I have friends who are constantly trying something new. Whether it’s a new restaurant or some activity they haven’t done, they are constantly on the prowl for change. A few months back, I received a Groupon email from them that said, “Skydiving, $89!” When I first read it I thought, “I can do that. I’m under 50, I have a zest for life, and I can definitely afford it. Why not?” After thinking about it a while, I asked myself, “But should I do it?”

Over the 20 years that I have been designing data centers (yes, I was designing data centers before data centers were cool), I have noticed several decisions that should not have been made. Each and every time I walk into a data center and see a “bad decision,” I shudder. Most of the time the decisions are based upon cost, but every now and then I see a decision made that is more costly and less effective. Here are the Top Five “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.”