Storage managers should project their storage requirements over the next five years, assume a rapid transition to 2.5" drives, and calculate the power, space, power density and cooling requirements. They should then work with the data center designers to ensure that there is sufficient power and cooling available, and that there are the funds and commitment for the necessary infrastructure changes. In addition, storage managers should put in place a green storage infrastructure that will minimize disk drive usage by being able to:

• Turn off spares,
• Aggressively pursue tiered storage with lower RPM drives,
• Implement MAID and/or drive spin down where appropriate,
• Aggressively implement virtualization and thin provisioning to reduce the drives required,
• Consider rear door heat exchangers using chilled water,
• Consider the use of external storage services and/or outsourcing or storage equipment,
• Ask the vendors about their green storage commitment.