Data Center Operators / Decision-Makers

When discussing decision-makers and influencers with regards to decisions around data centers, it is best to distinguish between these two types:

• enterprise data centers and • service data centers

France € 499,358 Germany € 389,157 Norway € 320,069 Spain € 316,304 Sweden € 279,626 Netherlands € 274,752 Finland € 263,314 UK € 244,888 Denmark € 161,655 Belgium € 84,050 Italy € 33,844

Enterprise Data Centers

Organizations and persons in charge with respect to data centers need to be differentiated by data center type – from single server cabinet to large data center.

There are three organizational groups in a company that influence the purchasing decision: • ICT • Facility Management • Procurement

The IT department is basically an internal customer of facility management; the relationship between the two is often characterized by thinking in boxes. Thinking patterns in the IT department are re-structured in cycles of 2 to 3 years whereas facility management is inclined to move in sync with the construction industry, i.e. in a 20-year rhythm.

The facility staff in charge of data centers is mostly positioned in middle management or at the head of department level and they usually have a technical background.

Facility departments vary considerably between companies. Companies dealing in rental objects often have none, or one with little influence. In many cases facility management is outsourced.

It is similar with IT; the following subsections are the most influential:

• IToperations(infrastructuremanagement,technologymanagement,ITproduction, technical services, infrastructure services, data center, and others)

• Network planning (network technology, network management, and others)

• Heads of projects for new applications, infrastructure replacement, IT risk management measures, and others

Another strong influence factor is that management (CIO, Head of Information Technology, IT Director, IT Manager) often changes or reverses decisions made in the facility management. Management decisions might be affected by all-in-one contracts, supplier contracts with service providers, and corporate policy.

If and to what extent the procurement department is involved in purchase decisions mainly depends on their position and on the corporate structure.

Also very powerful in terms of their influence on decisions are corporate group directives, especially in the case of takeovers and mergers. Procurement practices might change drastically, projects postponed or cancelled and new contact persons have to be found.

Corporate group directives

In -h o u s e ICT, IT

CIO, Head of Information Technology, IT Director, IT Manager

Planning Design of IT architecture IT Department, IT Operations, Infrastructure Management/Services, Technology Management, IT Production, Technical Services/Support, Data Center

Facility Management

Network planning, network technology Purchasing Department, Technical Procurement, Procurement E x te rn a l Consultants, data center planners Suppliers, installers,

service providers Partner companies

Rental property owners

Moreover, the influence factor of external consultants and experts needs to also be taken into account, the most important ones being:

• Consultants held in high esteem by a company's management and contracted to provide support with a project.

• Data center planners who are consulted because of their special know-how and relevant reference projects.

• Suppliers of hardware, software and data center equipment who are interested in selling their products. If there is a longstanding business relationship, their recommendations must not be underestimated. Moreover, they are certain to have advance information on the ongoing project.

• Installers (electrical work, cabling measures) who did good work for the company in the past. Their preference for systems and solutions as well as a good price offer usually leads to successful recommen- dations.

• Supplierslikesystemintegratorsandtechnologypartnerswhohavesuccessfullyworkedforthecompany before.

• Partner companies with specific requirements for their suppliers and partner companies, with long- standing contacts at management level exchanging recommendations.

• Rental property owners who adopted the facility management in their lease terms. Service Data Centers

Here, the main influencers are the:

• technical department (operations) and • network management

When larger tasks are planned (extensions, conversions, new constructions or individual customer projects) project groups are formed. They prepare the management decisions. Most of these organizations work with a flat hierarchy, and the decision-makers are to be found in management.

With global data center operators, specifications for products and partners are being increasingly managed centrally.

Here too, the influence of external consultants and experts is considerable.

As a rule, data center planners (engineering firms, specialized consultancy firms) take on the overall planning of a data center – i.e. from finding the right location, to the building shell, safety and fire protection facilities, power supply and raised floor design. In some cases, they are also involved with the selection of server cabinets but they are usually not concerned with passive telecommunications infrastructures.

However, the market is undergoing changes. Data center planners are often commissioned to take on the entire project (new construction, extension, upgrade), including the passive telecommunications infrastructure. They usuallyworktogetherinapartnershipwithindustry-specificcompaniesforindividualprojects.Oftentheseplanners also support tendering and contracting procedures and are consulted by management on decision processes.

Corporate group directives

In

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s Management

Technical department, operations, head of projects Network management Procurement E x te rn a l Consultants, data center planners Suppliers, installers,

service providers Partner companies

Rental property owners

There is also a trend for companies to offer a complete package by way of acquisitions, from planning to construction, up to the complete equipment including cabinets and cabling, thus using the "one-stop shopping" aspect as a selling point. Typical examples are Emerson and the Friedrich Loh Group.

Often, service data center customers themselves hire service providers to equip their rented space or they define the specifications for products and solutions that service providers have to comply with.

Service providers equipping data centers strongly influence the product selection. They usually have two sections, network planning and installation.

Data center operators like to work with companies they know and trust, and they are open to their product recommendations and positive experience reports. This in turn affects the operators' purchase decisions, also due to their assumption that it will lower installation costs.

When the data center is located in a rental property, one must also respect the owner's specifications.