Though this seems like a problem for the IT guys at your data center, it should be a concern for the business outsourcing its equipment. Understanding the interaction between capacity and efficiency is crucial for the data managers and owners alike. Similarly, both you and the data managers should know which devices are operating most efficiently and which need capitalize on efficiency efforts. With the proper calculation of ARC, your system will run more smoothly, maintain up-time, all  while providing you with the cheapest dedicated servers possible.

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Mostly, SOPA is aimed at stopping domestic access and funding to foreign-based websites that offer pirated material. Essentially, this bill will cut off funding, advertising, and access to said sites. For anyone that has been on YouTube, copyright infringement on the internet is a real thing. YouTube even has different options of copyright and licensing for a person’s created material and that of others.

Now what does SOPA mean to the average internet user? Perhaps nothing. As seen by the massive amount of popular websites on strike, this bill may never happen. As of Noon, Pacific Time, House Speaker John Boehner said that legislation was not ready for a vote, only to say it will come back in a month. Some senators commented that the bill is simply not ready, while others are outright withdrawing their support claiming ‘free and open access’ to everyone. Regardless of what US Senators are preaching, the internet remains free from the SOPA bill.

But really, what does SOPA mean for the average website owner? Again, it is uncertain the effect it will have. One thing is certain, however, that websites that are on shared IP addresses may be in trouble. Imagine the internet as it is currently. A website may be on a shared IP with a small video site (imagine with me). This small video site has pirated material that SOPA has deemed unfit for the public eye. In response to this discovery the Department of Justice bans the small video site’s IP which, in turn, is your IP address. To prevent this from happening, sites may choose a dedicated IP address. Once a website owner sees the advantages of a dedicated IP address they may choose one of the other services that give them more control over their site. These services include server dedicated, colocation, or managed server.

Now what should the average website owners and users do? Well, they should do their research on the issue. Before you protest, strike, write, comment, Tweet, Facebook, or whatever it is you do, do the research. Figure out the reasons behind the bill and how it will affect you. Chances are you will find out more information about the internet and piracy laws then you ever wanted to know. Be engaged and have your own opinion on the bill before you go all gung-ho on being anti-government.

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As the New Year starts on a high note for some, and a low note for others, one thing is for certain, ‘green’ is in. However, figuring out what green really means is a whole new problem. For the IT world, the word ‘green’ has been thrown around so many times, the facts have been lost. Especially for companies that sole business revolves around data centers, the word ‘green’ may cause fear.

Companies are concerned with the cost of servers and data centers rather than the ‘green’ side. Companies have many choices. For companies that experience high volumes of traffic to their site, they even have choices on which type of dedicated server to choose from. Weather it is a Linux or Windows, most companies just want the cheapest dedicated server. For the few companies that want green and cheap they find themselves in the middle of a complex Venn diagram with renewable energy data centers being the clear option. To be on the correct path to ‘greenness-es,’ the application that runs your hardware must be on some sort of carbon reduction enabler. Consider selecting a machine that offers the best combination of operations per a second, per a watt, and minimum idle power. Add a high-inlet temperature tolerance and high delta-T to top off your power-efficient IT infrastructure.

The location of your data center matters too. Consider a data center in Chicago, beyond windy and cold conditions, virtually no extreme conditions exist. Due to the lack of extreme conditions, hosting in Chicago is cheaper and better for the environment. With Colocation Chicago, lower levels of energy are used to cool down the data center, and maintain security. There are many more ways to ensure the data center you own, use, or are building is ‘green.’ Doing research on a facility, including, location, temperature, equipment, air waste, etc, should be done prior to placement. Do not forget to consider the state and city in which to place your equipment; some spots are truly better than others.

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