Increase capacity and cut energy consumption says Dataracks
Dataracks new recycling service and free blanking panels eases pain of server upgrade.
Upgrading to new generation servers is causing a headache for data centre and facilities managers, as it requires replacing existing cabinets with deeper racks, and also increases demand for cooling. Dataracks is offering pain relief in the shape of a new recycling service for old metal rack cabinets, plus free samples of its energy saving blanking panels. The company is encouraging organisations to use the change as an opportunity to cut energy consumption and simultaneously increase capacity in the data centre.
Jeremy Hartley, Managing Director of Dataracks, the enclosures company, explains that even small measures can improve the efficiency of the data centre and meet the recommendations of the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centres Energy Efficiency.
“Deeper servers have greater demand for cooling but there are a number of measures that can be implemented to off-set this. One of these is to manage airflow through the cabinets using blanking panels that fill the empty spaces. We have developed blanking panels that can fit all 19-inch rack cabinets and also novel zero u-space vertical infill panels that can accommodate rack mounting products and cable management, freeing up 30 percent more space in the cabinet and providing airflow management.
“Through thermal analysis of our customers’ data centres we have revealed hot spots, poor airflow and areas of stagnant air that can easily be rectified by implementing best practice. These measures are easy to implement even in a live environment, and can improve the resilience of the data centre.”
Hartley’s commitment to environmental responsibility extends from the manufacturing process to end of life.
“We have always taken away customers’ old rack cabinets when refitting a data centre, as we have procedures in place for recycling all the scrap metal produced by our manufacturing facility. Many organisations have reported scrappage as a major problem, so we are now extending this as a service.
“All our cabinets are made in the UK, and the painting process is solvent free. The paint plant is modified to recycle the water and the ovens have additional insulation to cut energy usage. All our materials can be recycled or are biodegradable, even the sticky tape. Our procurement is biased toward material with recycled content.”
The company has also developed ‘flat packed’ cabinets and wall boxes that can be bolted together onsite reducing the storage and transport costs. They have a fraction of the carbon footprint of imported cabinets at a comparable cost and offer a robust solution for corridors and offices.
“Unless we take measures now, it is predicted that the data centre industry will consume more energy than the airline industry by 2020. Already over 50% of the energy is used to cool the IT servers and this is increasing. Many energy saving procedures such as airflow management are easy to implement and can provide a ROI within weeks. Now is the time to take action,” says Hartley.