As we head into the New Year, Leo Craig shares his data centre trends for 2015 with Electrical Review magazine.
With everyday lives increasingly reliant on the ‘Internet of Things’, it’s undeniable we’re living in an information age. And with the rise of cloud computing, modern data centres need to provide customers with the flexibility to make decisions quickly, but with limited risk.
In a far-reaching chat with Electrical Review magazine, Riello UPS’s Leo Craig explains what increasing demands on data are likely to mean for the sector.
Amongst the data centre trends that Leo predicts are uninterruptible power supplies will become more closely integrated with Smart Grid electricity networks. This is partly due to the increased availability of lithium-ion (Li-ion) UPS batteries, which encourage energy storage. It’s also a reflection on the state of the National Grid and how the electricity network is struggling to cope with increased demand.
Data centres are also likely to be faced with increasingly stringent legislation and regulation. The European Commission’s voluntary ‘Code of Conduct for Energy Efficiency in a data centre’ may develop into something more mandatory.
Industry body the Data Centre Alliance (DCA) also has a certification scheme to help businesses on the way to a more efficient future.
Leo Craig’s 5 Data Centre Trends For 2015
- Rise of modular UPS: Modular UPS ultimately offers the maximum in availability, scalability, reliability and serviceability whilst also offering high efficiency, low cost of ownership and a high power density as space is always a premium in the modern datacentre.
- Floor space flexibility: Floor space within a data centre is often limited and required for revenue-generating server racks. Modular component UPS systems can be expanded vertically provided there is room for additional UPS modules. Alternatively, horizontal expansion simply requires the addition of a further UPS cabinet.
- Operating efficiency: By rightsizing the UPS to the load size, maximum operating efficiency can be achieved. This is because maximum efficiency is typically achieved when operating at 80-100 per cent of the design capacity.
- Ease of use: Modular UPS systems are slightly easier to service and repair in situ because a failed UPS module can be ‘hot-swapped’. The failure or suspect module is then returned to a service centre for investigation. To return a standalone UPS system to active service may require a board swap.
- Availability: In terms of resilience, both modular and standalone UPS approaches can be configured to provide similar levels of availability. Modular UPS systems have a premium price compared to standalone UPS. But when the space saved and the total cost of ownership are considered, the overall price is comparable.
Read Leo’s full predictions and data centre trends for 2015 at the Electrical Review website
