New global research reveals that 84 percent of technology organisations are planning to implement a data centre transformation (DCT) project in the next 12 months, primarily to lower costs and reduce business risk.

The HP-commissioned survey further shows that a vast majority of technology decision makers are currently implementing or planning to implement in 2009 consolidation (95 percent), business continuity (93 percent) and virtualisation (91 percent) projects.

In support of these and other DCT initiatives, HP announced the worldwide availability of the HP Data Centre Transformation Experience workshops. Designed to help build out efficient next-generation data centres, these collaborative workshops demonstrate how chief information officers (CIOs) can swiftly maximise their investments in transformation initiatives through an integrated and customised technology roadmap aligned to business goals.

Most organisations are transforming their data centres through independent projects instead of taking a broad, integrated approach. The new research indicates that 20 percent of technology decision makers are initiating a complete transformation, while the remaining 80 percent are implementing individual transformation projects without an overall DCT strategy.

When asked to indicate what projects they would implement independently to achieve specific technology goals, respondents named the following: Automation, Green IT, Operations management, Virtualisation and Business continuity.

The HP Data Centre Transformation Experience is a half-day or full-day workshop providing an opportunity for CIOs and key decision makers to gain critical knowledge and discover best practices regarding complete transformation projects that can help organisations lower overall costs, reduce risk and accelerate growth. The workshop is an interactive walkthrough of the key elements that make up a successful data centre transformation project.