How to Stay on Top of Data Center Trends (Resource List)

You're not alone if you find it challenging to stay on top of data center trends. Regardless of whether you’re considering sustainability, the data center vs. cloud debate, higher densities, automation, or agility, the industry moves fast – in many different dimensions.

To keep a pulse on anything and everything having to do with trends that impact data centers, consider the following resources:

Data Center Conferences

• 7x24 Exchange – A member-based organization for those that plan, construct, operate, and maintain mission-critical enterprise IT infrastructure, 7x24 Exchange produces two major conferences each year during the spring and fall.
• DatacenterDynamics (DCD) Converged – With over a dozen conferences on “The Business of Data Centers” held in cities throughout the Asia Pacific, EMEA, and Latin American regions, DCD Converged produces three US-based conferences annually.
• Data Center Forums (IMN) – As part of the Information Management Network’s (IMN) real estate division’s conferences, IMN's Financing & Investing in Data Center & Cloud Services Infrastructure for Providers brings together data center owners, tenants, investors, and capital providers.
• Data Center Summits (CRE) – Similar to IMN’s data center conferences, CRE also produces real estate-focused conferences besides the Data Center Summit events. What’s particularly remarkable about the Data Center Summits: CRE rotates through regions with high concentrations of data centers and related stakeholders, including Chicago/Midwest, Los Angeles/Southwest, New York, Northern California, Washington, D.C./Mid-Atlantic.
• Data Center World (AFCOM) – As part of iNET Interactive’s data enter portfolio, Data Center World – through its national and global conferences – each year brings together over 3,500 AFCOM members to discuss current data center trends and solve today’s problems faced by data center operators and facility managers.

Data Center Trade Publications

• Data Center Knowledge – Perhaps the most prolific online data center trade pub, Data Center Knowledge has organized its website into approximately 100 company categories, sponsored white papers, 32 regions (both within and outside of the USA), infrastructure, sectors, jobs, and perspectives. Within the infrastructure section, Data Center Knowledge concentrates on cooling, DCIM, design, downtime, green, modular data centers, networking, power, and servers. Within its section on sectors, you’ll find regularly updated content on big data, bitcoin, cloud, colocation, computing, executive, government, managed hosting, storage, and supercomputing.
• TechTarget SearchDataCenter – A part of the massive TechTarget network of publications (NASDAQ: TTGT), SearchDataCenter is all about data center best practices, design, facilities, infrastructure, mainframes, operations, and systems management. In addition to premium editorial content, SearchDataCenter includes tutorials, expert advice, and sponsored vendor content.
• The Data Center Journal – Through both a print magazine and website with articles, expert blogs, white papers, event calendars, and data center management resource centers, The Data Center Journal focuses on the intersection of data center design, facilities, and technology.

Data Center Associations

• 7x24 Exchange – As mentioned above in the section on data center conferences, 7x24 Exchange is most certainly in the conference business. However, 7x24 Exchange also offers membership to mission-critical end users, consultants, government agencies, industry partners, media, nonprofit organizations, and vendors. It also has over 20 chapters, primarily in the USA, and publishes the 7x24 Exchange Magazine.
• AFCOM – Similar to 7x24 Exchange’s multi-pronged business model, AFCOM produces conferences, publishes a magazine (Data Center Management Magazine), and is a trade association for various data center stakeholders. These events include national and global Data Center World conferences and regional symposiums in Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Southern California. AFCOM memberships are available for individuals, sites (up to three individuals from the same location at the same company), and corporate memberships (up to five individual memberships from the same company). Although most of AFCOM’s nearly 40 chapters are located in the USA, AFCOM does have some chapters outside of the USA in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

So, by attending some of these data center conferences, reading some of these data center publications, and joining and getting active in these data center associations, you too can stay on top of data center trends.

What’s your favorite way to stay on top of various trends in the data center industry? Do you have a valuable resource that should be added to this list? Let us know in the Comments.