Colocation

Comparing on-premises with cloud and colocation

Here, Pulsant provides an overview of 'on-premises', cloud and colocation to help businesses that are looking to expand their digital infrastructure that will aid the success of the businesses in years to come. When it comes to digital infrastructure, deciding between utilising either ‘on-premises’ or cloud remains a divide amongst all business decision makers - and both sides have their benefits, depending on which way you look at it. Cloud, for example, its often believed to be a runaway success. The UK Regulator, Ofcom, produced a report into the domestic cloud service market and noted that the UK cloud infrastructure market is expanding, with overall revenues increasing from a rate of 35% to 40% annually. Despite that, Synergy analysts have discovered that by 2027, enterprise data centres will still account for more than a quarter of data centre capacity. This year, there were 350 UK IT leaders involved in a 2024 research project, which recorded 93% of its respondents who have been involved with a cloud repatriation project in the last three years. Furthermore, 25% of those businesses have already migrated half or more of their cloud-based workloads back to an ‘on-premises’ infrastructure. However, for many businesses, especially those experiencing growth, SMEs and medium-sized enterprises, the reality is there are two types of ‘on-premises’ infrastructures. Some businesses (usually within technology) will host their own data internally within their own data centre, while there are others that will host their entire IT infrastructure within their own office. The latter group of companies are often seeking solutions to manage their servers and treat it as a critical asset which they need to protect. Migrating to serviced offices Businesses that are experiencing growth or are already at a medium-sized level, tend to be already discussing their next steps. Usually driven by the increase in energy prices, higher borrowing, operational costs, and evolving work patterns, they tend to reassess their property portfolios. One focus has been the migration to serviced offices. Lambert Smith Hampton, a commercial property specialist, cites the following Mordor Intelligence forecasting which says that, “The UK market will grow by 8% per year during 2022-27.” There also been an “exceptional rise in demand”, for flexible offices in the UK, according to Savills reports. It also highlights that the increased demand has led to an increase in prices by 15%, and enquiries are also up by 17%. Despite that, issues have begun to arise with serviced offices. With critical business technology being operated within a shared space, restrictions have emerged. Firstly, serviced offices are rarely equipped with the necessary infrastructure and connectivity to host high-growth company needs. The power supply is shared throughout the entire building and can therefore be insufficient. Also, connectivity options and data management capabilities tend to be at a bare minimum. Shared offices also lack the necessary physical and cyber security assets. With the demand in costs, a serviced office typically has less physical security than a data centre and on-site staff aren’t comprehensively trained in cybersecurity. From a technological perspective, serviced offices are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks because they use less secure connections to keep the costs low. Finally, serviced offices have limited space for businesses looking to grow. By having a limitation on room-size, this can restrict business attempts to scale their IT infrastructure, because their office operators need to prioritise space for furniture etc. Colocation data centre When it comes to digital infrastructure, serviced offices often bring challenges for high-growth businesses. It is difficult for them to operate their own, expensive property facility or carry their ever-expanding infrastructure with them. On the other hand, businesses can experience a lack of control over their own technologies, so are forced to reduce their control over systems and key processes. Then there is the case of growth not being a ‘one time deal’ for businesses. It goes beyond legacy on-site strategies, expansions and adapting their infrastructure with every opening of a new facility. With a colocation centre, businesses can move their IT infrastructure, while focusing on their growth and agility. Firstly, businesses can exploit a flexible office space to move, optimising their capital expenditure (CAPEX) investment and operational expenditure (OPEX), by acquiring the minimum they need. In context, this is often a complete migration to OPEX as businesses seek to release themselves of expensive liabilities. The increased agility can fuel businesses to expand their operations. They also receive reassurance of greater security, and as they evolve, their colocation partner can also advocate a wider range of suppliers in connectivity and ecosystems. Business operations can become more resilient as the colocations provides managed connectivity, power and cooling issues which can assist their sustainability concerns. The issue however for businesses, is finding the right colocation partner who are local to them, available for support across the UK and can deliver transparency at a reasonable price. However, once a business finds a suitable colocation supplier, than they can benefit by splitting their IT infrastructure into a dedicated colocation space and benefit with the best of both worlds. They can gain an optimal operation focus with more control over costs and greater flexibility to grow. Adopting an interconnected approach To optimise any IT infrastructure migration, businesses need to clarify their approach within the decision-making process. They can do that in five simple steps: Establish what the data is going to be used for and thus, the primary attributes in successfully managing it. Is speed of access the top concern? Or security? Or real-time analysis? Consider scalability, business continuity and disaster recovery. Define the technologies that will most effectively serve these key purposes. Technically, this means assessing space, power, cooling, and connectivity requirements and accounting for data volume, bandwidth, and downtime. Find and connect with suppliers in those spaces that are prepared to become real partners. In a digital, data-driven age, the software and infrastructure a business is built on matters. Tour facilities and develop service level agreements (SLAs). Develop a detailed migration plan that anticipates delays and establishes clear definitions of success. Install and configure hardware to achieve this, spanning routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers and virtualisation platforms and hypervisors if applicable. Keep an eye on the future: embracing data and taking steps towards managing and optimising it typically accelerates growth for a business. As such, businesses must ensure that any strategy to put the data in the right place now, does not mean it is in the wrong place tomorrow. For more, visit pulsant.com/colocation. For more from Pulsant, click here.

