Constructing and operating a data centre - CDC
BENCHMARK

Constructing and operating a data centre

07.11.2022
Cadolto Datacenter
Data center

Constructing and operating a data centre - everything you need to know, incl. a checklist

Operating your own data centre not only makes you independent of third-party providers, planning and constructing your own data centre can also significantly reduce costs and save energy when using our concept. A state-of-the-art data centre is no longer a simple building, and the advantages of a modular construction system are now well and truly appreciated when constructing a data centre.

Our experts at Cadolto Datacenter GmbH want to explain in detail what you need to consider when constructing and operating your own data centre. At the end, you will receive a short checklist to help with the planning and construction of your data centre.

  • A modular construction system is the ideal solution when installing your own data centre.
  • The power supply should never fail.
  • Air conditioning equipped with the best components, if necessary with an adiabatic system, helps realise the highest potential energy savings.
  • Fire protection, without the use of water.
  • Intruder deterrent system/monitoring to prevent theft, espionage and sabotage.
  • New rental data centre: The investment-saving alternative that keeps you up-to-date with technical developments.

Choosing the ideal location for your own data centre

Before you start constructing a data centre, you need to choose a suitable location. If, for example, the necessary infrastructure – adequate fibre-optic network and a sufficient power supply – is missing, it makes very little sense to construct a new data centre at that location. With regard to the location, you should also choose a site where earthquakes, flooding, etc. can be excluded.

Before constructing a new data centre, you should also take a look at the surroundings of the potential new site. Industrial facilities, busy roads and biogas plants are just a few examples of things that make a location’s suitability questionable for your data centre. Substances such as exhaust gases can enter the building through its ventilation system and severely restrict the performance of the entire data centre.

Choosing the ideal size

The modular construction system utilised by Cadolto Datacenter, as a pioneer and leader in the field of modular data centre construction, has become a favoured alternative to traditional building methods (e.g. LEV1 in Leverkusen/Germany). When constructing a new data centre, the modular construction system offers the advantages of being much faster, more flexible, with no surprises in terms of costs and, in Cadolto Datacenter’s layout, highly energy efficient and future proofed. While meeting the top safety and security standards. With that kind of data centre installation, you can always adapt the capacity of your own data centre to your specific needs.

If your own data centre needs added performance, for example, you can easily expand it with the help of additional modules. Meaning its size always corresponds to the current needs of your company. Resources are never lost due to unused infrastructure, and you only invest as much as is currently needed. At the same time, your data centre reflects the requirements of your IT structure precisely.

In addition to its modular construction system, Cadolto Datacenter also offers complete equipment solutions, allowing you to adapt your data centre to meet your individual requirements. The modules are also available with the leading air-conditioning, power and rack variants, which are ideal for mounting up to several thousand servers. Cloud services, such as a public cloud, can be implemented easily and expanded as required.

Never disconnected from the power supply

A new data centre also wants to be supplied continuously with electricity. IT facilities usually require a lot of energy and are, therefore, operated with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Without a UPS, it is not only the online offerings and internal corporate communication that can be adversely affected by power outages. Stored data can also be damaged without an adequate power supply. Therefore, when setting up a new data centre, you will need UPS units, such as a diesel generator, to maintain the power supply in the event of an emergency.

The current energy crisis is once again underlining the importance of UPS units. Increased electricity prices must be compensated for, something which obviously leads to a higher risk of power outage. Depending on where it is installed, the UPS unit can also be used to avoid paying peak pricing rates for electricity (usually between 7 and 8 am and at 7 pm). Thanks to the generator in your own data centre, the data and technology are protected even during a power outage.

New data centres are significantly more energy efficient

Since your own data centre has to be efficient both productively and economically, energy efficiency plays the key role in reducing operating costs. For instance, each search engine user could power a 60-watt light bulb for an average of three hours with their monthly search queries. Data centres can consume several megawatts of energy; and this can only be reduced by ensuring the right layout and optimal air-conditioning technology for the server room, all geared towards meeting the respective requirements.

Costs aside, your data centre also needs to operate energy efficiently in light of increasing legislation to reduce the environmental footprint of your company. The average PUE value (power usage effectiveness) in Germany was still 1.59 in 2020. At Cadolto Datacenter, we have made it our mission to protect the climate. To do so, our experts have come up with an unrivalled efficient technology, which usually has a PUE value of less than 1.2.

Protected against heat 365 days of the year

If you are looking to construct an energy-efficient data centre, the ideal air-conditioning system also plays a key role. Server rooms not only become very hot during operation, they also have to operate 24/7. Direct free cooling with external air can be achieved when installing a false floor, for example. Direct free cooling involves drawing in cold air from the outside, feeding it through the false floor into the server room and allowing it to escape from the data centre building via the ceiling.

An adiabatic cooling system with free cooling is highly effective and climate friendly and should, therefore, already be taken into account when planning and constructing a data centre. Indirect free cooling based on the principle of adiabatic evaporation is proving to be significantly more effective and more energy efficient, allowing the construction of environmentally-friendly data centres with a PUE value of below 1.2. Cadolto Datacenter therefore recommends using the resource-saving Green Cooling solution, based on the adiabatic principle, to cool the hardware in your data centre.

