Among those waiting to be convinced that a true lights-out data center is feasible is David Hackbarth, acting chief for technology and information at the U.S. Census Bureau's national processing center in Jeffersonville, Ind.

Hackbarth is involved in a project to consolidate and standardize his IT environment on Linux and Windows systems, primarily blade servers. Through virtualization, the processing center has already reduced the number of physical servers it runs from more than 160 to about 60, he said.

But even with the increased standardization, Hackbarth said he thinks that staffing will be needed in the Census Bureau's data center to guard against technical problems.

That view is shared by Oliver Schmid, manager of information systems at Duluth, Ga.-based Alfred Karcher Inc., a subsidiary of a Winnenden, Germany-based cleaning equipment maker.

"I don't believe in lights-out data centers. I believe in dim lights," Schmid said. IT facilities will still need operations workers with versatile talents -- "people who know a little bit of everything," he said.