9:10 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
In an age where Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are all the rage, it’s critical to ask how our machines are affecting our lives from an ethical, economical, and emotional perspective. Whether it’s the issue of robots gaining legal personhood or automation replacing jobs, by examining the traits and behaviors that make us inherently human we can increase our wellbeing while benefittng from technology. Positioned uniquely between the “carbons” and computers, IT professionals who utilize the emerging science of positive psychology can help colleagues and customers flourish via measurable actions that can lead to a happier humanity.
10:00 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.
Box recently decided to distribute its computing infrastructure across three facilities to more reliably host its storage and application intensive services. Early on, it failed to meter the power utilization of its devices, and as a result was underutilizing the capacity it was paying its colocation providers for. This session will highlight how Box decided to deploy intelligent rack power distribution units (PDUs) to track the power utilization of its devices and improve capacity management. As a result, Box is now able to report on power utilization for each of its 260 cabinets, and has been able to make informed decisions about where and when applications are run. This has led to optimal utilization of power and space, and provided more headroom for its services.
11:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.
Planning for Success – A methodology for planning, budgeting and governing your corporate finances. In this breakout session we discuss methodologies for gathering, reviewing, planning and getting support for your budget needs. We will review lessons learned and some tips and tricks to avoid budget emergencies.
GE Critical Power Platinum Sponsor Presentation
12:20 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a critical and well understood metric when developing new data centers, yet often the TCO criteria used during the design phase aren’t used during equipment procurement or equipment upgrades. Abandoning TCO metrics at this phase can cost companies hundreds of thousands, and even millions, of dollars every year. This session will present the metrics for why all stakeholders involved in UPS data center projects should deploy a TCO model throughout the process, and ways for bringing together the seemingly divergent goals of purchasing and operational teams.
Schneider Electric Platinum Sponsor Presentation
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Customer demand in the co-location market creates a need to design and build out a colocation data center in record time. With the increased pace comes risk that can sometimes mean disaster in terms of blown budgets, missed deadlines, and unpredictable outcomes, but these challenges can be overcome with the right team. Join Octavio Morales, COO of TierPoint, and Wayne Reeves, Director of Mission Critical Services with the Data Center Service Provider Team at Schneider Electric, as they discuss TierPoint's recent 10,000 sqft, 1.5MW expansion, completed successfully in a "fast and furious" 11-week timeline.
1:40 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Gain insight from Mark on tips and tricks learned throughout the years on how to manage up, effectively plan and communicate to executives to get buy in.
2:35 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
What’s the most efficient Data Center? The one you don’t have to build. Gain insight from Oracle’s methodology and process on validating requirements and how they took an existing legacy data center and retrofitted for energy efficiency. You will also learn how Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories (LBNL) took advantage of different technologies and reduced their Data Center Energy Efficiency by participating in the Department of Energy (DOE) Better Building’s Challenge.
3:30 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.
Gain insight from End-Users who implemented DCIM- from identifying stakeholders, to gathering specific individual needs and goals for a successful DCIM deployment, to process and timeframes associated with the evaluation and final selection of a DCIM vendor. End- User panelists will share lessons learned during the deployment of DCIM solution, wins, and benefits achieved.
4:30 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
Current on-boarding time for racks is about 24 business days. This session will highlight how eBay redefined their on-boarding efficiency time for standard racks to 24 hours across eBay's 3 core datacenter regions in PHX, SLC and LVS. This project will highlight successes by utilizing Dynamic Asset Tracking:
The Dynamic Asset Tracking (DAT) initiative is intended to enable physical asset receiving, audit, inventory, etc. in real time by integrating Raritan asset management hardware and TRACE asset data repository (TMA). Automating the transfer of asset data from racks to TRACE would minimize the need for site services to manually scan each asset to set parent tag, location, status, condition, rack unit and blade slot number in TMA. The overall objective is to deploy an asset management system capable of reducing the amount of time to deploy new assets when delivered to a data center, for asset moves/disposals and improve the accuracy of assets in the eBay asset database.
10:00 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.
This panel session will highlight facts about Unified Communications (UC) and adoption, types of UC applications being deployed, challenges to be aware of, different solutions available and main players currently involved with UC.
11:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.