Beware of ambient air

The atmosphere outside your data centre can also become a problem for the server infrastructure. Smoke, chemical compounds, aerosols and even heat can quickly turn into a problem for IT infrastructures. Adiabatic cooling and indirect cooling offer the big advantage of providing an effective solution to this problem. Utilising evaporative cooling technologies, the module is cooled indirectly with adiabatic assistance without any warm or cold air from the outside. Harmful substances are also prevented from entering the data centre.

Protecting your data centre against fire

When constructing a new data centre, it is always a good idea to thick about adequate fire protection. Fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, smoke sensors and early fire detection systems should all be standard features of your data centre. Water, however, can have a negative impact on IT components, which is why extinguishing solutions with liquids must be avoided at all costs. Gaseous extinguishing systems and smoke extraction systems are the better option and ensure your server infrastructure is not totally destroyed in the event of a fire.

The structural design of the data centre modules makes it extremely difficult for fire to enter your data centre in the first place. Cadolto Datacenter additionally offers its products with F90 fire-resistant walls, which can withstand flames and smoke for 90 minutes and longer. As such, the oxygen supply can also be interrupted in the individual module to ensure the fire basically extinguishes itself. In the modules that are not affected by the fire, operation can continue as normal.

Protected against theft, espionage and sabotage

When operating a new data centre, intruder deterrent systems and monitoring are vital aspects that need to be considered. This includes not only basic video surveillance, but also burglar alarm systems. Yet another key task is assigning, checking and documenting staff access to the data centre. This all helps to prevent theft and espionage.

However, these actions alone are not enough when operating your own data centre, as the danger of sabotage should never be overlooked. Power cables, emergency generators, air-conditioning technology, etc. have to be monitored at all times.

Construction of a new rental data centre

Besides increasing demands, one of the main reasons for operating your own data centre is most probably to save overall costs. Cadolto Datacenter regularly achieves excellent pricing relative to its competitors, despite offering higher-quality equipment. But this does not mean that you are limited to an off-the-shelf solution, since a data centre tailored to your specific needs can be rented!

For a monthly fee, you can rent a data centre from Cadolto Datacenter true to the slogan “CDC CAPEX – we, not you, invest in your data centre”. Such a high-end data centre can be operated energy efficiently without you having to invest anything extra; yet enables significant savings from the first day of operation. This model is therefore cost effective and efficient at the same time. Also, against the background of changing financing parameters and rising interest rates, it is a real alternative. And it is not simply intended for companies looking for a temporary solution. As it is also a great choice for those looking to expand their own data centre in the future. Thanks to its modular design, expansion of the data centre is pretty straightforward without interfering with ongoing operations.

Future proofed with the ideal partner

Many things that also play an important role during the planning stage have to be considered when constructing a new data centre. Cadolto Datacenter is the ideal partner to ensure your data centre project goes to plan. Before offering specialist advice, our experts will also provide you with the best solution to meet all your data centre requirements. Together with Cadolto Datacenter, you will work cost effectively, environmentally and energy efficiently, and will be well equipped to deal with any future challenges.

Checklist:

The right location

  • Is the infrastructure for a data centre in place?
  • Will your data centre be negatively impacted by its local environment?
  • Is there adequate protection against extreme weather conditions and natural disasters?

The right construction techniques

  • It makes sense to use the modular construction system with its advantages of prefabrication and rapid assembly, since it can also be better adapted to your needs.
  • All services from just one provider. No risk of problems with subcontractors.
  • Expansion of the data centre possible during ongoing operations.

The right power supply

  • The power supply must never be interrupted.
  • UPS units and diesel generators prevent power outages.

The right energy levels

  • Focussing on air conditioning and state-of-the-art IT.
  • Keeping the PUE value (power usage effectiveness) as low as possible.

The right air-conditioning system

  • Server rooms must be kept cool 24/7.
  • The simplest option: Direct free cooling via a false floor, if necessary.
  • The most effective solution: Indirect free cooling via adiabatic evaporation technology.

The right ambient air protection

  • Server rooms must be protected against the ingress of moisture and other substances.
  • An adiabatic cooling system and indirect free cooling help to keep substances in external air out of your data centre.

The right fire protection

  • Installing fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, smoke sensors and early fire detection systems.
  • Using gaseous extinguishing systems and smoke extraction systems to ensure fires can be extinguished without the use of water.
  • A modular construction system protects against fire entering the data centre and can stop the supply of oxygen.

The right intruder deterrent system/monitoring

  • Protection against theft/espionage: Video surveillance, burglar alarm systems, access authorisation, access control and access documentation.
  • Protection against sabotage: Monitoring all the components of your data centre (incl. power cables, emergency generators, air-conditioning system).

The right operation for cost efficiency

  • Operating your own data centre is cheaper than sourcing services from third parties.
  • Cadolto Datacenter offers rental data centres that help save costs and energy from day one true to the slogan “CDC CAPEX – we, not you, invest in your data centre”.

FAQs:

What do you need for a data centre?
In addition to the appropriate IT hardware and server racks, a data centre needs a well air-conditioned building and a guaranteed, uninterrupted power supply. Security technology should also be installed to prevent theft, sabotage and espionage.
Who constructs data centres?
Cadolto Datacenter GmbH is the market leader when it comes to the construction of modular, prefabricated and IT-ready data centres. The modular construction system is characterised by quality, speed, flexibility, energy efficiency (PUE value of below 1.2) as well as safety and security. The company also offers user-specific prefabricated planning services, also for rental data centres.
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