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11: Worldwide Green IT Case Studies 197

IBM realized the following challenges, as soon as it took over the
client’s IT:

■ The physical space in 35 data centers was not enough. Newer appli-
cations needed to be introduced, and automation had to be continued.
This required more hardware to be introduced and at an unimaginable
pace. About 200,000 sq. feet of data center space might not have been
sufficient for this growth.
■ Multiple vendors simply don’t integrate. There were multiple hard-
ware vendors at the data centers. Although at the application integration
level, there were definite challenges, there were bigger problems at the
hardware compatibility level.
■ No optimized hardware environment. IBM realized that hardware
compatibility was a big challenge and so was getting the non-IBM ven-
dors to agree on costing. IBM was also ahead on newer and better tech-
nology and computing power architectures.
■ Even bigger hardware problems. IBM also realized that most of the
existing hardware (almost 80 percent to 90 percent) in client environ- ptg
ment was with non-IBM vendors. The core and mission-critical applica-
tions were running and were locked on a non-IBM environment. The
challenge for us was to integrate the systems and find a way to introduce
better products in the environment.
■ More challenges. There were multiple issues in most areas and specifi-
cally related to the existing 35 data centers; each had a different chal-
lenge that needed to be addressed individually, including the following:
♦ Building Management System (BMS).
♦ Supporting secondary power sources—UPS systems, generators, and
such.
♦ Supplies—transformer, fuel (diesel), cabling, telecommunication,
and so on.
♦ Individual inventory management.
♦ Supporting staff and supporting environment.
In addition to the preceding challenges, there were a lot of environmental
concerns that the team needed to address while working out a solution, as
follows:

■ Performance enhancement
■ Lesser DC floor area