4. Monitor and control your data center performance
To increase efficiency, you must first develop and deploy monitoring tools to capture performance, temperature, and power throughout the data center. Measuring server temperatures in real time throughout the data center provides information about how well the cooling system is working.
Overcooling is an energy drain in many data centers. Microsoft maintains close control over inlet temperatures to eliminate wasteful cooling.
In addition, create a historical archive of your data, which you can mine to develop a comprehensive understanding of how to improve operations.