Telecom Operators – The benefits of assessing your Telecoms/Data Center Facility
When thinking about Data Centers it is often IT computer room rooms which come to mind with hot aisle/cold aisle arrangements to make the cooling efficient and UPS and generator systems to keep everything running in the event of a power failure. With almost everybody’s job requiring the use of a PC it is not surprising there is so much emphasis on getting the design of the data center right to keep these IT services running. However, just as crucial is the communications infrastructure which enables both data and voice communications from PCs, tablet and fixed and cellular phones. This is the realm of the Telecoms Operator. There are many guidelines on how to design a data center for IT facilities but fewer for telecoms facilities. Beware because there are many differences between an IT facility and a Telecoms facility. IT equipment generally runs off 100-240v alternating current supplies supported by UPS systems whereas Telecoms equipment runs off 48v direct current supplies supported by rectifiers. The consistency in the airflow requirements of IT equipment makes use of hot aisle/cold aisle room layouts as the preferred option for efficiency whereas Telecoms equipment is supplied with various different cooling airflow requirements meaning greater thought needs to be put into the layout of the space to improve efficiency. In reality many Telecom operators have sites which house both IT and telecoms equipment and so the problem of designing a reliable and efficient infrastructure is magnified. This combined with the demand to roll out systems as quickly as possible means that basic design requirements are often overlooked. In order to a balance the two requirements it is necessary to refer to a combination of different standards such as the TIA942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers or EN506000 - Data centre facilities and infrastructures standard (in development) and a series of ETSI standards (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). From auditing over 200 data center/telecom facilities it has become clear that there are key design and layout mistakes which are consistently made. An assessment of the site by a skilled consultant will identify these and provide recommendations on how to improve them. Typically physical site assessments require only a day or two on site but the skill is in evaluating the information gathered and assessing the best way to improve the site. The other lesson learned from auditing so many different data centers is that a great deal of money can be spent on designing and installing an infrastructure to match Tier 3 or 4 requirements but if the good operational processes are not implemented then much of this money is wasted as the site will only operate with the availability of a Tier 1 site.
For more information about Edarat Group www.edaratgroup.com info@edaratgroup.com
Everyone has different reasons for wanting an assessment of their facility but the some of the most common include; To understand and certify the ‘Tier’ rating of their facility To overcome operational problems and start the improvement process To understand their security vulnerability To improve energy efficiency and improve running costs To comply with other legislation All of these issues can be addressed by a comprehensive assessment of the infrastructure and, don’t forget, the operational processes. However, when choosing someone to audit your site make sure they have the experience and the qualifications to provide a comprehensive assessment and make sure they are independent with no affiliations to a particular manufacturer or product. If the right auditor is chosen then the result should be improved operational reliability and reduced costs due to improved efficiency. Edarat and their partners Capitoline audited 26 data center facilities for one of the largest telecom operators in Saudi Arabia. The timescales for the project were tight, but our consultants worked to an intensive schedule to provide a detailed evaluation of each data centre facility. We were able to complete the project in a time window between October and December. Each of the data center sites was audited and a comprehensive report was produced detailing and evaluating the suitability of; The site location The architectural systems (Floor layout, access and raised floor), The power systems (utility feeders, ATS, Generators, UPS, Rectifiers, PDUs), The cooling systems Communications and Cabling systems Fire detection & protection systems Security systems (CCTV, access control) Floor plans and equipment layout Health and Safety Energy rating (PUS DCiE) The reports also included; A GAP analysis evaluating the Tier level of each site against the TIA-942 data center standard Recommendations for closing all the gaps in order to meet the Tier level required. The client now has a template for improved data center infrastructure and a thorough understanding of what is needed to improve, reliability, security and efficiency at each of their data center sites.
For more information about Capitoline www.capitoline.co.uk info@capitoline.org