Data centers today are undergoing unprecedented change, as new technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing, and voice over IP help lower operating costs, conserve floor space and simplify management.

Yet those same technologies are also impacting the data center power chain in significant and varying ways. Some companies, for example, consolidated their servers only to find themselves with more energy and cooling capacity than they need. Others installed hot, high density blade servers only to find themselves with less power than they require.

To compound matters, now is an especially poor time to bear the burdens of an oversized or undersized power infrastructure. With margins tight and energy costs rising, no company can afford to spend more than necessary on its electrical systems. Yet with IT playing a vital role in business success, organizations must also ensure that they have enough clean, reliable power to keep mission critical systems continuously available.

Now more than ever, businesses need a power infrastructure that's right sized to their precise energy requirements. This white paper discusses the ways in which new technologies are impacting power demand patterns, explores the consequences of having too much power capacity or too little and then provides concrete advice on strategies for right-sizing your power systems.