Vertiv opens a new manufacturing facility and test lab in India

Vertiv has announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Pune, India. The opening was to meet the surging demand for data centres and supporting infrastructure solutions globally, including India and the APAC region. The new plant manufactures thermal management products and solutions tailored for colocation, cloud, telecom, and enterprise data centres, catering to both domestic and international markets. This is Vertiv’s third facility in India, joining with existing manufacturing facilities in Ambernath and Pune. Spanning 4.8 acres (210,000ft2), the facility supports the manufacturing of cooling solutions ranging from 200W to 2MW+, including adiabatic free cooling chillers, large custom air handling units (AHU), thermal wall units, a new range of large direct expansion (DX), packaged DX, free cooling with economiser units, a new range of in-row cooling units, wall mount units, and rack cooling systems. The facility also boasts state-of-the-art psychometric labs, providing performance testing, a customer experience centre, and design support capabilities. It is located in an India Green Building Council (IGBC) compliant park focusing on sustainability and reducing environmental impact. CEO of Vertiv, Giordano (Gio) Albertazzi, says, “With increasing global digitalisation and the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the data centre industry is experiencing growth and a demand for more capacity, including for data centre thermal and power infrastructure. India’s emergence as a data centre hub in the APAC region is a key reason that we built this third manufacturing facility in India, and it reinforces our commitment to nurturing the country’s data centre ecosystem while also addressing global demand.”

Interior Health selects Hut 8 as data centre partner

Hut 8 Mining has signed an agreement with Interior Health to support their operations by delivering safe, secure, and reliable colocation services from the company’s flagship Kelowna data centre through 2028. “We’ve been investing in our high-performance computing business, as well as in our customers, and are proud to expand our services further into the health sector,” says Josh Rayner, VP of High-Performance Computing at Hut 8. “We are honoured to have been chosen as Interior Health’s trusted high-performance computing infrastructure provider.” With five data centres located in British Columbia and Ontario, Hut 8 delivers colocation, public and private cloud, and manages services to government, private sector, and non-profit organisations across a variety of industries including finance, gaming, technology, AI, and more. “We look forward to partnering with Hut 8 as our new hosting facility and infrastructure provider,” says Mark Braidwood, Executive Director Technology at Interior Health. “In an increasingly interconnected world, businesses are demanding more reliable, secure, and scalable hosting options to ensure optimal performance and uninterrupted operations.”

