Data Centre Projects: Infrastructure Builds, Innovations & Updates

Ten years of growth – ten years of change by i3 Solutions Group

By Ed Ansett, Chairman and Founder, i3 Solutions Group Over the last decade, the data centre industry has experienced a shift in scale that even the most optimistic of players had not foreseen. 10 years ago when i3 Solutions Group was founded, a data centre design of 15MW-20MW would be bracketed in the medium-to-large category. Today, thanks to the hyperscalers and large commercial data centre developers, projects 10 times that size are not unusual. More predictably, data centre developments are moving beyond traditional large metropolitan established markets into every corner of the world. The higher density loads that were forecast have grown from averages of 3-5kW per rack 10 years ago, to 15-20kW today. At the same time, the requirement for high levels of resilience has softened. Power fault tolerance at 2N levels have moved to N+1 or N+2 designs, partly due to cost and partly to advances in IT, such as software failover across availability zones. This growth, driven by an exponential demand for data throughout the globe and touching every commercial, social, and government activity, is now challenging the data centre industry to provide long-term sustainable infrastructure design, developments and operation of digital infrastructure at vast scale. While governments tout digitalisation as one answer to economic growth, a raft of regulations to ensure sustainability measures such as carbon reporting and circularity are now being imposed upon the industry. The game has changed. From then to now Building on more than two decades of mission critical data centre engineering experience, Ed Ansett founded i3 Solutions Group in 2013. Based on a desire to do great work for its clients, the company had a clear mission to challenge the status quo and provide new approaches to design thinking for data centre power, cooling and control systems. “Like all start-ups, i3 had to prove itself. Beginning with securing and successfully delivering relatively small mission critical projects, the company proved its credentials, and this led to the number and size of projects delivered growing consistently over our first 10 years. From two engineers we are now a global team with offices in Asia Pacific and UK, and representation through our partnerships in the US, EMEA and across the globe. “Today we are delivering major projects at scale with the world’s largest and most recognisable data centre brands and global critical infrastructure developers. We continue to work with governments and commercial operators and the leading global infrastructure providers,” says Ed Ansett, i3 Chairman and Founder. In its first 10 years of business, i3 Solutions Group has delivered multiple award-winning data centre projects for clients, developed entirely new concepts in data centre power provision, and become respected thought leaders, helping shape industry approaches to practical sustainability and growing an international client base. “i3 Solutions has been at the forefront of data centre innovation since its inception. Their design focus on reliability, energy efficiency and sustainability has set the mark for mission critical facilities,” says Peter Gross PE, Managing Partner, PMG Associates Consulting and Advisory. The next 10 years i3 experts continually scan the horizon for what challenges and opportunities are coming next. These challenges naturally include the application of sustainable technologies to the data centre industry. This is a topic that begins with what happens outside the data centre to what happens at IT level. The data centre sector needs to understand that it must behave in a manner that reflects its growth curve over the last 10 years and its growth trajectory over the next decade. This requires the industry to recognise its growing public profile by learning to manage its reputation in a mature manner. It means changing attitudes by embracing practical approaches to design and operation that verifiably tackle sustainability issues with technical, engineered solutions. For example, there must be an end to any form of greenwashing. The industry must accept and understand the difference between PPA (Power Purchase Agreements) and carbon offsetting, versus design and operation that empirically cuts its own GHG emissions. It must grasp the sustainability nettle on its own, and broader economic and national interests by accepting that at scale, data centres will be operating as microgrids. That is, they will become power producers as well as energy-intensive users. The industry must embrace demand response (DR) opportunities, designing in the capability to feed power back to the main grid. “As countries seek to increase the sustainability of their grids, this is the single most important power issue that we face if we are to maintain the reliable flow of electricity to the IT load. This is not just an issue for the industry, but a global issue as governments force electrical grids to decarbonise,” says Ed. Within the walls of the data centre, the industry has lowered PUE and WUE, and those performing best have proved what can be achieved. But in terms of pure power provision the sector may have hit the limits with these efficiency gains. Inside the data centre, new sustainability gains must include design and engineering working more closely with IT. i3 continuously works on gaining a deep understanding of IT operations and how design can help support workloads through more efficient, reliable and sustainable power provision. One of the company’s first detailed technical papers, as part of its Green House Gas (GHG) abatement initiative, was titled, “An Approach to Calculating and Defining Overall Data Centre Energy Efficiency including Compute, Network, Storage and Facilities.” The demand growth for data is accelerating. “No-one, and certainly not a data centre engineer, can stop the data tsunami. But as engineers we want to push the industry to maximise the utilisation of all secured and available power. To do that requires a forward-looking understanding of how the IT load is changing. Not all IT loads are equal, so we cannot continue with low utilisation and monolithic power topologies,” says Ed. Throughout its first 10 years of operation, i3 has built its business around a team of experts with a commitment to delivering excellence for clients. At the same time, the company has cultivated an ethos of curiosity, critical thinking and enquiry dedicated into creating ever more efficient and sustainable critical digital infrastructure. It will continue these efforts over the next 10 years and beyond.

