Tag Archives: Hardware

Why Is It So Important to Modernize a Smart Datacenter?

Posted on by

This Smart Data Center approach makes IT more agile by automating processes and centralizing control that span systems, clouds and data centers. Smart Data Center is very different from traditional IT administration. It automates decision-making, insight and guidance through predictive analytics, IoT and prescriptive intelligence. These advanced capabilities centralize the management of IT infrastructure for simple as well as complex operations.

Smart Data Center Facilities Solution does away with the inflexible, unpredictable services provided by conventional data centers, improves ROI, and solves over-use of energy.

Why is it so important to modernize a datacenter? With the growing demand for intense data processing, a datacenter is not just required to manage the equipment but also support a variety of deployment techniques such as Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, SaaS, PaaS and so on.

Reduced cost: Hardware is most often the highest cost in the data center. Reduce the amount of hardware used and you reduce your cost. But the cost goes well beyond that of hardware – lack of downtime, easier maintenance, less electricity used. Over time, this all adds up to a significant cost savings.

Easier backups: Not only can you do full backups of your virtual server, you can do backups and snapshots of your virtual machines. These virtual machines can be moved from one server to another and redeployed easier and faster. Snapshots can be taken throughout the day, ensuring much more up-to-date data. And because firing up a snapshot is even faster than booting a typical server, downtime is dramatically cut.

Faster redeploy: When you use a physical server and it dies, the redeploy time depends on a number of factors: Do you have a backup server ready? Do you have an image of your server? Is the data on your backup server current? With virtualization, the redeploy can occur within minutes. Virtual machine snapshots can be enabled with just a few clicks. And with virtual backup tools like Veeam, redeploying images will be so fast your end users will hardly notice there was an issue.

Single-minded servers: I’ve never been a big fan of all-in-one services. Not only are you looking at a single point of failure, you have services competing with resources as well as with each other. Those all-in-ones are purchased to save money. With virtualization, you can easily have a cost-effective route to separating your email server, your web server, your database server, etc. By doing this, you will enjoy a much more robust and reliable data center.

Less heat buildup: Millions of dollars have gone into the research and design of heat dissipation and control in the data center. But the cold, hard fact is, all of those servers generate heat. The only way around that? Use fewer servers. How do you manage that? Virtualization. Virtualize your servers and you’re using less physical hardware. Use less physical hardware and you generate less heat. Generate less heat in your data center and a host of issues go away.

Despite the knowledge, there remains a bottleneck on the road towards smart and scalable datacenters. Studies and surveys have shown that most organisations believe that a smart datacenter can only be achieved only through software. The potential of hardware efficiency still remains unknown. It is the effective and brilliant amalgamation of hardware and software that will help organisations achieve their dreams of smart datacenters.

What is Computer Hardware – Understanding Computers and How They Work

Posted on by

If you are new to computers, you may have wondered what is computer hardware and how is it different from computer software? Put simply, the hardware is physical equipment, everything that allows the software to function. Aside from the cover components such as case and keyboard, the mouse, the program disks and books, hardware would include all “mechanical, magnetic, electronic and electrical components that make up your system”. (Ref: wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). Power supplies, floppy disks, digital video drives, flash drives, joysticks, cables, wires and audio components are considered to be “hardware” for computer use.

Computer hardware includes all assorted devices that allow capturing and storage of data, that carry out operations or any series of operations on that data, or that produce control outputs. Computer software, on the other hand, is any of your computer’s self-contained or external programs and databases. Computers normally come pre-loaded with operational and some functional software when you purchase them.

Within hardware, there is a lot of variety from which to choose. For example, keyboards can be standard, with or without accessory numeric keypads, they can be split or otherwise ergonomically designed. The mouse also has been modernized from a two click to a wheel style scroll button mouse. External accessory drives are available in many capacities and sizes. Flash drives are available with a range of storage capacity.

What is computer hardware? It is anything you are able to see and touch (from the outside), and interior physical components like the motherboard or drive mechanisms. Software, although you may see and touch the actual disks data is contained on, is neither visible nor touchable. Compare it to your thoughts versus your brain.

Easily visible hardware includes your central processing unit (CPU), speakers, monitor, mouse, screen, cords, and mouse pad. These make up the actual unit. Peripheral devices (hardware) would be your floppy disks, hard drive, floppy drive, CDs, CD drive, and random access memory (RAM) boards. Some of these are removable and/or can be shared and mailed. USB connectors, motherboards, routers and modems are also considered computer hardware.

Computer hardware and software are highly developed and protected materials. Operating systems have evolved along with the computers to be used with ease by most operators. What used to fill entire buildings can now sit on your lap! Larger systems are created for commercial, business, and government use.

There is one more situation to acknowledge, and that is the use of external hardware not located at your computer. This is where you have purchased, for example, a website from a host company, and you are using their equipment accessed remotely from your computer via the internet. You rent space on their computer, benefit from using their equipment, hardware and software far more expensive and intricate than you would have at home. It works well as needed, for website design, back up data storage, and off site data storage.

So, the next time someone asks you “what is computer hardware”, you will be able to answer the question!