Global colocation provider, Telehouse International Corporation of Europe, has strengthened its operational and customer experience excellence with a restructuring of its operations department and five new appointments, including two new members to the board of directors.   Previously holding the Senior Director of Customer Experience position, Mark Pestridge has been promoted to the role of Executive Vice President and General Manager with the responsibility of informing and supporting the work of the board, including leading the organisation’s short and long term strategies and overseeing the operations of the business globally. With over 20 years’ experience in the data centre and service provider space, Mark has a solid history of developing strategic partnerships across the industry that achieve strong and consistent business performance. Joining Mark on the Board of Directors as Senior Vice President and Leader of Technical Services is Paul Lewis, former Senior Director of Technical Services, who led the Operational, Construction, and Design Departments at Telehouse. Paul also takes on responsibility for informing and supporting the work of the board, including the setting of the global vision and strategy, delivering of the agreed strategy, overseeing the company’s entire operations and optimising the organisation’s operational capabilities. The restructure of the Telehouse Europe operations department sees the creation of a new Data Centre Services Department, aimed at providing efficient and secure services to its customers. This department is managed by a newly appointed Data Centre Services Senior Director, Scott Longhurst. Scott joined Telehouse in February this year and has over 30 years’ experience in critical infrastructure management and engineering in the data centre and telecommunications industry. In his new role, Scott will ensure that the global colocation provider can continue to build a culture of continuous improvement that places customers at the heart of all its business operations and customer experience initiatives. Telehouse’s new Data Centre Services Department is comprised of three key focus areas, Data Centre Operations headed by newly appointed Alex Mason, and Security Services and Service Delivery headed by Rob Rennie and Simon Smith respectively. Alex, who joined Telehouse in April, focuses on the management and strategic vision of Telehouse’s mission critical facilities environments. He is also responsible for the day-to-day service management and maintenance of all infrastructure, including building and facilities management, on a 24/7 basis. Rob, who has been promoted to Security Services Director, oversees the management and strategic vision of Telehouse’s physical security including the security of the colocation provider’s assets and those of its customers. He is responsible for evaluating risks to Telehouse and its customers and ensuring that robust procedures are in place to mitigate these risks and for driving efficiencies and ongoing improvement of security systems and processes. As the newly promoted Service Delivery Director, Simon takes on the Service Desk responsibility, installation of all white space client solutions such as cage and rack builds, power connections, interconnection cabling, campus wide ducts and interconnection of the Data Centres. Takayo Takamuro, Managing Director & European Chief Executive of Telehouse Europe, commented, “We’re undergoing a transformation of Telehouse that will help us achieve greater operational and customer experience excellence. The new Data Centre Services Department will help us enhance our ability to respond to changing customer needs proactively and ensure ongoing enhancement of the customer journey through end-to-end services. As a global colocation provider known for its unrivalled connectivity, we continuously strive to drive our interconnection strategy forward and into new areas, with all the newly appointed senior members supporting the business to achieve this goal.”

The colocation industry is entering a new era

Digitisation and hybrid working have redefined the colocation landscape, bringing with it a new class of facility and provider, says David Keegan, Group CEO at DataQube global. Data centre and colocation providers have always needed to think about contingency plans, but a global health crisis that resulted in millions of workers being sent home for months on end took contingency planning to a whole new level. Commercial companies, educational establishments, healthcare organisations, finance etc. all had to digitally transform in just a few weeks simply to maintain 'business as usual'. Unimaginable amounts of data were generated as a result, putting heightened pressure on comms infrastructures. Whereas regular power outages and structural challenges are, by and large, avoidable with the right planning, COVID-19 was a black swan event that caught everyone off guard and its repercussions are still being felt today. Many industries have undergone irreversible transformations and colocation landscape have been permanently altered as a result. As the world went virtual, efficient data handling became integral to every aspect of our lives. From sending and receiving emails or updating our stories to TV streaming, video conferencing, ecommerce, smart ticketing, and engaging with VAs, all these interactions generate data in huge volumes that needs to be seamlessly dealt with. Data centres have undergone explosive growth to keep pace with demand, and this, in turn, has redefined the colocation market, with a different type of facility needed.  75% of enterprise-generated data will be handled outside centralised facilities by 2025 The drive for data centre to re-evaluate their data handling capabilities and relocate their digital infrastructures pre-dates the pandemic thanks to technological advances and faster comms networks. Indeed, according to Gartner, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be handled outside centralised facilities by 2025 and the global edge data centre market is expected to triple to $13.5 billion by 2024. Data centre and colocation business models, therefore, need a total rethink in terms of their connectivity capabilities and physical locations, and this is giving rise to smaller data centres in high footfall locations. But data centres and colocation facilities don’t just 'appear'. They need careful planning in line with future capacity requirement, real estate needs to be sourced, planning permission/building regulations need to be sorted out, and upfront capex, which is anything in excess of £7 million, needs to be secured. The average data centre project takes anything between 18 months to two years to complete and, in a world driven by tech, such long implementation times are unviable. In the meantime, our data consumption is growing unprecedently and robust data facilities capable of assuring high performance low latency processing at the edge are in short supply. Enter the new provider Much of today’s data needs to be handled as close to the source as possible, i.e., in city centres, in factories, in mixed used properties and so forth, for operability and safety reasons. By the same token, swathes of office space, warehouses and mixed-use premises are being left empty, generating zero revenue thanks to changing working trends, and business owners relocating to smaller premises with cheaper rentals. Such an abundance of vacant/disused properties is presenting commercial real estate companies with exciting opportunities to generate alternative revenue streams by repurposing their distressed assets into lucrative data centres and colocation facilities. The downside is that said properties typically need a total refit if they are to accommodate the specialist HPC infrastructure needed for data processing. Moreover, any property redevelopment must comply with stringent building regulations pertaining to sustainability and, as such, the lead times are just as long, if not longer, than commissioning a data centre from scratch. What is needed is a viable means for real estate companies and facilities to transform their disused assets into powerful data centre and colocation facilities to meet the edge data centre shortfall, but this has not been possible, due to financial constraints and excessive redevelopment timescales.  However, this is about to change, thanks to a disruptive approach to edge data centres and colocation being spearheaded by DataQube global. Acutely aware of the edge data centre shortfall and the sustainability challenges the industry faces, the company together with a consortium of technology partners and critical infrastructure specialists have developed a novel data centre solution that overcomes these property refurbishment barriers. Unlike other data centres, the solution is podular in design, built from lightweight material and supplied flatpack which removes the need for planning permission or property refurbishments to accommodate specialist HPC infrastructure. This, in turn, shortens install times by up to 50% as no concrete foundations nor heavy duty cranes are needed. This is a significant timeline acceleration in an industry that averages two years to fully build and fit out. Additionally, with reduced construction overheads, final costs are at a much lower price point, typically less than a £1 million compared to traditional builds. Most importantly, all the IT is housed within compact, secure and sterile units which reduce power consumption and CO2 emissions by more than 50% because the energy transfer is dedicated solely to powering computers. This equates to a PUE of less than 1.05, the lowest in the industry and perfectly aligned with current LEED standards to support sustainable building practices and net zero targets.  With heightened demand for localised data processing, combined with an ongoing backlog of regular construction projects, innovative approaches are needed not only to meet the edge computing shortfall but to provide commercial real estate with an easy means to diversify and developing new revenue streams and business models. DataQube’s unique solution is perfectly aligned to bridge this gap.

