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CASE STUDY choice and deployment of uninterruptible power supply ( UPS ) systems is of paramount importance .
At DUB3 , Interxion is utilising Schneider Electric modular UPS systems to provide continuous power to the IT racks within the new data centre . These are 1.6MW units arranged in a hexa-load design , which was developed by Interxion ’ s in-house engineering team and has in recent years been deployed across multiple sites .
The hexa-load design allows four modular UPS systems to always offer 2N power redundancy to an entire rack by sharing the load in such a way that a failure of any one system causes the load to be shared by the other three while each is operating at 75 % capacity .
The modular nature of the Schneider Electric UPS products is also an advantage , according to Mulhall . “ Customers are becoming more demanding with regard to speed of deployment ,” he says . “ We have to roll out new capacity and have it up and running within very tight time frames . Modular systems like the Symmetra UPS allow us to grow in step with our customers ’ requirements .”
The flexibility of response also influences the choice of cooling architecture at DUB3 . The facility has a raised floor with a cold aisle containment configuration because it provides greater flexibility when populating the IT halls , in accordance with the changing requirements of the company ’ s customers .
A prominent market position “ The Irish data centre market is unique ,” explains Tanya Duncan , MD of Interxion Ireland . “ We are seen as a gateway country for large international companies who need a local presence for their European operations . As such , the local market is very large for the size of the country and the service providers are very knowledgeable in the way that they build and operate their data centres .”
The DUB3 facility provides premium data centre services to Interxion ’ s clients who range from local Irish companies to larger international corporations and the Cloud platform providers , across a wide range of business sectors . According to Karl Mulhall , Operations Manager of Interxion Ireland , the new facility is designed to support a total IT power load of 5MW , when fully populated . This , he says , is driven by the demands of their customers .
Uninterruptible , resilient power Schneider Electric has traditionally worked with Interxion as one of their suppliers of critical infrastructure components . This is consistent in many of the companies operations across Europe and helps to guarantee efficient and reliable operation of their data centres .
Maintaining full service to the customer operation in the event of an outage is a vital requirement , therefore the
Energy efficiency is a cool focus When the outside ambient temperature exceeds all options for free cooling at DUB3 , adiabatic coolers work in conjunction with external chillers . The cooling infrastructure , provided by Schneider Electric , includes computer room air conditioners ( CRACs ), containment systems and Data Centre Infrastructure Management ( DCIM ) software .
Cooling efficiency is a major challenge for all data centres and each new Interxion facility in Dublin has been designed to be progressively more efficient than the last . The Power Usage Effectiveness ( PUE ) metric , namely the ratio of the overall electrical energy usage of a facility divided by the energy utilised by IT equipment , has decreased with the evolution of technologies available in the market today , and the design of each facility .
Security is a critical consideration In addition to delivering detailed customer reporting on the availability of power , climate control and various other aspects of data centre visibility required by clients , the integrated DCIM solution provides an exceptionally high level of security .
One of DUB3 ’ s key features is that its StruxureWare for Data Centers DCIM system has to protect against cyberattacks and external threats , something that the company has engaged in heavily with Schneider Electric . n
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