“Ensuring there’s no wasted cooling is vital,” says Chris Flanagan, Data Centre Development Manager of Fujitsu Services. “Accurate control of the airflow through KoldLok Grommets allows us to consider energy-savings strategies such as increasing CRAC set points.”
Data Centre Needs
Fujitsu Services delivers IT service to more than 200 mid-sized businesses and multinational clients in the private and public sectors across Europe, including retail, financial services, utilities, healthcare, and Government. These clients demand efficient and reliable data center environments, which are achieved, in part, by the precise management of the airflow.
Fujitsu’s Data Centre management services business helps its customers realize the value of information technology through the application of consulting, systems integration, and managed service contracts. When Fujitsu Services began to build its new facility, it set out to create the first Tier III-rated Data centre in Europe, based on the Uptime Institute standards. Fujitsu Services knew that it had to seek the most advanced and reliable solutions to ensure precise management of airflow in the Data Centre. To ensure that its client’s systems were cooled appropriately, the Fujitsu Data centre team knew that relying on over-provisioning, which invariably leads to inefficiencies, and ultimately to increased costs for both Fujitsu and its customers, was not the best way.
Solution
By pursuing detailed, diagnostic surveys of its data center environments through extensive temperature and airflow monitoring, Fujitsu Services was able to pinpoint specific issues, such as wasted cooling through unsealed holes and low airflow in the cold aisle. Now it had a baseline to work from and a detailed action plan to implement. Before discovering KoldLok Integral and Extended Raised Floor Grommets, designed and manufactured by Upsite Technologies to optimize current cooling infrastructure, mitigate equipment heat loads, and increase data center reliability, Fujitsu Services used various other methods for sealing holes in the raised floor, but none were completely satisfactory.
In addition to slightly inferior airflow-blocking qualities, installation times were excessive, as were lead times when ordering. “We find that the KoldLok product is very easy to install. Also, the fact that this is an off-the-shelf product allows us to reduce our rolling stock whilst still maintaining a continual supply,” says Chris Flanagan, Data Centre Development Manager of Fujitsu Services. Approximately 400 KoldLok Grommets are installed across two of Fujitsu Services’ 30 Data Centres, but Flanagan is confident that this number will increase significantly in the next one to two years. “Ensuring there’s no wasted cooling is vital,” he says. “Accurate control of the airflow through KoldLok Grommets allows us to consider energy-savings strategies such as increasing CRAC set points.” In less than six months, Fujitsu Services has saved £10,000 (US$19,700) on its energy bill for just one of its data centers where KoldLok Grommets are installed. Fujitsu’s return on investment was evidenced within the first six months. In its new data centers, Flanagan expects that KoldLok Grommets will ensure exceptional levels of energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint, both of which mean significant cost savings. “Every penny counts, even in a large company such as Fujitsu. Our improvements through KoldLok solutions ensure that the client’s IT is housed in a resilient and energy-efficient data center. With a healthy data center Fujitsu can deliver highly reliable Data Center Managed Services, but cost effectively and with a reduced environmental impact. Everyone wins.” To ensure maximum protection against bypass airflow, each cabinet in the Fujitsu Services UK facility has been fitted with a KoldLok Extended Grommet accompanied by a heavy duty steel plate, custom-built by EDP Europe.
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