Mapping the future: how robotics can drive excellence in the colocation data centre

By Paul Lewis, Senior Operation Director, Telehouse Europe As the modern colocation data centre continues to increase in scale and complexity, so does the need for all operations to run smoothly and efficiently. Surging customer demand means that an ever-growing array of components (encompassing IT, facilities, and security) need real-time monitoring to ensure faults are promptly dealt with before bigger issues arise. All of this requires an unprecedented level of visibility and operational efficiency, which becomes increasingly challenging across a labyrinthine data centre with dispersed staff.  At a time when security, compliance, and efficiency are more sought after than ever, manual operations must be enhanced with more intelligent decision making. A multidisciplinary all-in-one solution is needed to enhance operations and streamline essential processes across the data centre. Enter the robot. The latest innovations in robotics are transforming colocation data centre processes, automating manual activities to drive greater efficiencies, faster responses, and resolution times, and lowering the risks of human error. Furthermore, by taking low level and repetitious tasks out of human hands, robots complement teams by freeing them to complete more skilled and strategic activities, thereby allowing new heights of efficiency and productivity to be reached. A single source of truth The smooth running of the colocation data centre relies on data management systems working harmoniously together to gain a comprehensive overview of the entire ecosystem. But the sheer complexity of today’s data centre means that security, IT, and facilities need to communicate even faster and more seamlessly with each other to ensure staff have the centralised visibility to quickly respond to potential operating problems. Without this single source of truth, proactive and timely problem solving becomes difficult. Faults such as obstructions or lack of equipment are likely to only be flagged after an employee or customer completes a manual incident report, leading to precious time being lost to repetitive and mundane upkeep tasks.  While current control systems and data centre personnel carry out regular checks on facilities to ensure there are no potential hazards, technology can support and streamline these efforts, blending human expertise with automated precision and speed to achieve maximum efficiency. With robotics, a single machine can obtain 4k, in-depth, and 360-degree visibility across all areas of the data centre, diligently resolving issues and communicating any irregularities back to the relevant teams for immediate escalation. This not only bolsters security and compliance (critical concerns for all involved in colocation data centre operations) but also essentially acts as a ‘one for all’ for increasing functionality across the ecosystem. For example, a member of staff may notice an obstruction in the corridor and notify the appropriate people, but would they necessarily notice an unrelated hazard nearby? A single robot can carry out the most exhaustive manual checks in a fraction of the time, whilst simultaneously communicating data insights around security, facility, and environmental health across multiple departments.  Unparalleled visibility Robotics use innovative self-driving technology to autonomously map and navigate the data centre, establishing norms and swiftly escalating anomalies for human analysis. With no distractions or biases, the technology offers decision-makers a level of visibility, speed, and multi-layered intelligence that no single human or static camera could ever replicate. For example, live heat mapping and AI-driven sensors accurately detect anything from temperature and Wi-Fi signal strength to air quality index, smoke, and gas levels inside the building. The live data and real-time reports provided then enable the data centre to proactively address any issues that may be impacting operational efficiency or customer satisfaction. In a busy colocation data centre, controlling humidity is crucial to protect sensitive equipment from moisture damage, which ultimately causes system failure and data loss. Robotics can assist with the advanced reporting of humidity and temperature levels, providing decision-makers with an extra layer of visibility while also helping to balance workloads, costs, and energy efficiency throughout the data centre.  Complementing human strengths Despite media-fuelled fears of jobs being stolen by robotics, the only jobs robots are likely to take from colocation data centres are the ones people should not have had to do in the first place. Data centres will always continue to rely on the skills of human workers, while robots will continue to excel at the most tedious, time-consuming, and repetitive aspects of colocation data centre work. When menial tasks are replaced by automated processes, staff are unburdened from robotic work and released to focus on other areas of the business. In turn, by improving the workflow of tasks within the data centre, robotics act as a key enabler of operational excellence, yielding greater insights and innovation as data centre demand continues to rise. Automated technologies have a proven record of driving continuous improvements and efficiency gains within the industry. But more recent innovations in robotics are unlocking a new frontier in data centre security, productivity, and 360-degree intelligence.

