International Data Center Day – Making India A Data Center Hub
There are just over 7.2 million Data Centers across the world today. Data Centre capacity has expanded in every single geographic location, catering to a mega-growth architecture that supports smart devices. Yet, technical staff is notoriously difficult to find for these service providers. With more education and training required on-the-job, a wider pool of diverse talent will be needed by 2025. The resourcing skew is coupled with a demand that primarily rises from Cloud and Colocation Data Centers.
The International Data Center Day has been created to bridge this very gap. It acts as an instrument to raise awareness about the Data Center industry, thus effectively drawing in the next generation of talent. The initiative by 7x24 Exchange International mainly focuses on connecting the future of Data Centers with an enhanced public image, a steady flow of labour, and a consistent growth model.
Why Is The International Data Center Day Important?
There is an ever-increasing rift between what Data Centers need and what’s available right now. The global Data Center staff requirements are forecasted to be about 2.3 million by 2025. The estimate includes more than 230 specialist job roles with varying criticality requirements across the spectrum. 50% of IT and Data Center Managers are already finding it difficult to find qualified candidates to fill open positions.
Therefore, there is a rising consensus in the sector that investment and collaborative action is imperative to ensure a constant supply of talent. While the biggest employers are investing in training and education, the skill shortages cannot be fulfilled until there is a generalised awareness about the potential of the industry.
This is where International Data Center Day comes into the picture.
Since there are virtually no limits to where a Data Center can be located, the day is globally recognised as an opportunity to create cognisance around how Data Centers are built and operated. The initiative acts as a backdrop, connecting the demand for Data Center capacity with additional forces such as workloads moving to the Edge, growth in metros, and the increasing urgency to move to a climate-neutral ecosystem.
With modularity, flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability being the four-point plan for Data Centers today, the International Data Center Day acts as a catalyst to address these needs consciously and collectively.
How India Fares In The Global Data Center Market
The Indian Data Center market is all set to double its capacity in the coming years. An increase in data localisation, Cloud adoption, and strong digitisation is driving the demand in the region. According to reports, the Indian market is currently valued at $4.35 billion. This figure will reach $10.09 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 15.07% during 2022-2027. As of now, a power capacity of 447 MW is spread over 2200 thousand sq. feet.
India stands at the 14th position globally, hosting  127 Data Centers across its territory. Compared to the US, Germany and UK that house 2751, 484 and 458 Data Centers respectively, India has a long way to go. But, with the country being on the verge of becoming a leading digital economy, multiple progressive policies are being put in place to attract investments in the sector. The indispensable migration of traditional services to Cloud-based architectures by Government agencies is one of the biggest factors contributing to this positive sentiment.
India: The New Challenger
Over the last year, the Data Center market in India roped in around 20 new projects in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana, followed by the other states. Interestingly, the impact of COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation in Tier-II cities, bringing Data Center capabilities to a wider network. In line with this, higher Colocation demand is expected both globally and domestically with an aim to attain a renewable energy capacity of 450 GW by the year 2030. Telecom players are also pushing for the 5G rollout, further driving up the need for Data Centers in India.
Today, India is the fastest-growing digital economy, with its IT and Communications sector slated to deliver $355-435 billion to the GDP by 2025. Consequentially, the growth of data in the country is internally linked to the evolution of cheap data plans, 5G, wider access to smartphones, faster internet and more. This data is being stored, computed and analysed at Data Centers, calling for better performance and reduced latency. Therefore, hyper-scale Cloud companies are setting up their grids in India, leading to growth in third-party investment.
To further encourage global interest, the Hon. Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman announced during the Union Budget 2022-23 that the Data Center and energy storage system would be given infrastructure status. The decision is set to enable easier credit flow for the service providers at kinder terms. The Government will also set up an expert committee to suggest measures to attract further investments.
Considering how Digital India is the top-most priority for the Government, there is an incentive scheme of $120 Billion put in place to facilitate the installation of Data Centers. For instance, the Tamil Nadu government has declared that they would be providing land, power and connectivity incentives to support the construction of new Data Centers. A new data localisation law is also being proposed to enhance the industry’s presence in the country.
Web Werks: Ushering A Transformation In The Indian Data Center Industry
Since its inception, Web Werks has helped over 850 organizations manage and protect their sensitive business data through its state-of-the-art Data Center ecosystem, Cloud On-Ramp, and comprehensive Managed Services.
With guaranteed uptimes, Web Werks manages 3 state-of-the-art TIER III Data Centers spread across Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi-NCR, with more coming up in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
Web Werks Werks’s rich Interconnection ecosystem offers seamless connectivity to all major carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Internet Exchanges (IEs), Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), along with Cloud On-ramp with major Hyperscale Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) like AWS, Azure, and Google.
Employing highly-trained IT professionals, Web Werks offers a wide gamut of Data Center services like Shared and Dedicated Co-location, high-performance Bare Metal Server Hosting, Cloud Computing services like Private Cloud, Public Cloud, Hybrid Multi-Cloud and SAP-certified Cloud, and Business Continuity services like Disaster Recovery, Backup, Storage, and Interconnection.
To accelerate its Indian operations, Web Werks entered into a strategic Joint Venture with Iron Mountain Data Centers (IMDC) in 2021. IMDC is a global leader in Data Center, and Colocation services with 18+ advanced Data Centers spread across the US, Europe, and APAC.
With this strategic partnership with IMDC, Web Werks is poised to help organisations accelerate their digital transformation and Cloud migration journey.
To learn how Web Werks can help your organisation accelerate its digital transformation journey, please visit https://www.webwerks.in/ or call us on +91 8828 335 555.
