DATA CENTRES & CABLE MANAGEMENT
IT monitoring brings sustainability to data centres
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Martin Hodgson, director Northern Europe, Paessler AG explores three reasons why IT monitoring tools are integral to the sustainable data centre
usinesses around the globe are rushing to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations to gain a competitive edge and capitalise on the market boom, with the sector
currently valued at £72.3bn in the UK. Whether integrating AI as a bolt-on technology or restructuring entire IT ecosystems around it, one thing is clear: generative AI is here to stay. Though the AI boom presents many exciting opportunities for organisations, it also means IT teams and facilities managers will need to consider new challenges when it comes to their data centres. One of the most significant challenges faced will be the excess heat generated by new structures, with data centres and data transmission networks currently responsible for nearly 1% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. To support the UK’s mission to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050, monitoring energy usage, as well as gaining increased visibility into data centre operations at a granular level will become fundamental. Recently, the mayor of London’s development corporation was awarded £36 million for a project that will divert excess heat from data centres into homes. These initiatives are a positive step in the right direction. However, to manage skyrocketing emissions, quick decision-making will need to be facilitated by cutting-edge technologies that convey an accurate picture of an estate’s carbon footprint in real time.
Advanced monitoring technologies can also play an integral role in enhancing the security of estates. Consolidating monitoring data in one tool provides facilities managers and IT teams with centralised dashboards and alerting capabilities, for the most holistic picture. When data is monitored at every location, from OT environments, IIoT systems, wireless networking, physical data centres and traditional IT devices, we achieve genuine visibility. Such visibility will be key in ensuring data centres contribute to positive and sustainable change. And it will support businesses in staying one step ahead of threats as cybercriminals continue to evolve. In this article, we’ll look at three reasons why monitoring tools are integral to sustainable and secure data centres.
1. Effective Net Zero plans need to be backed by effective tools for measurement
Despite climate change and sustainability being top of the news agenda in recent years, research by Paessler reveals that only 37% of companies globally have started to work on sustainable IT strategies. While this shows some progress, data stored in data centres can be subjected to environmental and security issues if it isn’t monitored and analysed in real-time. For example, approximately 50% of the energy on the OT level in data centres is used for IT cooling. The use of the right cooling technology can reduce energy consumption by a third, but this can only be measured if it is monitored. Effectively monitoring and managing cooling in the data centre is even more important when you consider that overheated servers can lead to service outages and the breakdown of components over time. Paessler research also shows that cloud adoption remains slow, with just 19% of global storage infrastructure in the cloud – but this will no doubt increase exponentially in the coming years. Data centres have been under scrutiny when it comes to their environmental impact, and this is why regular regulation of energy efficiency in the data centre is so crucial. Monitoring and controlling the temperature is important for optimal equipment performance and to prevent unnecessary energy consumption.
2. Ensuring HVAC levels are consistent in the data centre
The overall environment of a data centre needs to be carefully regulated on a frequent basis; the temperature level needs to be monitored so that the equipment can operate efficiently. Servers and computers generate heat which detrimentally affects them. The ramifications of excessive heat are significant, ranging from potential breakdowns to heightened wear and tear on delicate IT components over prolonged periods. This has the potential to notably diminish the machine’s longevity and escalate the total operational expenditures of a large data centre.
Employing air conditioning serves as a viable
remedy for this concern, and even though it comes with a significant cost, it remains an indispensable one. The true hurdle encountered by facilities managers is maintaining temperature uniformity across a given facility, ensuring the absence of hotspots or excessive cooling so it’s as energy efficient as possible.
3. Proactively preventing component burnout
Extreme heatwaves are now contributing to regular data centre outages. Measuring energy usage and heat output across centres will be increasingly integral to deploy energy-efficient cooling technologies and prevent components from over-heating entirely. To prevent component ‘burnout’, it’s important to ensure a constant and reliable power supply for both IT equipment and facility operations. Disruptions in power supply will result in extensive downtime, violations of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
6 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2024
and the accrual of substantial expenses. As a countermeasure to potential power interruptions, data centres often incorporate dual emergency systems such as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). This is usually provided by battery-powered devices that can bridge short local power failures or compensate for local voltage fluctuations or Standby Power Systems (SPS), also known as Emergency Power Systems, often consist of generators. They take over the power supply in the event of normal power loss. To monitor the environment effectively,
organisations need a tool that can bring in data from IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) sensors, OT systems and traditional IT components using several common protocols. This data can then be displayed in a single place, making it easy to identify potential problems and take corrective action before they cause an outage or other disruption. Merely safeguarding computers and equipment falls short of rendering data centres resilient against physical as well as online risks. To enhance efficiency, the integration of cybersecurity software and infrastructure is important to avert data breaches. IT managers must ensure a fortified defence around the data, with the adoption of a company-wide Zero Trust approach considered among the few effective strategies to curtail data breaches. This framework acknowledges that trust can be exploited, prompting the arrangement of IT systems where access to specific data is exclusively granted individually.
The sustainability advantage
Businesses continue to keep ESG top of mind in every boardroom discussion. Sustainability will remain a priority even as the AI boom creates unprecedented demand for new data centre infrastructure. To manage these new structures and deliver on ESG strategies, cutting-edge monitoring tools will be indispensable for leaders looking to understand how, when and where to cut emissions most effectively. IT teams can often feel overwhelmed when it comes to the complex data centre environment, something that is especially true when data is scattered and fragmented across different teams and formats. That’s why any monitoring tool should also offer a ‘single pane of glass’ view, where data is channeled into a centralised system. When energy, HVAC and efficiency levels are visualised in one place via a simple, accessible format, IT managers and facility managers can make data-driven decisions at speed.
When drawing up new strategies for IT infrastructure, businesses should consider a solution that can reduce and prevent component burnout, but also protect the data centre from cybersecurity threats. This is especially important as the threat landscape becomes ever-more sophisticated; data is expanding exponentially, and so are surfaces for attack. By harnessing real-time monitoring, watertight security protocols and energy- efficiency measures, data centres can play a significant role in working towards a net zero future for all.
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