Colocation fundamentals

By Amy Young, Sales Director, Custodian Data Centres The colocation space is an ever-evolving area with new technologies continuing to emerge, however, some of these technologies are more realistic and sustainable than others. It is important when researching these data centre innovations, be it liquid cooling or high-density racks, to consider how relevant they are for your specific business requirements. Understanding what setup and structure is needed to optimise your business for current operations and for looking forward is not a simple task and it is often difficult to know where to begin. Working with partners who can support your business and truly understand what your business needs will help to mitigate some of these challenges when starting on this digital transformation journey. Sticking to the core priorities of resilience, redundancy, location and power when looking for a colocation provider should always remain at the forefront when embarking on the decision-making journey. These core fundamentals should not be overlooked ahead of ‘new’ or cutting-edge features. Ultimately, any of these new technologies emerging through the market are only as good as the core features of the data centre they are operating in. A facility that does not have truly diverse power or connected network routes may have the latest liquid or immersion-cooled racks for example, but will still fail under a power cut, highlighting the importance of choosing the correct data centre facility. Colocation customisation Certainly, as colocation requirements evolve, customers are increasingly looking for the ability to customise to make their chosen data centre space bespoke. For your business to thrive, mission-critical systems need to be designed to work in parallel with each of your customers’ IT roadmaps. From custom features, branding or additional layers of security, the ability to take the space and tweak it to the customer’s specific needs is vast becoming the expected norm across the industry. With the option of ‘built to suit’ on the rise in the sector, enabling a host of unique and custom features that ensure the customer can build the space as they need, is crucial to keep up with customer requirements and the extremely competitive market. Colocation certainly isn’t one-size-fits-all and colocation providers have to be able to cater to the needs of their customers without compromising on the core foundations of the data centre. Colocation providers also have the opportunity to reach different markets, such as the gaming and entertainment industry, when offering bespoke and customisable options, in comparison to only offering set solutions. For example, in the gaming industry, offering bespoke solutions such as gaming towers, in whichever form they take, and having the right dynamic service partner, can mean gaming innovators can ensure their facilities are completely built to suit, taking into account gameplay traffic, high spec game upgrades, local connectivity requirements and more. When choosing your colocation provider, you must choose a facility that is consultative, provides technical support and dedicated resources on-demand, to ensure all requirements for you and your customers are achieved. Power up! Power consumption is ever-increasing, and resilience remains key to handling this growing consumption, so digital transformation technologies within data centres need to develop to keep up with demand. Having the foresight to forward plan and ensure that your critical power infrastructure, like UPS, ATS and Switchgear are future-proofed and scalable, is vital for end-users. As an operator, uninterruptible power is essential, but that power should also be sustainable. Here truly diverse renewable energy feeds can play a critical part in delivering sustainable service to customers. To protect your customers and your business, redundancy must be included within the core priorities of your colocation selection process. Planning for the future and planning for the worst-case scenario is how you secure your data within a data centre environment. By partnering with a colocation provider which is resilient and secure, you ensure your systems, processes and infrastructure are set up to still ‘function’ even if the worst was to happen, protecting you and, importantly, your customers. Operationally you need to ensure you have processes in place to deal with any situation that may arise, so you can respond in a controlled way. Again, when choosing your colocation supplier, this remains a key focus as you can supply your customers with a reliable backup solution. It is important to flag any issues you currently have and also have an open conversation with your potential supplier regarding expectations - this way the colocation provider can ensure all of your power needs are met without any fault. The core foundation of your IT infrastructure cannot be under-estimated. When partnering with a data centre, it is pivotal that the technology underpinning the data centre is as future-proofed as the hardware that is being deployed within it. To future-proof in the current climate, it’s not just about working to industry best practices but exceeding these perimeters and this applies to your strategic partners too.

