Data center modernization is the digital transformation of a data center to run more efficiently. Despite all the enthusiasm for moving applications to the cloud, corporate data centers are neither dead nor dying. In fact, first‐class data centers remain one of the keys to competitive advantage. There is tremendous value in keeping some applications and services running on‐premises, even while moving others to the cloud. But even the best data center needs to change and evolve. This chapter explores the characteristics of a modern data center.
A modern data center is designed to enable the agile, service-oriented IT models that are essential for success in the digital economy. A modern data center:

Is software‐defined, highly virtualized, highly automated, and ready to scale up, down, and/or out as required
Provides a consistent operational model for faster and more efficient infrastructure and application delivery and management
Gives you the ability to seamlessly extend your reach across private and public clouds, and manage those resources and costs as one
Supports cloud‐native apps, container technologies, and microservices‐based architectures to drive faster innovation and enable rapidly changing systems at scale
Has built‐in security to help you protect data, applications, and infrastructure and meet your compliance requirements.