THE EDGE
and power. Having
access to rack-level
data provides exactly
the data platform
needed for the kind of
software-enabled real-
time decision-making
and scenario
planning capabilities
that organisations
need to optimise
critical facilities.
up with tracking data centre thermal
performance and ensuring that the right
cooling, power and space strategies
are in place, it’s easy to see why many
data centre teams view the process as
an administrative burden rather than a
positive activity.
We’ve been working to address this
challenge through the application of our
SaaS-powered monitoring, management
and optimisation software, however
we knew that we also had to make the
process as accessible as possible for data
centre operations staff.
That’s why we’re helping operations staff
by replacing complex spreadsheets with
easy-to-use 3D visualisations that show
exactly what’s going on in real-time.
Innovative room builder technology means
that modelling your room is as simple
as dragging and dropping critical rack
and cooling assets into place, while the
latest ‘what if?’ simulations also help you
to experiment safely with different rack,
power and cooling layouts to find your
optimal M&E configuration.
By working to make the whole process
easier, we’re helping data centre operators
to achieve true thermal piece of mind by
achieving ASHRAE adherence, securing
significant cooling savings and also
enabling data centres to free up further
capacity from their existing infrastructure.
3D visualisation is just the start
True data centre optimisation requires
a proven, safe process that’s based on
thousands of real-time sensors and expert
spatial models that combine to remove
the uncertainty from data centre cooling
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Issue 01
The next stage is
to use the software to take things to
the next level, actively supporting data
centre teams with advice about what
they can physically do to improve their
centre’s performance. Drawing on
sensor inputs and software analysis, our
software now advises our customers
about data centre floor tiles or grilles that
need changing, recommends immediate
adjustments to setpoints in the coldest
parts of the data centre room, while also
tracking air handling units to highlight
and suspend those not actually doing any
active cooling.
Working from a common
performance data set
Central to effective data centre
performance optimisation is the
requirement for data centre managers
and their IT and facilities management
teams to have access to the same core
set of performance information. By
providing a common data framework for
managing their critical estate, different
teams can rely on a trusted, single point
of information that’s ready to support
decision-making and support improved
collaboration and workflows. Instead of
waiting for sign-off by other teams, a data
centre’s power, IT and cooling specialists
can all work together from a common 3D
data set.
This combination of effective 3D
visualisation, Internet of Things (IoT)
sensors, a common data set and analytics is
combining to offer a powerful tool in helping
organisations to drive energy efficiency
and risk reduction in data centres. It’s a
great example of Gartner’s ‘Digital Twins’
approach, where intelligent modelling and
analytics are deployed to help organisations
monitor and control their increasingly
complex assets and processes.
Gartner sees this Digital Twins model
as a great way for organisations to
disrupt traditional CAD model-based
management, drawing on innovations
such as 3D modelling and IOT sensors to
provide continuous data updates from the
data centre floor.
Supporting changing data centre
demographics
Data centre teams will also quickly
come to rely on their sensor + software
enabled Digital Twins model as their
operations continue to evolve, particularly
as they come to terms with managing
their expanding edge and hyper-scale
activities. It’s a model that’s well-suited to
changing data centre demographics and
the changing knowledge expectations of
younger employees particularly.
The next industry generation will become
increasingly comfortable with the concept
of managing their data centre operations
using exactly the kind of real-time enabled
3D operational models outlined above.
And, perhaps critically, they’ll also be
empowered to make active optimisation
decisions based on this trusted data
centre digital model. Indeed, they
may succeed in achieving what their
predecessors have long hoped for –
being able to navigate their data centre
careers without having to resort to
outdated CAD drawings and inflexible
departmental spreadsheets. ◊
EkkoSense’s Dr Stu Redshaw
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
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