Which NGDC Do You Want?

The acronym stands for "next generation data center", and -- once again -- this discussion is very much in vogue across the industry. 

So many pieces are coming together, that there's a new hunger for a conversation around "what does it all look like in a few years".

I think there's actually two distinct NGDC models emerging, and -- the real question is what kind of business do you see yourself in?

A Time For Big Pictures

Externally, there are many forces driving IT to an inflection point.  Rising costs, exploding information volumes, proliferation of applications, a newly mobile knowledge-based workforce, energy concerns, security concerns -- the list goes on and on.

And, within the industry, we've got all sorts of new (and disruptive) technologies to consider: SOA, virtualization, unified fabrics, cloud models -- another very long list indeed.

So, when I'm asked about EMC's thoughts about next generation data centers, I usually respond "which one do you want to hear about?".

I usually get a blank stare, with the implied question "you mean there might be more than one?"

The "Classical" NGDC

One line of thinking evolves around doing largely what people are doing today in IT, but doing it more efficiently, doing it more securely, doing it more responsively, and so on.

Regardless of who you talk to, this picture's pretty consistent:

- SOA-style applications composed of services
- virtualization of all physical resources: servers, networks, storage, desktops, etc.
- dynamic orchestration of applications and resources using model-based management
- dynamically optimizing storage; self-managing tiering, backup, archiving, recovery, etc.
- centralized repositories of content with workflow and collaboration
- integrated infrastructure and information security: authentication, access control, auditing
- unified fabrics to connect it all together

and maybe a few other components I forgot about ...

Now, I'm not saying all this stuff is in the marketplace today, but you can see how EMC and other vendors are investing in this direction.

Why do I call this "classical"?  Because it presumes that the kind of IT we'll need in the future is pretty much the kind of IT we're using now. 

We just need to do it better, that's all.

But what if some of those assumptions turn out to be wrong?

The "Alternative" NGDC

Just as a thinking exercise, what if you inverted many of the implicit assumptions made above?

What if the majority of valuable information turns out to be unstructured content, rather than business transactions? 

Or if we thought in terms of composing IT services across enterprise boundaries, rather than residing within four walls?  And put the individual in charge of composing those services?

Or, if we realize that our knowledge workers have blended their personal and work lives, and demand more control over their "personal" information?

Or, perhaps, the preferred weapon of choice becomes a mobile smartphone, rather than a laptop?

Or conversational collaboration becomes the dominant form of value generation between knowledge workers?

These are a very different set of assumptions about what kind of IT we'll need in the future.

Now, I could make a reasonable viable argument that these trends are clearly in the industry today. albeit in early form.

So, how would this change things?

- decomposition would be around web services, with preference to stateless SOAP and REST protocols
- resources would be REALLY virtualized, e.g. presented as web services
- orchestration would be content and process "mashups"
- cloud-optimized storage pools to manage petabytes of content globally
- primacy for "social" applications: blogs/wikis/discussions/social networks/presence et. al.
- security based on adaptive authentication techniques, individuals have control of their own information
- the unified fabric is the global internet

This is a very different view of a NGDC, as compared to above.  Sure, many of the supporting technologies that appeared in the first list would be used in the second model, but the intent is very, very different.

Is There A "Right" Next Generation Data Center?

No, not really.  That's why it's a fun topic -- everyone can be right and wrong at the same time.

But I'm guessing that a lot of our thinking will around NGDCs will either revolve around what IT has traditionally been, or perhaps what IT might be in the future.

It all starts with what assumptions you're making ...