evroc reveals plans to build Europe's first sovereign hyperscale cloud

evroc has presented its plans to build Europe’s first secure, sovereign, and sustainable hyperscale cloud. It recently closed a seed funding round to build its launch team. The company now plans to raise and invest three billion euros over the next couple of years to develop and operate two hyperscale data centres, one in Northern Europe and one in Southern Europe. By 2028, it aims to establish eight hyperscale data centres, as well as three software development hubs, across the continent, employing over 3,000 people in total. “The lack of home-grown hyperscale cloud providers poses a serious challenge for Europe. Not only because our citizens’ data is placed under foreign ownership by companies operating under laws that conflict with European privacy legislation. It is also a real threat to our long-term competitiveness in a digital world where others are advancing much faster. Europe’s digital economy must be built on a European foundation,” says Mattias Åström, Founder and CEO, evroc. Cloud services play a key role in critical digital infrastructure. Between 2017 and 2022, the European cloud market grew five-fold. During the same time, the market share of European cloud players fell from 27% to 13%. A competitive European hyperscale cloud is critical to enable the continent’s digital economy, keeping investments, job creation, technology development and intellectual property rights within its borders. It will also give Europe digital sovereignty that is compliant with European privacy legislation, settling a long-standing problem. “evroc has spotted an exciting opportunity to make Europe a leader in cloud technologies by bringing together the continent’s brightest minds, ambitious thinkers, and experienced entrepreneurs. We believe the next generation of European tech companies will be built on evroc’s cloud services,” says Ted Persson, Partner at EQT Ventures. Data centres until now have had a significant environmental footprint, consuming about 3% of the global electricity supply, and accounting for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. evroc will build a clean cloud by leveraging energy-efficient technologies to maximise its sustainability impact, including a proprietary eco load balancer solution. The eco load balancer enables data to flow seamlessly and securely between evroc’s data centres based on where renewable energy is most readily available and affordable. “The data centre industry is on par with the airline industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Data processing will continue to grow substantially over the coming decades, causing significant emissions and damage to our climate, unless we change direction. evroc’s holistic strategy for clean energy usage, combined with the implementation of state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology, could set the standard for the entire industry,” says Tove Larsson, Partner at Norrsken VC.

