Arguably there has been more innovation in data center design over the last five to ten years than in the previous two decades. Some of that momentum has been created by the almost relentless focus on efficiency by hyper-scale cloud platform operators who are willing to accept the potential risks of disruptive technologies in order to lower capital or operational costs. As a result, colocation providers and enterprise operators have also had to invest ininnovative designs in order to remain relevant.

The pace of innovation looks set to continue and even accelerate over the coming decade due to a triumvirate of technology drivers: the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing, AI and machine learning, and the inexorable growth of public cloud. New data center form factors are also emerging, including highly compact micro-modular designs.

This isn’t to say that data center owners are ignoring resiliency and availability: operators continue to invest in highly resilient designs and third-party certifications.

Read more: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/manage/all-gear-no-idea-data-center-managers-will-learn-hard-way