Datacentre UK Case Studies

Blackpool with a national reputation for innovation and excellence in learning is one of the largest Further Education Colleges in the UK and therefore had a particularly demanding requirement to provide a strategically flexible IT resource to support both FE and HE learning requirements. The College has embarked on a policy of green and sustainable procurement and therefore the purchase of such an energy intensive resource had to meet green objectives, particularly so as the new Central Hub building at the University Centre project is an award winning 'BREEAM excellent accredited' building.

Given the requirements that the capability of the new Data Centre was to respond to anticipated future new campus requirements. The solution needed to be flexible, have additional capacity available to pick up both expansion and shifts in the shape of the organisation whilst avoiding energy waste. N + 1 on UPS and cooling solutions were of course mandatory. The closely coupled HACS solution provided by Datacentre UK and by APC gave such a platform and in an integrated package that could adjust to the varying needs of the organisation. Spare capacity for additional UPS resource, the provision of an external generator and a chiller solution making the most of the UK climate were key. Access control and remote monitoring needed to bolt in to existing infrastructure which was easily achievable with the flexible Netbotz monitoring suite.

The facility has both server and data communications cabinets supported by a UPS and cooling solution which is scalable to 40kW N+1, allowing rack densities of up to 14kW in any single cabinet. The UPS is currently operating at 20kW N+1. The facility utilises hot aisle containment with in row close coupled cooling and chilled water supplied by two 40kW Free Cooling chillers configured as N+1 with an auto changeover panel. The project completed 1 week ahead of schedule allowing the College to begin early deployment of new systems.

This project was nominated for a Innovation in the Micro Data Centre at Datacentre Leaders Award 2009