Different requirements, different business objectives, different spaces; data centres come in all shapes and sizes, further complicated by varying desires of what it actually needs to do. So, their requirements for power generation, transmission and distribution also vary significantly. The response to these diversities is to have an agile data centre design approach.
Martin Pearce, sales director at Critical Power said, “With the reliance on electricity supply never being greater, the requirement for dependable, resilient power protection, energy management and cooling is critical. It is important to keep an eye on the long-term flexibility, as fully configured power data centres can easily be designed primed and ready to use, but it is even more important to look at their future proofing.”
The use of an independent expert gives the greatest choice and knowledge, as you are assured of absolutely the right solution for your situation; rather than one that is the closest match (and will just about do!) from what can be offered from a particular brand a company is tied into. This mix and match capability of manufacture independence adds to the flexibility, giving the ability to adapt and respond to the changes in project scope which inevitably arise. It also means only the most relevant specialists; the most suitably experienced and best trained technicians are involved for that particular project and sector to address the most crucial decisions to be made. What sort of UPS should be installed – three phase or single phase, online, line-interactive or offline? What power discrimination requirements are there – how can the fault loads (overload, short-circuit or earth) be quickly removed without disruption to other loads? What technical equipment is required – from the MDU/RDU to maintain power distribution, ATS to ensure sustainable uptime, PSG to manage the generator start-up and synchronisation, SPD to protect the computers and servers from power surges and server boxes featuring AC/DC front ends?
If you are not entirely sure of all the forthcoming requirements, a modular approach can potentially address future power generation, transmission and distribution capabilities. These flexible and scalable infrastructures are specifically designed to develop with the business supporting network changes, computing power and technology upgrades and facilitate long-term growth plans without major disruptions.
In addition, there is something to be said for the upfront financial outlay for ongoing monitoring and maintenance, which is likely in the long-term to save money. The ability to monitor bandwidth use, as well as energy, storage, physical rack space will minimise downtime and improve efficiency through optimised power generation, transmission and generation.