Securing supply in the face of growing grid strain

As data demand continues to surge post-pandemic, colocation data centre operators have been tasked with satiating Europe’s digital appetite. However, with grid strain also peaking, some countries are beginning to impose restrictions on data centre connections going forwards. Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, discusses the importance of securing power supply in the face of this industry challenge. Post-pandemic, the role of data is more critical than ever to our everyday lives. The persistence of remote working is one of the lasting reminders of the lockdown landscape, while demand for streaming services and online gaming continues to surge. Naturally, this has contributed to increased pressure upon Europe’s data centres, with a CBRE report published in late 2021 indicating that colocation supply in the FLAP (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris) market was 17% higher than that of the previous year. The true cost of downtime This growth in demand has added fuel to the fire of an already-burgeoning industry challenge, with electrical demand now exceeding supply in a number of key markets. The resulting effect is grid strain, which has called into question the reliability of many facilities’ mains connection. For many colocation data centre operators, this poses the risk of blackout should the demands of peak time become particularly strenuous. The Uptime Institute’s 11th annual Global Data Centre Survey highlights on-site power as the primary source of downtime in the past year, and asserts that the majority of outages remain preventable. Despite this fact, the report also indicates that 65% of outages costed $100,000 or more in 2021, while 15% costed more than $1,000,000. As such, the physical consequence of grid strain for data centre operators is apparent. Warding against grid strain Moreover, with grid strain becoming so severe in a number of key European markets, some countries are beginning to impose restrictions on data centre connections going forwards in an attempt to alleviate stress on their respective national grids. In Ireland, for example, national supplier EirGrid has forecasted that data centres could account for as much as 25% of the nation’s electrical demand by 2030. Resultantly, section 4.2.4 of the organisation’s 2019 Connection Offer Policy and Process declares that ‘Firm Capacity’ will only be provided if the facility can demonstrate the ability to make on-site power generation available should it be necessary. Otherwise, the site will only be entitled to ‘Flexible Demand’, which will fluctuate with strain on the grid. On a local scale, EirGrid stated late last year that it would not be accepting any new data centre applications until 2028, with applications outside of the capital reviewed on a strictly case-by-case basis. Here, Ireland may serve as a warning as to the changes that may follow in the FLAP market, with these cities experiencing similar levels of strain. The changing face of legislation While energy shortages are by no means a new phenomenon in this sector, the possibility of a blanket ban on data centre connections presents an entirely new challenge. Exacerbating this further is the introduction of new environmental legislation, which has had a knock-on effect for data centre operators looking to top up their energy supply. Until recently, one of the most common methods of power remediation was through the use of diesel gensets, which acted as a back-up energy supply should a facility’s mains supply dwindle or threaten to cut out. However, the introduction of the European Commission’s Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) has significantly limited their use. The MCPD aims to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter – all of which are by-products of diesel combustion. This is a move that has been echoed in the UK with the introduction of low and ultra-low emission zones in a number of major cities. This is a particular concern for colocation facilities, which are often based in urban areas and are already facing the brunt of grid strain. An heir to diesel It would appear as though the combination of these factors has created somewhat of a perfect storm for colocation data centre operators, who have now been stripped of a primary method of remedial power generation when it is needed most. For this reason, it is necessary that the scope is expanded in the search for a solution. Here, there are a number of alternative technologies that may help to bridge the energy gap. First and foremost, operators that would like to continue using gensets should consider introducing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a drop-in fuel, allowing for an immediate reduction in local emissions. For a site with temporary load requirements of 1MW for a generator and 1MW for the UPS system, this simple switch can deliver a 90% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, while also cutting NOx and PM by up to 25%. For those looking for a more permanent heir to traditional diesel systems, Stage V generators, such as those used by Aggreko, may prove a sensible option. These high-performance gensets are equipped with diesel particulate filters, catalytic reduction systems and