Data Centers are a hot topic these days.  No matter where you look, this once obscure aspect of infrastructure is getting a lot of attention.  For years, there have been cost pressures on IT operations and this, when the need for modern capacity is greater than ever, has thrust data centers into the spotlight.

Server and rack density continues to rise, placing DC professionals and businesses in tighter and tougher situations while they struggle to manage their IT environments.  And now hyper-scale cloud infrastructure is taking traditional technologies to limits never explored before and focusing the imagination of the IT industry on new possibilities.

Microsoft, has focused a lot of thought and research around how to best operate and maintain their global infrastructure.  They believe it is one of the most revolutionary changes to happen to data centers in the last 30 years.

Generation 4 modular data centers will take the flexibility of containerized servers—like those in Microsoft’s Chicago data center—and apply it across the entire facility.
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Exchange hosting has become a popular solution for small- and medium-sized businesses that want the same class of messaging and collaboration as large corporations, but cannot afford the expense of hosting their own exchange.  Even large corporations have begun to view Exchange hosting as an alternative for maintaining quality while lowering overhead.  By using Exchange hosting, companies are able to save a significant amount of money.

In order to host their own exchange, a company would need to purchase all of the hardware, including everything needed to create the security and redundancy level needed for the company.  With a dedicated IT staff, it can take as long as 30 days for a company to get their internal exchange system fully operational.  Maintenance of an in-house exchange system can often take well over 80% of the senior technician’s time, making it necessary to have IT personnel specifically for the exchange. 

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