2020 disrupted many industries. Data centers were not immune to this disruption. Spending on data centers was down, even though the demands on them increased.

Although the adoption of new technology slowed in 2020, pent-up demand and a potential shift in the way businesses operate could make 2021 a banner year for updating your data center.

Here are data center service and facility trends you will see in 2021.

Growth of Data Centers

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic drove many businesses into hibernation, technology became one of the most relied-upon industries to keep the economy running in 2020. This trend will continue in 2021, as many of the changes brought by the pandemic will turn into long-term shifts in how the world does business.

Many workers will remain remote. And online ordering could become the norm for many businesses. In 2020, more than one-third of all data passed through the cloud. Businesses will need data centers that are fast and secure to ensure their new network-based business models can succeed.

Automation Will Expand

Businesses have an opportunity to shift how they use their workers in 2021. Many businesses furloughed or laid off employees in 2020. As they bring them back in 2021, they can send them back to their old jobs or use them to develop automated tools to improve productivity and reduce costs.

Many data centers will opt to increase automation. Rather than relying on workers, particularly remote workers, to perform tasks, data centers will automate those tasks.

Edge Computing Will Grow

Edge computing pushes data processing tasks closer to the end user. Fast connections and power user devices facilitate more computation happening on the user end, and less in big server rooms. The spread of 5G and growth in the Internet of Things could supercharge edge computing as more devices need network access and the network can push more computational tasks to end devices.

The Edge will be critical as services move to providing real-time data to users. The app or product with the lowest latency will have a competitive advantage in the market.

Data centers will probably not undergo a revolution in 2021. But they will exhibit a shift that began with the pandemic and will continue. For more information, contact LDP Associates, the provider of mission critical support solutions.