September 15, 2022

Comms Centre supports the design of bespoke data centre solutions to power essential healthcare equipment

Customer

The customer is a substantial networks company based in Somerset.

Problem

One of the company’s customers (a hospital) wanted to build a new data centre on their site. This was needed to house new networking equipment as there was no space left in the hospital’s existing data centre physical infrastructure.

The physical facility that they wanted to use as a room was not suitable without a major conversion. It had a corrugated roof structure, with concrete flooring, and multiple pillars and obstructions in the room. These design elements meant that it was going to be quite challenging to convert the space into an entire data centre that was secure and functional with all the data centre components that are vital to any data centre infrastructure.

The company knew what they wanted to achieve with the design, taking inspiration from modern data centres, but they didn’t know what products they needed to get the end result that they desired. They approached us for advice on what options we could offer to support the data centre design that building contractors were working on.

Solution

We identified four different products within our portfolio that would suit the application. Some of the products had long lead times, but the technology was slightly better. While others had shorter lead times, but would not be quite as effective. Our goal was to find the right balance and choose the best solution for the project.

We visited the customer’s site and then designed bespoke units to fit the room structure and meet their requirements. Our team also designed a cold aisle cooling system solution, to keep the room at the optimal temperature whilst keeping energy efficiency in mind. This was essential to protect the hospital’s network equipment and network infrastructure from becoming damaged due to overheating.

Outcome

We worked in partnership with our customer and the hospital to successfully install the new facility on the site.

The hospital now has a data centre that is fit for purpose to securely house their new network equipment and infrastructure. They have been able to take advantage of existing space on their site which is much more cost-effective than building a brand-new structure.

We were also able to design the new facility in-house. This eliminated the need to outsource to a specialist design agency which reduced the hospital’s design costs significantly. Our ultimate goal is to find the best product for our customer based on their specific needs, requirements and budget.

FAQs

How long does a project like this take from end to end?

We have been working on this project for roughly three months. It usually takes around four to five months to complete a project of this type and size.

Who are the key stakeholders on a project like this?

The key stakeholders are the end client, which in this case would be the hospital. The facilities team in the hospital identified what room could be used and the IT team then identified what equipment was needed. They then communicated with an M&E design consultant to create a design plan for the project. Other parties were then instructed such as the structured cabling team and ourselves.

What are data centre solutions?

Data centre solutions refer to the products and services needed to create and maintain a data centre. Products can include key technologies such as IT equipment, like servers, routers, storage systems, and firewalls, as well as supporting infrastructure for the physical data centre, like cooling systems, batteries, generators and cabling.