Networks Europe Jan-Feb 2019 | Page 47

CONTAINERISATION "Containerised solutions can form small data centres where they help resolve space, deployment time, build complexity and cost challenges" Over the last couple of years, we’ve consistently seen customers try and overcome the same challenges: making effective use of space for their data centres, and secondly trying to build them as quickly and efficiently as possible. While the modular panel constructed data centre remains a really great way to overcome these challenges, it’s not always the best one. For some, their data centre needs are simple enough that they can consider a micro data centre approach using cabinets housed in offices or rooms. However, for those needing something more substantial, containerised solutions offer a number of benefits. You probably associate the term ‘containerised data centre’ with huge data centre projects, such as those run by the public cloud vendors with tens of thousands of servers and the need for constant growth. In those instances, they’re chosen for speed, cost-effectiveness and ease of installation, but those benefits are not only true when working at scale. There are several scenarios where a containerised data centre might be just right for you, even if you’re a much smaller business. By Chris Wellfair, Projects Director, Secure I.T. Environments www.siteltd.co.uk The containerised data centre and why it’s a serious contender for your precious workloads… Smaller, faster, simpler Containerised solutions can form small data centres where they help resolve space, deployment time, build complexity and cost challenges. Additionally, they are very flexible and depending on the internal configuration can perform very well in high-density applications. They are also stackable and can be extended if specified as a requirement at the design stage. In an emergency, containerised solutions can also shine as part of a disaster recovery plan if already fitted out with the infrastructure, where they can be rapidly deployed to a site as a temporary solution. If you’re facing a data centre design and build challenge and any of the following resonate with you, then the containerised data centre approach is definitely worth consideration for some of the reasons below: Speed is of the essence If you need your data centre built quickly, containerisation can substantially shorten delivery times. Many companies offer them in standard ‘ready to load’ configurations, but you can, of course, have the interior designed to meet your specific requirements if your partner offers this. 1 47