Throughout the U.S., data usage is skyrocketing — since 2010, average data consumption per household has increased 38 times. This puts significant pressure on data center owners and operators to find efficient ways to scale power capacity in response to demand. With endless design options available, many organizations have fallen victim to trying to reinvent the wheel, prioritizing customization over project efficiency. However, with speed to market cited as a key industry challenge this “start from scratch” approach is fast becoming outdated.
In a recent webinar hosted by Mission Critical, E+I Engineering VP of US Sales Shane Wolfram discussed how a standardized approach to data center design can provide an optimized framework for customization that facilitates efficient system modifications as power requirements continue to grow and change.
Key Takeaways
- The 4th digital revolution has begun. While many industries were suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Data Center industry flourished as a direct result of e-working, e-education and e-commerce and this uptake and is showing no sign of slowing down.
- Key issues in the industry are still project cost and project timeline
- As data center owners scramble to add more power capacity, speed of deployment is at the top of the agenda. However it is important that critical features of power infrastructure such as adaptability, power efficiency, footprint, safety and security are not compromised as a result.
- Upfront cost is still a huge concern for data center owners but total cost of ownership cannot be forgotten as this is where the most cost savings can be yielded.
- A standardized approach to Data Center design is needed to remain competitive and maintain a more favourable speed to market.
- Traditionally, data center design follows a very customized approach focused on unique customer requirements. Due to the level of personalization, there were no economies of scale to be gained and a lot more a lot more capital investment and engineering work was typically required to achieve the final solution.
- A customized approach to design can also result in a rigid design, where systems must be redesigned and reengineered if modifications are required. A standardized approach uses a repeatable reference design that can be easily modified to suit new requirements.
- A standardized approach to design not only speeds up the project timeline but also reduces capital costs as the process is streamlined, allowing you to cut back on engineering resources due to repeatability of design which in turn can reduce capital investment required.
- There is less operational risk with standardized approach as the same core design is reused, operational staff become more accustomed to how the infrastructure works and should be maintained. With a customized approach, site personnel are constantly tasked with learning new operation and maintenance procedures, this carries a greater risk as there is little familiarity in the procedures being carried out.
- Prefabricated data center power modules can significantly reduce required man hours during assembly, testing and installation and reduce the number of lifting operations required – In turn reducing project timeline, cost and on-site safety risk.
- Key attributes to look for in a modern integrated solutions partner include a modular power offering, design consultation offering and support to suit your specification, expertise in design, build, testing and power management.