PowerHouse Data Centers assists the West African digital transformation

PowerHouse Data Centers, a division of American Real Estate Partners (AREP), along with the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) and the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development, recently came together for an official state visit from representatives of the Republic of Ghana, including Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. The Ghanaian government is being assisted by IDCA with the aim to position the country as a leading digital hub in Africa with the help of data centre leaders in the Ashburn area. An important stop on the itinerary for Owusu-Ekuful’s delegation was a tour of PowerHouse Data Centers’ recently constructed ABX-1 facility. When requested by IDCA, PowerHouse welcomed the opportunity to showcase its latest in powered shell development. Powered shells and their phased approach can potentially be a useful strategy for Ghanaian development, as they provide the ability to leverage the efficiencies of data centre construction while optimising future flexibility. “We’re always eager to build relationships and provide educational opportunities wherever we can," explains Luke Kipfer, Vice President at PowerHouse Data Centers. Also facilitating and assisting in the visit is the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. “As one of the world’s most significant tech hubs, we are always proud to host communities from around the world in Loudoun," says the Department Executive Director, Buddy Rizer, who attended the PowerHouse tour and following luncheon event hosted by Loudoun County. "We’re excited about our new partnership with the country of Ghana, and are happy to host them and have the opportunity to learn from each other.” The digital sector in Ghana is poised for impressive progress as it continues its transition toward a tech based economy. The nation is already a leading light in digital transformation in Africa, with its digital sectors displaying impressive growth figures of nearly 20% annually, emerging as a leader in African e-government practices, and ranking top three in the continent for overall tech adoption. Last year the World Bank provided $200 million to the government of Ghana intended to expand networks and stimulate further digital innovation. The funding spurred the creation of the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project, led by communications and Digitalisation Minister, Owusu-Ekuful. IDCA leads this mission by helping the nation build a complete end-to-end digital transformation roadmap. The project is inclusive of national standardisation, national education and national digital hub economic zones, and also raising $4 billion of funds to help inject in the West African digital economy. The Republic of Ghana, led by its honourable minister, signed the digital transformation agreement with IDCA during this visit. Owusu-Ekuful and her entire cabinet have now travelled to Ashburn to meet with certain data centre alley movers and shakers. The purpose of the official visit is complementary to visiting IDCA and agreement signing, suggested by IDCA, with the goal of showcasing digital economy evolution and development models and best practices in the interest of future-proofing Ghana’s tech sector for digital economic development. The Ghana delegation’s activities in the US are sponsored by the International Data Center Authority (IDCA), an association focused on fostering the development of sustainable digital economies around the world. Their visit includes the establishment of an agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the IDCA. “It’s been our pleasure to drive this initiative for Ghana and West Africa,” says Mehdi Paryavi, IDCA Founder and Chairman. “We’re always privileged to be able to empower others by exchanging digital infrastructure and digital economy knowledge with others around the globe.”

Kao Data invests £350m in new 40MW Manchester data centre

Kao Data has announced a new 40MW data centre in Manchester, UK. Following the acquisition of two new data centres last year, the move represents the next phase in the continued expansion of the Kao Data platform, with Manchester named as the first of its new Tier II locations in Europe. The latest phase of Kao Data’s platform expansion has seen the company secure a 39,000m2 ex-industrial site for sustainable redevelopment at Kenwood Point, Manchester. The new data centre, which is planned to become operational in late 2025, will provide space for nine data halls, creating a leading infrastructure hub to support Greater Manchester’s growing technology ecosystem and the UK’s largest high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors outside of London and the Oxford-Cambridge arc. Kao Data’s first data centre in the north of England will follow the organisations award-winning high performance design, efficiency and sustainability ethos, providing a sustainable, OCP-Ready and NVIDIA-DGX ready certified infrastructure platform for advanced computing. For example, the facility will deliver a PUE of 1.2, be powered by 100% renewable energy, and utilise hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in its generators - providing the highest-grade, sustainable data centre capacity in the region. Furthermore, the data centre will be precision-engineered to incorporate heat re-use capabilities, supporting local communities in its immediate vicinity with a valuable resource in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis.   “Our move into Manchester marks an important next step in the continued evolution of our organisation, and we’re excited to bring our industry-leading data centre platform to one of the UK’s most influential technology and business hubs,” says Spencer Lamb, Chief Commercial Officer, Kao Data. “We believe our new facility will set a new standard for sustainable data centres within the region and will provide a piece of foundational infrastructure that supports both Northern England’s advanced computing clusters, and the government's ambitions to become a technological and economic powerhouse for HPC and AI.” Manchester has been hailed as one of the UK’s fastest growing technology hubs and has established itself as the country’s pre-eminent Tier II data centre cluster, driven by the media, scientific research, and enterprise sectors. The city’s technology ecosystem, for example, is projected to add £74.8bn GVA (gross value added) to the UK economy, and the region is an attractive location for enterprise with access to a highly skilled workforce, readily available renewable energy, and lower operating costs than the London market. As AI becomes more ingrained into every facet of business and enterprise, Greater Manchester is placed to play a pivotal role in the government’s ambitions to become a world-leading superpower in science and tech. With the move to establish a new 40MW data centre in the city, Kao Data is actively supporting this mission, and the region's technology-driven business communities.

