Building on the data from its 2011 predecessor and conducted by DatacenterDynamics Intelligence (DCDi), the analysis is underway and the suite of reports—granular down to individual country level—will be available immediately from the early October launch.

To maximise the responses to the survey, DCDi undertook two new strategies—increasing the incentivization of respondents by donating $5 to children’s charity UNICEF up from $2.50 the previous year—and by engaging DataCentrePR, the specialist arm of Turtle Consulting Group to promote the survey globally in multiple languages through print and online media coverage in addition to DCDi’s 200,000 database of key data center professionals.

Said DCDi managing director Nicola Hayes, “We wanted to ensure that the census reached the entire community of IT and data center professionals globally. Mainstream technology media coverage plus our own unique channels was the best and most cost effective way to successfully reach all of these people in countries around the world”.

Were these strategies successful? “Undoubtedly,” says Hayes, “using online analytics we know that ten per cent of our survey respondents came directly from Turtle’s DataCentrePR campaign, possibly double that when print coverage is added in. DCDi’s donation to UNICEF of $40000  - up from $15000 in 2011—underlines the success.”

The 2012 Data Center Industry Census is set to provide the industry with the most comprehensive—and the most statistically rigorous—insight into the data centre marketplace. It is supported this year by Siemens, Cummins and BCS the chartered institute for IT.

Said Phil Turtle, founder of DataCentrePR, “after thirty years in the telecoms and data center industries—both in manufacturing and now running a marketing and PR group—I’m only too aware of the dependence of companies on market intelligence for their business planning decisions. Many surveys are conducted with statistically inadequate samples, DCDi is unique in the size and quality of its database of the most senior and key people in the data center industry worldwide. The size and reach of their sample means that the results are statistically robust.

The 2012 census, which covers growth and trends, energy and monitoring, market profiles, cloud, investment and new technologies -  and will be available as a suite of standard reports in eight languages in addition to bespoke analysis to allow deeper delving into specific data for DCDi clients.