Belgian IT Landscape, the Gap Between Mature IT and the Broom Closet
A dangerous trend is emerging in the Belgian IT landscape: the IT infrastructure is evolving at two different speeds, with an increasingly widening gap between mature companies and laggards. During a roundtable discussion, four experts analyze the causes and risks.
A dangerous trend is emerging in the Belgian IT landscape: the IT infrastructure is evolving at two different speeds, with an increasingly widening gap between mature companies and laggards. During a roundtable discussion, four experts analyze the causes and risks.
I fear that we are evolving toward a two-speed IT landscape," notes Tom Van der Hulst, Business Unit Manager Intelligent Infrastructure at NTT. This observation receives unanimous agreement from the experts present at the roundtable on data center and IT infrastructure, organized by ITdaily.
Beware of the Broom Closet
No one is surprised. "Two-thirds of the infrastructure still runs in old on-premises data centers at companies," notes Xavier Warnier, CCO at Datacenter United. He uses the term "data center" loosely here. "In reality, the servers are in the broom closet at the back. This is neither economically nor ecologically sustainable."
Frank De Campenaere, Senior Solution Sales Executive at Lenovo, agrees. "The density of servers is increasing, along with the demand for AI servers. These consume more power and generate more heat. You can't run something like that in a broom closet." De Campenaere observes that there is still a lot of ignorance about this aspect. "Those who want to build an AI data center with their own servers don't necessarily have the power and cooling capacity to run the equipment."
HCI in the Hybrid Multicloud
On-premises data centers on company premises seem doomed on paper. Everyone around the table also agrees on what a modern IT infrastructure should look like. Luc Costers, Regional Leader Nutanix BeLux, CIS, and Eastern Europe, explains: "The infrastructure includes the edge, the private data center, and the hyperscaler. It's important to have an environment that spans the hybrid multicloud, allowing workloads to move back and forth, depending on where they can be executed most efficiently."
Van der Hulst confirms this: "Every conversation with the client starts with the workload. We look at where it runs best. For predictable workloads, or when data is subject to strict regulations, that might be the local data center."
Moreover, the ideal hybrid multicloud environment consists of a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). This is not only emphasized by Costers, who specializes in this area with Nutanix, but also confirmed by the other participants. HCI enables efficient utilization of hardware and flexible management of workloads, wherever they run.
Sun, Wind, and Workloads
The message resonates with many companies. "Especially when the CIO is also on the board of directors, companies are quicker to embrace the story," observes Van der Hulst. "Such organizations are generally much more mature than others." The benefits are numerous: modern and flexible infrastructure ensures that organizations can always run workloads where they belong, in a cost-efficient manner.
"In the future, I see organizations even shifting workloads based on variable energy costs," predicts Warnier. "For example, if it's stormy and there's a lot of wind energy, one data center might be more advantageous, while the next day, if the sun is shining and there's a lot of solar energy available elsewhere, that could be more beneficial." Van der Hulst agrees. "But such a shift is only possible if the infrastructure and network support it."
Stretching to Retirement
All these new possibilities require an IT policy that embraces modernization and avoids outdated dogmas like Cloud First. This is often where the problem lies. Costers: "Tier III environments are still very popular. Too often, a modern and efficient solution like HCI is not in the decision-maker’s best interest. An IT person who has been doing the same thing for decades is not inclined to change strategy."
De Campenaere sees this very clearly. "Sometimes you can lose a tender despite having the best and cheapest offer with the latest technology," he says from experience. "For instance, when an IT manager, just a few years away from retirement, decides that if he can stick with the old solution for a little longer, he can comfortably finish his career."
The Consequences Are Coming
The gentlemen around the table are waging a joint battle against conservatism, which is particularly noticeable in the Belgian SME landscape. Previously, the dangers were less apparent. Outdated Tier III systems or broom closet IT cost a bit more due to inefficient infrastructure and overprovisioning, but this isn’t a disaster for every company.
However, the gap is growing larger and larger. Those who embrace the hybrid multicloud are ready for flexible workloads, integration of AI with their own data, and impressive ESG scores for their IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, laggards will find that various doors start closing. Heavy AI servers won't fit in the company’s basement, cooling and electricity are more expensive, and migrating workloads becomes a bigger project when the time comes. “And on top of that, there’s new European regulation,” notes Warnier.
Fortunately, there is optimism around the table. “A shift is coming,” says Van der Hulst. “Young IT professionals have grown up with the cloud. They are accustomed to modern environments.” Warnier agrees. “As a new generation takes charge, there will be a shift.” We also observe that mindset takes precedence over age. This is illustrated by today’s roundtable, where Costers, the strongest advocate of HCI, is also the most experienced person present.