Columbus Crew kick off 2023 season with seamless home opener

The American professional soccer club, The Columbus Crew, hosted its home opener of the club’s second full season this March, with several enhancements to its high-tech stadium and fan experiences in professional sport. The technology integration throughout the stadium and on display during every home match is made possible through the ongoing support of Vertiv. Vertiv infrastructure equipment supports the network that enables fan entry into the stadium, point-of-sale systems for concessions and retail, a variety of in-game experiences - including the scoreboard and digital signage - and office and administrative IT systems for the club’s front office staff. During the home opener, the club reported nearly 16,000 unique users and more than 9,500 simultaneous devices on its in-stadium Wi-Fi network. Both numbers are the highest ever recorded at the stadium, which has an official capacity of 20,371. For the first time, crew supporters benefitted from a new virtual currency called Crew Cash Through the fan-focused program, individuals have the opportunity to redeem Crew Cash for concessions and retail purchases through the Crew mobile app. Fans responded positively to the advancement by placing a total number of mobile orders during the opener that represented 37% of those transactions in all of 2022. All Crew point-of-sale and retail point-of-sale systems were integrated with their loyalty and promotion platform, allowing fan flexibility in redeeming and spending Crew Cash on retail and concessions, which was implemented during the off-season. “We continue to add digital capabilities throughout the stadium to enhance the fan experience, and we’re comfortable pushing the limits the way we do because we have confidence in our digital infrastructure from Vertiv,” says Brandon Covert, Vice President of Information Technology for the crew and Haslam Sports Group. “In addition to not having any network failures during the first match, we haven’t even had to revert to our backup systems. From an operational uptime perspective, we are performing at an exceptional level. That’s due largely to equipment and services from Vertiv.” If fans’ phone batteries run low, they can also take advantage of four additional charging stations which allow fans to charge their mobile devices on the go. During the home opener, use of charging stations increased three times compared to last season. One of the most notable areas of innovation to improve the fan experience is one of the least noticeable - mobile and facial recognition ticketing. These technologies have continued to make entering the stadium fast and easy for fans by allowing them to use facial authentication to pass through the stadium gates without presenting a phone or ticket to scan. Other new digital elements at the stadium include a camera-based player tracking system, and a digital security system that accelerates physical security screening for a safer in-stadium experience. “The crew will celebrate the two-year anniversary of its first match in the new stadium in July, and Vertiv has been there from the beginning to help major league soccer’s best fans enjoy the league’s most sophisticated fan experience,” says Pete Klanian, Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Vertiv. “We value our partnership with the crew because our organisations share core values of teamwork, relentless effort, diversity and, of course, a love for our Columbus home.”

Arelion unveils new Prague PoP

Arelion has announced the provision of a new PoP (Point of Presence) at the DC Tower data centre in Prague, Czech Republic. As part of the company’s commitment to the region, this will be the second Arelion PoP in Prague. Supporting current and future growth in traffic, the new PoP provides direct access to the global Arelion AS1299 IP backbone, with high speed IP transit, cloud connect, and internet exchange (IX) connect services for content providers and enterprises. Arelion has long been committed to ensuring Prague has the connectivity needed by its businesses, content providers and consumers, having been the first provider to install a backbone point of presence in the city in 2000. The new PoP will provide additional capacity, resilience and choice to those requiring IP services in the metropolitan area, where traffic has grown as consumers take advantage of new services, such as streaming, and businesses require improved access to global cloud services.  Patrik Andreasson, Head of Sales Nordic, CEE and Balkans at Arelion, says, “Growing the number of PoPs that we have in Prague is an important step forward for businesses in the region, giving them greater choice over where to locate their services and join the internet backbone. Along with this installation at the DC Tower data centre, our latest IP services make it easier than ever before for companies to reach cloud services from companies such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft, and give the best possible experience to their own customers.” Petr Možiš, Chief Commercial Officer at the CRA DC Tower data centre, says, “Prague is a growing technology centre, and one that we are proud to be an important part of. This new PoP will give our customers great redundancy and capacity, with lower latency, whilst ensuring that we can support the continued growth in our technology sector and in consumer consumption of data services.”

