Commencing in January 2008, the refit and upgrade programme involved the complete replacement of all generators, critical switchgear and UPS systems, to produce a multi-tier infrastructure supporting multi-tier hosting and storage services. As well as installing a secondary cooling system, InTechnology also created a high density hosting area and has added a further 120 additional cabinets of hosting capacity. By increasing the density and energy efficiency of the site, the company has reduced the per foot energy cost by 20%.
Completed in November 2008, all of this work was achieved without any impact on customer service.
“We take our customer service responsibilities very seriously and foresaw a need to upgrade our IT systems which will enable us to assure service stability and availability for a further 15 years,” explains Bryn Sage, Chief Operating Office at InTechnology. “The existing infrastructure was built in 1990 and technology moves on at a pace. The steps we have taken will ensure that our customers receive a service which is second to none in our industry.
“It also means that we are now running a greener operation, which is important for us, our customers and the environment.”
The work involved replacing two 1,000Kw generators (installed in 1990) with three more efficient units, additional day tanks and 35,000 litre bulk fuel tank – enough to operate the whole site for at least five days.
These generators were used to support various parts of the facility throughout the upgrade and provided power to the cooling systems for over a month without any problems occurring.
And in the event of the unthinkable, such as a major fire, happening, all critical areas of the data centre are protected with automatic fire suppression systems. Should a fire break out, Argonite gas can be released into the affected room. This displaces enough oxygen to extinguish any fire while leaving the area safe enough to breathe, although an evacuation of staff from the area would have happened.