Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, countless new technologies, unprecedented business demands, and expanding IT budgets created the modern data center. On the cusp of this century's second decade, the data center finds itself balancing efficiency and availability while computing demand and energy costs are increasing and IT budgets are contracting.

Looking ahead to the next 10 years, the companies emerging as leaders will be the ones that are able to maintain or improve availability while implementing technologies and services that reduce costs by improving design, management and operating efficiency. This paper reviews four trends that will drive these changes.