use of containers. When growth was needed, a container would be ordered and delivered to the site in just a matter of weeks. Upon arrival, it would be driven through bay doors, placed on the floor and power would be applied to it. In this manner, very rapid growth could be attained in a very standardized, cost-effective method. Each container would provide upward of 2,000 servers worth of capacity, and the data center could eventually support hundreds of containers. Use Case No. 2: Disaster recovery planning is often cited as an additional use case for containers, where in the case of a long-duration disaster (e.g., a fire destroyed the data center), the rapid deployment of containers could augment short-term disaster relief from third-party providers, thus allowing continued operation as the replacement data center is constructed. From a business continuity standpoint, the key decision then becomes whether to invest in preconfigured containers to be held on standby or to rely on "first off the line" guarantees from the vendors. Use Case No. 3: Organizations with unpredictable computing needs, like university research grants, have benefited from container-based solutions. In these situations, the capacity that may Publication Date: 8 April 2011/ID Number: G Page 2 of 6

3 be needed is completely unknown until a grant is approved, so prior planning via traditional data center design techniques is not possible. The ability to acquire a container that will support highcapacity and high-density computing, and have it delivered quickly to the site, is perceived as a real benefit for large research grants. While the market for container-based solutions is nascent, interest in these solutions continues to grow. Improved designs, cooling options and configuration choices have also positioned these units as alternative computing environments vis-a-vis traditional build-outs, rather than just as emergency replacement alternatives. What Are Modular or Component-Based Data Centers? Modular data centers evolved from the basic premise of containers that, if designed appropriately, extreme levels of performance could be attained in data centers using a consistent design technique, and capital costs could be reduced by standardizing components, construction and the supply chain. The modular design approach has actually split in two directions over the past few years. While some vendors have focused on the overall design of a complete data center solutions (e.g., HP FlexDC and i/o's i/o Anywhere), others have moved the modular design concept down to the rack or row level (e.g., APC InfraStruxure or Emerson SmartAisle). In modular data centers, a core infrastructure design is developed that will eventually support multiple IT areas. The IT areas can be added as needed to support future growth, until the base power requirements are exceeded, at which time either the base module can be upgraded or another modular unit is put into place. Most of the vendor offerings in this space start with a base module of 250kVA or more and IT space of at least 500 to 2,500 square feet, which can then be scaled, but, as the market evolves, we expect to see a greater variety of choices (essentially modules on demand) to support individual needs. In modular component designs, vendors have begun to focus on self-contained row or rack solutions where a predefined unit (e.g., eight racks) is delivered on-site and is already configured for power and cooling support. These units can be as simple as basic racks with monitoring and directed air cooling, or as complex as completely self-contained environments with either air, water or refrigerant-based cooling for extreme densities. UPS support can be delivered by the customer or integrated as part of the solution. A list of many of the vendors providing modular solutions today is provided in Note 2. Modular Use Cases Use Case No. 1: When faced with the cost of a new data center build, one of the first exercises planners undertake is capital cost reduction. New modular designs were developed in most cases with the primary objective of reducing capital, through consistent design techniques, commodity pricing of major components and automated manufacturing. When comparing modular designs that are prebuilt at a factory versus a purpose-built design constructed using traditional methods, capital costs savings of 20% to 30% are not unusual. One use case that is gaining traction is that of "controlled growth." Rather than build out enough floor space to support long-term growth expectations, modular designs allow for incremental growth or "as needed" growth in a very controlled manner. What the customer needs is to preallocate enough land for that modular growth, or perhaps subdivide a building shell to support the long-term expansion. Use Case No. 2: In situations where an existing data center is nearing floor space capacity, the modular rack/row solutions can be used to increase capacity within that same floor space. Customers with this problem have begun carving out a few hundred square feet of floor space and then installing a self-contained row (or rows) that will support high-density cooling. By doing Publication Date: 8 April 2011/ID Number: G Page 3 of 6

4 this, they can begin populating these racks to near-capacity levels, while also driving virtualization and performance for each server to optimum levels, thus getting much greater compute capacity per square foot, or per kilowatt. Use Case No. 3: An alternative use for modular rack/row solutions is for long-term data center retrofit projects. One of the key issues in these projects is how to proceed with a retrofit of an operating environment, while causing the absolute minimum amount of risk, and still supporting ongoing growth. Using modular racks and rows, some organizations have begun a retrofit project by sectioning off a small footprint (e.g., 240 square feet) and then installing a self-contained row (in this case, eight racks). Over the next few months, workloads will be migrated to this new environment, taking advantage of the high-performance, high-cooling capabilities to maximize the compute per square foot and compute per kilowatt of the new units. Once completed, a second phase begins to move remaining workloads, freeing up an additional small footprint for the next modular install. This process may be repeated dozens of times, depending on how large the environment is, and may take years to accomplish in full, but the end result is a highly functional, high-capacity environment, without any high capital costs at the outset of the project. Bottom Line When planning for data center growth, it is important that all alternatives be reviewed. Newer modular design techniques and container-based solutions should be a critical piece of your analysis. When used appropriately, they can solve specific problems, while reducing capital costs and the time it takes to implement new capacity. Note 1 Container Providers Table 1. Container Providers Provider Dell HP IBM SGI Cirrascale AST Data Pod Lampertz Lee Technologies Active Power Emerson Huawei Symantec Source: Gartner (April 2011) Product Name None POD PMDC ICE Cube Forest SSC DataPod Outdoor Room Flexible Solutions PowerHouse SmartMod (Name not yet known) Publication Date: 8 April 2011/ID Number: G Page 4 of 6

5 Note 2 Modular Solutions Table 2. Modular Solutions Provider IBM HP i/o Dell APC Emerson Elliptical Mobile Solutions SGI Source: Gartner (April 2011) Product Name SMDC FlexDC i/o Anywhere Modular Data Center InfraStruxure SmartAisle Micro Modular Data Centers ICE Cube Publication Date: 8 April 2011/ID Number: G Page 5 of 6

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