Equinix uncovers rooftop urban farm atop Parisian data centre

Reid Brewin Architects (RBA) has announced the completion of a new project that uses waste energy from data centres to power a rooftop ‘urban farm’ on the outskirts of Paris. RBA’s design for the Equinix PA10 data centre, located in Saint Denis, is said to be the first of its kind in France. Central to the client’s sustainability commitment was the desire to reuse waste heat from the data centre, and to create a usable area that would promote health and wellbeing.  The project comprises a 430m2 greenhouse surrounded by a further 570m2 of green space, with the rooftop structures powered using a heat recovery system with heat exchangers linked to the data centre’s water cooling system. Each greenhouse is fitted with sensors to monitor humidity as well as internal and external temperatures - which can trigger heaters in cooler weather. Together with sunshades, automated irrigation, and ventilation systems, they deliver a controlled climate year-round within the greenhouses.  The development means seasonal fruit and vegetables can be cultivated using a hydroponic system, in a bid to maximise space efficiency and minimise water usage, while the gardens are planted with vegetation chosen specifically to maximise the amount of rainwater consumption, while supporting the local insects and wildlife, with the installation of insect hotels. All rooftop garden space is wheelchair accessible, and provides natural shade, cooling, and relaxation areas. Visitors and staff are invited to share the food grown on site, and to make the most of the dedicated seating and catering areas. “It is of increasing importance that we increase our actions and mitigate the environmental impact of an increasingly digital world,” explains John Hutchinson, Director at RBA. “We’re extremely proud to support our clients with this shared goal, and PA10 heralds the start of an exciting new era, enabling us to apply learnings from this project across other projects. Sustainability and safeguarding the environment are at the heart of everything we do, and this opportunity has already inspired further initiatives across our client base.” 

Secure I.T. Environments builds 1MW energy efficient data centre

Secure I.T. Environments has announced the handover of a 1MW, 200 cabinet, data centre design and build project for Proximity Data Centres. Designed, built and project managed by Secure I.T. Environments, the new facility was built into the ground floor of an existing building containing data centres, and is 441m2 in size. The perimeter of the data centre was based on a 60 minute fire-rated modular wall and roof construction, which included a separate UPS and switch room located in another area. The mechanical and electrical (M&E) specification was designed to comfortably handle a constant 1MW load, based on 200-cabinets at 5kW per cabinet. The modular design of the M&E infrastructure means that components can be added to support the needed load in incremental phases to match the IT load. Energy efficient N+1 air conditioning, was supplied and installed throughout the installation, as well as Novec fire suppression and VESDA detection, extraction systems, environmental controls and security systems, including CCTV, door access systems, intruder alarms and leak detection. The project included the management of planning permission applications for all plant equipment on site, and ensuring compliance with development, health and safety, and building control regulations at every stage for both construction and fire safety compliance. A full-time project team was allocated to the project, conducting regular inspections to ensure contract specifications and quality were maintained. John Hall, Managing Director, Colocation at Proximity Data Centres, says, “This was a significant expansion of the data centre services we offer at a key site, and we wanted to ensure the best possible outcomes. The data centre has been designed to achieve the best possible annualised PUE and Secure I.T. Environments has done an excellent job of delivering the project, handling every aspect of construction, installation and testing.” Chris Wellfair, Projects Director at Secure I.T. Environments, adds, “It is always great to work with clients that are truly committed to having the most energy efficient data centres. Having complete ownership of a data centre project means we can ensure the most efficient build programme, and for our clients means they have only one place to go to get things done and discuss progress. It is great to be handing over this data centre to Proximity on time, in budget, and to a world class specification.”

