Laurens Rosenthal, Innovation Director of Amsterdam-based data center operator EvoSwitch,
discusses practical and ideal aspects of green data centers and green Web hosting.

TH: With the financial crisis we're currently experiencing worldwide, do you expect that data center projects and upgrades will be impeded?

LR: We have not seen any reduction whatsoever in customer demand at EvoSwitch. Demand for data center services is still very high. Just before the summer, we completed EvoSwitch's second phase of development, in which 2000 square meters of new floor space was built on top of the existing 2000 square meters. We expect the area built in the second phase to be filled with customer equipment at the same rate as in phase one. This is scheduled to be followed by the third phase, in which another 4000 square meters will be built.

Market-wide growth in demand for data center services will depend on matters such as the data center's location. After the halt in investments following the collapse of the telecom "bubble" in 2001, data centers are currently being built once again, at various locations in Europe. However, there are only a few locations that have a large appeal, because of the connections they provide, namely Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London. These regions still have a major shortage of space for data centers. The dependency on banks will also play a role in new data center projects. It is obviously difficult to attract investment capital from banks at the moment, and data center projects are cost-intensive developments.

Old data centers will face increasing difficulties owing to their energy consumption and dated specifications. In spite of the presently emerging recession, I expect plenty of opportunities for new data centers, provided they are built according to state-of-the-art concepts.

TH: Since ultimately cost savings are realized with green solutions/options in data center facilities, is it your expectation that these projects will be prioritized?

LR: Web environments will always have to continue operating, even during a recession, but then as efficiently as possible. The presently emerging recession will increase the need for an efficiency drive. By definition, green technology is more efficient, so it can be expected to receive more attention. On the other hand, some large corporate groups are still using data centers based on outdated blueprints of existing data center designs, simply because those concepts have proven themselves in the past.

TH: Are customers asking specifically about eco-friendly, green solutions before selecting a data center operator? Ultimately, do you think this will be a deal breaker between choosing between competing companies for services?

LR: Some of EvoSwitch's customers are specifically looking for eco-friendly data centers. To be truthful, they are in the minority. Specific requests are received particularly from corporate organizations that have adopted sustainable enterprise practices in their business policy. The majority of customers just want a safe and efficient environment where they can install their equipment at a location with good connections. Nevertheless, we often hear from customers that they particularly appreciate the green aspect of EvoSwitch. Green is not a necessity for them, but it may be a sales argument when assessing comparable tenders.

TH: How green can it get in a data center?

LR: EvoSwitch's current PUE* is 1.7, but 1.3 is a very realistic target for the time when EvoSwitch has around 9000 square meters filled with equipment. The larger the scale, the greater the potential energy saving in the data center.