diesel oxidation systems to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Crucially, these features make these gensets fully compliant with the MCPD and fit-for-use in low and ultra-low emissions zones. In order to help curb inefficient generator usage, Stage V systems can be incorporated as part of a load on demand package, wherein a larger generator is replaced by multiple smaller ones that scale up or down in accordance with demand. Research from Aggreko has found that hired solutions are often ran on as low as 30% capacity – a far cry from the recommended level of 80%, so this consideration is key. This approach is particularly crucial to the data centre construction phase, with load demand experiencing high levels of fluctuation. Returning to the aforementioned example of UPS power requirements of a 1MW generator and 1MW UPS system, switching to two 600KVa Stage V generators instead results in a 25% reduction in CO2 and overall fuel consumption, as well as an 85% reduction in local emissions. Battery storage systems Besides HVO and Stage V, the final technology that holds great potential for power remediation in the data centre sphere is battery storage systems. Here, the concept of ‘energy shifting’ allows energy to be stored from solar or thermal sources, to be redeployed when grid supply dwindles. This is done by way of a spinning reserve system, with battery storage automatically topping up supply in a matter of seconds to help avoid a costly blackout. This approach also provides scope for the creation of a genset-battery hybrid system, equipping the operator with maximum flexibility to ward against power shortages. Final thoughts While the tightening of both power procurement and environmental legislation initially appears to be a challenge, it is clear that there are effective methods of overcoming grid strain without violating sustainability commitments. To ensure that these tools are accessible, Aggreko has recently launched its Greener Upgrades initiative to support the data centre industry in its move towards net zero. Here, by offering solutions that are both environmentally friendly and pragmatic, the company aims to help contractors make impactful choices to reduce emissions while keeping operating costs to a minimum. Incorporating decentralised energy solutions on-site is not only critical to alleviating current grid strain, but to future-proof against any legislative shifts that may limit new connections, such as EirGrid’s Connection Offer Policy and Process. Here, it will be necessary for data centre operators to broaden their horizons in the search for a comprehensive solution, as only through an all-encompassing approach can the effects of grid strain be alleviated.

Zayo increases fibre presence at Proximity’s UK edge colocation data centres

Proximity Data Centres has announced the completion of Zayo’s high-capacity dark fibre network at its edge colocation data centre in Chester Gates near Manchester.  Additionally, Zayo is nearing completion of a new dark fibre network connection at Proximity’s Nottingham edge data centre. Combined with the existing Zayo connection at the Birmingham facility acquired earlier this year, Proximity now offers customers, carriers and service providers three strategic Zayo direct points of presence (PoP).  Zayo’s dark fibre connection to Proximity Edge 4 at Chester Gates allows service providers to offer a range of low-latency services to businesses located in the Northwest of England – including a growing number of applications developers and content delivery providers (CDNs) – looking to move data and content closer to users. Services offered by Zayo will include dark fibre, Ethernet, wavelengths and IP. Additionally, the company is provisioning low latency circuits from Proximity Edge 4 to data centre hubs in Manchester, Dublin and the USA, allowing its customers increased resilience when connecting to cloud services. “We are delighted that Zayo is continuing to increase its points of presence across our expanding footprint of regional UK edge data centres,” says John Hall, Managing Director – Colocation, Proximity Data Centres. “This is in line with our strategy of enabling Proximity’s sites to function as secure interconnected regional communications hubs for the benefit of our customers, offering the widest availability of diverse high-speed, low-latency fibre connections to carriers, ISPs and cloud providers.”    He adds: “Together with Zayo, we will be offering ultra-low latency cloud on ramp services to all major public cloud providers.”   Andrew Tipping, Business Development for UK, Zayo Europe says: “Proximity’s edge data centres are ideal points of presence for Zayo, enabling us to address growing demand from businesses and service providers for more network capacity in key regional areas. Connecting to Proximity’s strategic hubs in major UK conurbations allows us to further satisfy their latency, bandwidth and backhaul requirements.”  Proximity’s expanding UK network of interconnected regional edge data centres currently includes sites in Birmingham, Bridgend, Swindon, Nottingham, Rugby, Liverpool, Chester Gates and Wakefield. The company expects to have 20 sites available within the next 12 months, all in close proximity to major conurbation areas.   

