Special data centre report
VAR
progressive organisation, incorporating some of the most advanced technologies on the market, such as the latest flywheel UPS system, as created at Sudlows’ award- nominated data centre for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. “By considering enhanced design features, such as the energy-efficient flywheel, the predominant aim was to demonstrate how the council could improve IT performance, reduce carbon footprint and make a real investment for future Council services,” explained Hirst.
One of the flywheel solutions is a generator electronically coupled with a Diesel Rotary UPS system (EDRUPS). “These typically operate in unison,” Hirst pointed out, “however we engineered a solution whereby the technology would fit the physical size of the room – a highly complex, yet adaptable solution compared to standard installations.”
Flywheel technology has picked up momentum over recent years. As Hirst states, it is not necessarily a ‘new’ concept, but Sudlows finds that its development for data entre applications now perfectly targets organisations that are greatly concerned about energy efficiency and sustainability targets. “Although this large piece technology costs around 5 times more than traditional UPS options, this is outweighed by the return on investment over a certain number of years,” said Hirst. “This shows how we must weigh up the pluses and minuses for the applicability of each environment.”
Unforeseen incidents
Unique to the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council facility was the construction of an external state-of-the-art disaster recovery centre. This was built so that, in the event of unforeseen incidents or threats to the organisation, an identical office and IT resource could maintain, support and protect critical council operations.
“This shows how a multitude of factors – location, footprint, energy efficiency, noise levels and business continuity – must be considered in the early data centre consultation stages due to the impact they have on the running of an organisation,” said
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Hirst, who added: “Public sector transformation projects are particularly driven by efficiencies and budget constraints, so the types of technologies that we recommend must be justifiable in the application environment.”
Sudlows works in all UK business sectors to deliver niche data centre applications. Hirst points out that the company’s involvement in developing ‘green’, energy-efficient installations has highlighted that many large NHS Trusts, local authorities and university campuses are currently looking to consolidate the number of UPS rooms across their expansive sites, which are each supported by their own UPS and air- conditioning components, to create one prime space for both efficiency and cost effectiveness. “Working in this sector has propelled our involvement in these forward- thinking installations,” Hirst remarked.
Vendor independence
Hirst explained that Sudlows’ vendor independence within the market means it is free to source exactly the right technology to suit the situation and customer. “This cultivates positive feedback from clients,” he said. “This is because they have complete confidence that we have opted for the best technical solution, weighing up the advantages and disadvantages, rather than one preferred supplier in a ‘one-fits-all’ scenario.”
Hirst added that Sudlows opts for certain distributors because it has found it can consistently rely on their quality products, levels of support and speed of response. “We want to create a dialogue between manufacturer and installer where we can engage and communicate needs for a truly fit- for-purpose solution,” he said. “This is a reason why we hold technical seminars geared around client technology interests in partnership with companies.” Hirst added that a recent critical power seminar was presented by Riello, Euro-Diesel, KST and PNU. Hirst explained that it is at these seminars that Sudlows aims to provide a technological hub of knowledge and raise end-user awareness of what is available on the market. “Working
with our clients and partners is an open learning experience for all, whilst vitally retaining the commercial confidence required in this business,” he said.
Active approach
According to Hirst, Sudlows strives to ensure the highest standard of facilities and individually assesses all manufacturers on an approved tier scale for both service and quality. “We find this extremely valuable for our clients, as we can recommend our suppliers on a project-by-project basis for the most efficient products and according to each varying budget,” he said. “We only select suppliers who have a record of working seamlessly with us to reduce manufacturer delivery times, bringing new products to the market quicker than others. Together we adopt an active approach giving end-users the chance to keep up to speed with the rapidly moving technical space and types of technologies available on the market.”
Hirst concluded by saying Sudlows likes to feature power and cooling solutions that challenge traditional data centre design projects. However he states that, at the same time, it is vital not to compromise the pre- requisites and suitability to each project. “This may mean installing a conventional UPS solution like in the case of Anglia Ruskin, or, on the opposite end of the scale, EDRUPS like with Blackburn with Darwen. You could say our work is extremely varied.”
IT RESELLER – MARCH 2011 9
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