This panel session will focus on past and emerging workplace trends. While alternative workplace strategies are not new, they have expanded dramatically in the last five years and expect that this workplace evolution will continue but will take on different characteristics that tenants will need to anticipate.
At this point, after so many workplaces have gone the “office of the future” route, and so many additional companies are considering major relocation renovations, it is time to reflect on what we’ve learned about past experiences and how this can inform future decisions. This session will address the benefits of technology and cost-cutting/size reduction programs but also the need for privacy and amenities that entice employees to return to the office and enjoy a “work, live, play” environment.
Specifically, this panel discussion will address the following workplace evolution trends:
TELADATA Platinum Sponsor Presentation
12:20 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.
You’ve heard the buzz about Wireless AV, Streaming Video, 4k and new technologies for Collaboration, but how do you know if these new technologies is the right solution for your firm? This session will highlight top 2015 Audiovisual Technology trends and considerations to be aware of before implementing these new technologies. Gain insight on new technologies pros, cons, and pitfalls to avoid.
Wireless/Cellular considerations for Commercial, Residential, and Industrial spaces – By as early as 2015 it is predicted that wireless will be prevailing interconnect for devices and users inside of buildings. Building owners and managers say advanced communications system trail only price, parking, and location in customer building assessment requirements yet only 5% of all commercial real estate in the US has complete in-building wireless coverage. Join us for a discussion on wireless building technology trends.
1:40 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Coming Soon!
2:35 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Profound changes are shaking up the way we do business as well as the workplace itself. Studies have shown that a ‘green’ workplace has a tangible effect on employee productivity. Cutting edge technology firms are leading the effort; taking advantage of green building strategies such as increased daylight, natural ventilation and occupant control to maximize employee satisfaction & output. What is more, the benefits of building green go beyond employee comfort. Evidence suggests that these high-density, collaborative work environments also increase creativity & employee engagement, leading to innovative ideas and contributing to the success of the bottom line. Join us to learn how high tech firms in Silicon Valley are maximize employee engagement and innovation through creating the 'green' workplaces of the future.
3:30 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.
Join ebay's Dean Nelson, VP of Global Foundation Serivces, and James Monahan, Sr Data Center Design Engineer, as they walk through their new Availability Risk Factor methodology comparing cost and risk results between three ebay data center projects - Project Topaz, Mercury and Quicksilver.
4:30 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
The global data center community has been very responsible about making our data centers more energy efficient ever since EPA’s 2007 Report to Congress. But, even with our data centers operating with PUE’s as low as 1.1 and more efficiently than ever before, we are still consuming 2-3% of the nation’s electrical power capacity, and our government and utilities are concerned about it. We see evidence of their concerns in several ways, including:
So how will we respond to requests from our utilities and our governments to reduce our load on the Grid?
Many believe that a distributed generation model is inevitable in the US and that a multitude of small and 70-80% efficient cogeneration power plants will replace the 30% efficient mega-power plant and Grid transmission system of today. And, EPA has developed a CHP (combined heat and power) EnergyStar Challenge to encourage all of us to follow this model. At the same time, global demands have created opportunities for us to benefit from distributed generation that will improve the availability of electrical power, support “green” environmental standards, and provide for the effective use of our most abundant natural and financial resources. The concept of “critical” on-site and independent power generation allows us to respond to four ongoing global challenges already nearing crisis levels.
The data center community has an opportunity today to lead the way with our power hungry IT operations. But we have to make absolutely certain that we receive the reliable performance that we really need? And, that means “critical” on-site power.
There are a many data centers operating today with efficient and reliable on-site power, and a variety of different forms of combustion and chemical generators that support them. The newest form of these is the development of a 7x24 “micro-grid” that very well may create a new paradigm for the provisioning of power for our data centers of the future? In order to achieve the maximum benefit from such facilities, we need to engage and come to agreement with federal and state governments, municipalities and utilities in new ways as we make our own power.
This presentation will describe what “critical” onsite power is all about. It will summarize the operations of several data centers now using different forms of on-site power. And, it will explain how The Data Centers LLC plans to minimize operating costs and maximize operating profits in such a facility down to the technical and financial validation models. Bruce Myatt of The Data Centers LLC will cover these bases and explain the benefits and challenges of “Off Grid Computing” in the 21st Century.