Putting off modernising your data centre can spiral into a situation where critical upgrades become increasingly expensive and complex. Software engineers have a phrase for this: technical debt, where the quickest route to success is taken at the cost of quality. Older systems may not integrate well with modern, scalable solutions, limiting growth potential. They might also not meet current regulatory requirements, leading to potential legal issues.
The longer modernisation is delayed, the more complex and costly upgrades become. That’s a false economy by anyone’s measure. Competitors who modernise their data centres may gain advantages in efficiency, capabilities, and cost-effectiveness, and outdated systems may lack crucial security features, making your organisation more susceptible to cyber threats.
The hidden costs
HPE and Aberdeen Research have a report detailing the hidden costs of waiting to modernise. We’ve pulled the main stats and points below with additional analysis.
Downtime
Aberdeen research reveals a stark reality: an hour of downtime costs an average of six figures, with a 20% chance of exceeding $2 million. Organisations using legacy server infrastructure face a 35% higher risk of downtime.
Security vulnerabilities
Businesses postponing modernisation are 45% more likely to face security failures. Operating on outdated infrastructure daily exposes your organisation to evolving cyber threats that legacy systems cannot handle.
Performance bottlenecks
Modernisation fuels performance, with 80% of organisations more likely to see increased performance from server upgrades alone. Your organisation has a decision to make: Does it enable faster service deployment, efficient data processing, and agile market responses, or does it stick with legacy infrastructure that’s comfortably familiar but not as capable?
Operational costs
Legacy servers may seem cost-effective due to familiarity, but they drain resources with increased maintenance, energy efficiency, and compatibility problems that limit software and application adoption. Organisations with modern data centre infrastructure are 40% more likely to reduce IT costs and expenses immediately.
Carbon footprints
Outdated data centres are significant contributors to corporate carbon footprints, primarily due to inefficient cooling systems and excessive energy consumption. Your organisation can align IT with sustainability goals with data centre modernisation, potentially benefit from tax incentives, and meet stringent environmental regulations.
Cloud-ready infrastructure
The most modern IT systems combine on-premises and cloud solutions to build resilience and availability into data. Upgrading to modern, cloud-ready server systems like HPE ProLiant positions your organisation at the forefront of this shift. Such flexibility optimises workloads, scales resources dynamically, and leverages cutting-edge technologies without overhauling your entire infrastructure.
