November 14, 2007

Purdue named one of InfoWorld's Top 100 for reducing costs

Purdue was recognized for its efforts to reduce costs and energy use by increasing the use of server virtualization, a process in which each server can act electronically as if it is multiple machines.

By partnering with the virtualization software company VMware, Purdue was able to consolidate its data on three servers that perform the duties of what previously required 140 servers.

InfoWorld noted that the efforts reduced power usage by 84 percent, required one-tenth of the space of the previous servers and saved the university $325,000 per year.

Gerry McCartney, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, said that Purdue strives to do more with less with IT.

"These kinds of backroom efforts are rarely thought of as 'sexy' or make headlines, but they are critical to the success of Purdue," McCartney said. "The staff in the Office of Information Technology at Purdue has been very aggressive in finding ways to increase our efficiency, and of course it's gratifying that these efforts are receiving national recognition."

In addition to maximizing resources through virtualization, Purdue also is a leader in capturing "waste" computer cycles, which means that the university requires fewer machines. Purdue's distributed computer system contains nearly 7,500 computers, which is the most of any distributed system.

"Purdue's enhanced distributed computing system allows us to double our computing capacity without buying more computers," McCartney said. "By using emerging technologies such as server virtualization and distributed computing, we save the university more than a $1 million a year. These are relatively low-cost technologies that almost any company or university could be using."

Michael Rubesch, director of infrastructure in the Office of Information Technology, said virtualization is part of an effort to keep up with current IT demands.

"The use of IT resources, such as e-mail, instant messaging and Web sites, continues to grow faster than our budgets and faster than we can build facilities to house the servers," Rubesch said. "This approach allows us to reduce facility and energy costs while also improving reliability. However, it is a more complex system that requires a capable staff."

Purdue was one of three universities making InfoWorld's Top 100 list: Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) also were recognized by the publication.

Writer: Steve Tally, (765) 494-9809, tally@purdue.edu

Sources:   Gerry McCartney, (765) 496-2270, mccart@purdue.edu

Michael Rubesch, (765) 496-3808, mrubesch@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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