WIOCC lands world’s largest subsea cable system into OADC Durban

WIOCC has landed 2Africa - the world’s largest subsea cable system - into OADC Durban, owned and operated by Open Access Data Centres (OADC), in KZN, South Africa. This offers the province and country an increase in international capacity and the promise of more reliable internet and other connectivity services. WIOCC Group Chief Executive Officer, Chris Wood, comments, “This latest major international cable landing is another example of WIOCC Group playing a key role in building Africa’s digital infrastructure, and accelerating the continent’s digital transformation through the delivery of converged open digital infrastructure. “We are pleased to be working with our partners in the 2Africa project, bringing faster, more reliable internet to local businesses and consumers, and making an enduring contribution to communications in Africa. The subsea cable system is enabling more communities to access transformative online resources, from education and healthcare to jobs and financial services, and experience the economic and social benefits of seamless connectivity.” Economic benefits The 2Africa cable project was launched in May 2020 to significantly increase the capacity, quality and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world, and a recent study by RTI International predicts that within two to three years of becoming operational, 2Africa will spur economic impact worth $26.2 billion to $36.9 billion, equivalent to 0.42-0.58% of Africa’s GDP. The arrival of the 45,000km, 180Tbps 2Africa cable system in Amanzimtoti, 25km south of Durban, will bring much-needed additional international capacity for internet and other services, support high-speed internet delivery and provide greater diversity, which will benefit businesses and individuals throughout South Africa.  Benefits of Amanzimtoti landing This landing, into OADC’s 4MW-capable open access OADC Durban facility in Amanzimtoti, is 2Africa’s fourth on the coast of South Africa - two in the western cape (Yzerfontein and Duynefontein) and one in the eastern cape (Gqeberha). ● Service uptime can be maximised by utilising this new OADC Durban-2Africa route for international traffic because, apart from the METISS system, no other international cable lands in Amanzimtoti.   ● Organisations can quickly and easily access 2Africa’s international connectivity to extend their operations in KZN and elsewhere in South Africa, as OADC Durban is open access and carrier-neutral. ● The cable system’s landing in Amanzimtoti also offers the potential for increased regional job creation in sectors that rely on direct international connectivity, such as data centres, call centres and software development, which can help contribute to both local and national socio-economic development. OADC Durban went live in April 2022 and will ultimately deliver 4,200m²  of flexible space, supporting 2,000m² of IT white space, as well as A-Grade tech park office space. It delivers the location, scale and client focus required to maximise opportunities for carriers, content providers, fixed and mobile network operators, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to host their equipment and applications, and to increase the speed and reliability of the connectivity and services they provide to their customers. Landing 2Africa into carrier-neutral OADC Durban ensures that service providers are able to access international capacity and onward, domestic and intra-Africa connectivity on a fair and equitable basis, which will encourage and support the development of a healthy internet ecosystem. Once the system has been fully deployed, businesses and consumers will benefit from improved quality, reliability and lower latency for internet services, including telecommuting, high-definition video streaming and advanced multimedia and mobile video applications.  The 2Africa project underpins the further growth of 4G, the continued roll-out of 5G and fixed broadband access, by providing improved connectivity to underserved and rural areas, and network resilience between KZN and the rest of South Africa. As a gateway to international connectivity, the cable’s landing in Amanzimtoti will also help to drive the upgrade and expansion of telecommunications networks in KZN and surrounding provinces. Chris concludes, “As a fibre pair investor in the 2Africa systems, we are greatly expanding and diversifying WIOCC’s capacity inventory to ensure that we continue to serve the evolving needs of our content provider and cloud operator clients, as well as those of the wider wholesale community.”

Secure I.T. Environments completes data centre works for retailer

Secure I.T. Environments has announced the completion of a data centre floor plan redesign and build project, creating a new technology lab, and two UPS upgrades, for a UK retailer. The initial project involved reducing the size of an existing modular data centre, and creating a new technology lab that could be using for testing technology innovations the retailer has planned to deploy. Splitting the data centre meant redesigning lighting, structured cabling, fire suppression, air conditioning, new flooring, and environmental monitoring systems. A new fire-rated modular panel wall was installed to separate the existing data centre, forming the new lab room and storage facility. Some hardware was decommissioned, but wherever feasible, existing infrastructure was redeployed where it met the energy efficiency requirements of the project. All aspects of the new lab area were undertaken by Secure I.T. Environments, including the extension of structured cabling, lighting and AHU circuits, as well as fitting out with new bespoke lab workstations, new carpet tiled floor, fire protection and integrity testing. In addition to the data centre redesign, Secure I.T. Environments undertook two different UPS upgrades, aimed at helping the head office meet its commitments to carbon neutrality over the coming decade. The first UPS project, which took place in a live environment, involved replacing two 275kVA Eaton UPS systems with Riello 42kVA N+1 MPW CBC 130 MultiPower Combo Cabinet UPS and batteries modules. Old equipment was disposed of in accordance with ISO14001 Standards, and repairs were made to floor, given the new solution required a much smaller footprint. The second, smaller UPS upgrade, included the installation of new dual input power supplies and output cabling from an existing bypass panel to the new UPS. This also took place in a live environment. Chris Wellfair, Projects Director at Secure I.T. Environments, adds, “One of the best things about working with modular data centre solutions, is the ease with which they can be extended, or redesigned to meet the changing needs of an organisation. Our long-standing work with this UK retailer, meant that we knew the site well, our installation phase was very short, and we could move to making the upgrades possible in a live environment with a minimum of disruption.”