The Top 10 Data Center White Papers of 2020: Insights from an Unusual Year

Amid the shift to remote work and surging data needs amid a global pandemic , 2020 was a year in which the data center industry needed to raise its game. Our society depended upon it.

Data Center Frontier readers were able to access white papers and reports from some of the leading companies and thinkers in the business. The DCF library of data center white papers shared the latest insights on key trends this year, including the rise of edge computing, keys to success in data center site selection, and strategies for addressing data center power and water needs.

Here are the 10 most popular data center white papers of 2020 at Data Center Frontier, ranked by reader downloads.

Download the full report.

1.Data Center & Infrastructure Report: Outlook for 2020 (Service Express)
Service Express surveyed IT professionals on a variety of topics from changing technology to plans regarding the use of a hybrid approach to finding the optimal solutions within their data center environments. We think you will find these insights useful in understanding how IT professionals are prioritizing and acting on current and future needs and opportunities.
This report dives deeper into the findings and insights from both the CTO & CIO of Service Express.

2. Special Report: How Colocation Can Be the Nervous System of Digital Business (CoreSite)
How much does your company spend on data communications each year? Chances are it’s a lot and growing. Gartner estimates that spending on communication services will make up 35% of the average IT budget this year. For organizations that are geographically distributed or moving operations to the cloud, the network is increasingly the lifeblood of the business. And as more business moves online, latency is not just unacceptable, it’s a threat to the health of the business. This special report from Data Center Frontier and CoreSite highlights for companies that depend upon high-speed communications to conduct business, colocation might just be the answer to remain competitive.

3. Solutions to Data Center Water and Power Availability (Nortek)
The major challenges facing the data center industry today are finite water and power resources. This is especially true for large scale operations and particularly the ongoing trend toward hyperscale facilities. This report explores a new data center cooling method called the StatePoint Liquid Cooling (SPLC)4 system from Nortek Solutions. This report explores a usage case study in Singapore.

4. Greater Chicago 2019 Data Center Market Overview (NTT/RagingWire)
After several years of steady but unspectacular leasing, interest in the Greater Chicago data center market is on the rebound, sparked by recently passed economic incentives and new projects in both the Downtown and Suburban Chicago markets. This report highlights the Chicago market, one of the nation’s premier markets for data center services.

For IT professionals who have spent their careers working in the controlled environments of enterprise data centers, the transition to managing equipment in the field amid the rise of edge computing may come as a but of a change. (Photo: Chatsworth Products)

5. Edge Computing: A New Architecture for a Hyperconnected World (Chatsworth Products)
The newly distributed workforce has accelerated the case for edge computing, which extends data processing and storage closer to the growing universe of devices and sensors at the edge of the network. This report explores the possibilities of the edge data center and how edge computing is changing the colocation and data landscape of today.

6. Five Things To Know About Data Center Site Selection (STACK Infrastructure)
A data center is a long-term investment, and choosing a location requires being sensitive both the needs of the business and the surrounding community.  If selecting a site for a hyperscale facility, get the five rules of the road to keep your business and the surrounding community in perfect harmony.

Discover  the full Data Center Frontier White Paper Library for the latest insight from the data center industry in the new year.

7. Top Factors to Consider when Assessing a Colocation Data Center Facility (Sabey Data Centers)
Colocation data centers have become popular alternatives to proprietary facilities for several key reasons, including core competency, access to cost-efficient expertise, flexability and scalability, and more. Keep in mind factors to consider when choosing a colocation data center facility and provider.

8. Data Center Services: A Story of Build Versus Buy (QTS Data Centers)
Waffle House opted to implement a disaster recovery solution in QTS’ 385,000 square foot facility in Suwanee, Georgia, replicating its financial, inventory management and supply chain management services to the site. Learn about how a colocation provider helped Waffle House reduce its risk and provide a higher level of performance.

An example of a hyperscale data center developed by EdgeConneX. (Image: EdgeConneX)

9. Making the Case for Edge Data Centers (EdgeConneX)
This white paper examines the latest trends in the broadband and video space, examines their implications for cable operators and other CSPs and explores what providers can do to overcome the challenges presented by the growing traffic bottlenecks.  EdgeConneX focuses on the use of localized Edge Data Centers, rather than the standard large, centralized data centers in far-off locations, to deliver bandwidth-intensive content and latency-sensitive applications actions closer to end users.

10. Site Selection is the Foundation for your Business Continuity Strategy (Prime Data Centers)
The topic of disaster recovery (DR), and its big brother, business continuity (BC) is one of the most misunderstood in the world of business. Prime Data Centers delves into the basic concepts and definitions of disaster recovery and business continuity for today’s enterprises.

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