Boost your data centre build time

The global colocation data centre market is expected to double to more than $62 billion from 2017 to 2022. Pam Cannon, ABB’s Head of Marketing for Global Data Centre Solutions, discusses the latest solutions and strategies to boost the build time of new colocation centres. To remain competitive in this fast paced and highly competitive market, data centre operators need to ensure they have enough quality colocation space to service new customers. However, opening new centres that will remain partially filled for a time is ineffective in terms of resources. Here’s a look at the company's four most effective strategies to speed up data centre builds by up to 50%: Pay-as-you-grow strategy Pay-as-you-grow ensures you grow both sustainably and profitably by installing capacity little and often. Rather than making sizeable upfront capital investments that build too much capacity for initial demand, data centre operators can make sure they only spend as more customers come onboard by installing new capacity in line with demand. This optimises cash flow and secures revenue quickly, as the individual installations are smaller, thus faster, to deploy. For example, ABB worked with US-based data centre operator, GIGA, to design a system that would initially support 60MW of IT load and can be scaled to expand in increments of 2MW. The expansion project was completed in less than six months, allowing them to onboard customers as they continued to build capacity. Modular solutions Modular, prefabricated solutions not only enable a pay-as-you-grow strategy, but also helps speed to deployment so that operators can meet crucial project deadlines and generate revenue faster. eHouses, for example, are industry-proven, prefabricated solutions that can be quickly transported and installed on site, reducing risk of project delays. Already factory-tested to meet all necessary data regulations, eHouses can be shipped and packaged in one order, simplifying communications and logistics to a single point of contact to streamline processes and save on onsite manpower. Another benefit of prefabricated solutions is that they improve reliability and optimise the speed of data centre build and maintenance. Since the solutions are pre-tested beforehand, onsite engineers and installers are helped with a 'plug-and-play' approach – site connection, testing, and commissioning are all much faster, reducing risk of schedule delays and cost overruns. Some even provide a tax advantage since they can be depreciated as equipment rather than building. Overall, compared to traditional build methods, the build time from engineering to construction can be reduced by up to 30% when using modular, prefabricated solutions. Going another step and using predesigned eHouses and skids could reduce that time by a further 20%. Digitalisation Not only does digitalisation give operators the benefit of remote condition monitoring of equipment, but it can also speed up deployment time and profitability. Digital switchgears, for example, replace hundreds of copper wires with a single fibre optic bus cable. In this way, digitalisation can reduce wiring by up to 90%, significantly decreasing installation time. Similarly, the sensor technology of digital switchgears enables operators to alter system parameters via software rather than needing to make hardware changes in traditional builds. These can be done later in the production cycle and reduce expensive and time-costly hardware changes. Users of digital switchgears can also make adjustments via built-in device settings or download software updates remotely whenever necessary, providing for safer and more reliable and energy-efficient equipment. Online tools Modern online web applications and tools can cut data centre deployment times compared with conventional methods for configuring low voltage technology. In many cases, these online applications can help shorten the time to manufacture to weeks rather than months. Configurators provide savings on time and cost by eliminating potential errors in product specification. Through innovative web apps with 3D visual interfaces, data centre operators can easily retrieve specific product information, including images, technical specifications, and product availability before placing an order, reducing chances of project delays. The use of online tools also simplifies product orders, as production, assembly, packaging, and delivery can be done in one accurate and streamlined process. These tools are somewhat like an online store, but instead of going through numerous online listings to find the right price and specification, it does the work for you.