“As a partner organisation to work with, we’ve found eCool Solutions very knowledgeable in the Datacentre space, and very flexible. It’s been good to work with them on the project because they have been able to meet all our requirements, often at pretty short notice.”

Sarah Edwards, Business Manager, NetBenefit

 

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NetBenefit

The issue | The strategy | The outcome

Netbenefit - datacentre

The issue

NetBenefit was looking to improve its environmental performance, reduce its energy consumption and enhance its control over temperatures within the Datacentre.

Keeping Datacentres cool is critical to their performance but it is energy intensive and as high availability is crucial to customers there is considerable equipment redundancy. For example, it is standard practice to maintain one or more spare computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units as a backup if one fails.

NetBenefit’s new Datacentre facility is powered by renewable energy but NetBenefit wanted to further reduce its energy consumption by increasing the server density per rack. This presented a challenge as it increased the risk of hard-drives, servers and other equipment overheating.

The answer was Cold Aisle Containment from eCool Solutions. This is an innovative, low-cost solution to an enormous industry problem. The eCool system improves airflow management in Datacentres through a unique system of blanking panels, innovative aisle end closing either by curtains or sliding doors and a special suspended cold aisle ceiling. The result is greater capacity in existing Datacentres, higher resilience, significant savings in energy consumption and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

The strategy

“As a partner organisation to work with, we’ve found eCool Solutions very knowledgeable in the Datacentre space, and very flexible. It’s been good to work with them on the project because they have been able to meet all our requirements, often at pretty short notice.”
Sarah Edwards, Business Manager, NetBenefit

eCool Solutions carried out a thermal imaging analysis to identify hot spots and obtain a measurement of peak temperatures within the Datacentre. The data enabled NetBenefit to identify any potential areas that were at risk of overheating within the Datacentre.

eCool Solutions’ Cold Aisle Containment was installed into NetBenefit’s new Greater London Datacentre. The system manages the flow of cooled air through the racking and aisles. It maintains a consistent working environment leading to optimum cool air temperatures, reduces energy use and minimises equipment failure due to overheating.

Once the Cold Aisle Containment system was installed, NetBenefit’s engineers reported almost immediately that hot spots were eliminated and that the ambient temperature within the Datacentre was within the manufacturer’s guidelines, standards laid down by ASHREA and the EU Code of Conduct Best Practice for Data Centres. Hot air return temperatures were raised to give further energy saving benefits.

NetBenefit’s core switches transfer air from side to side as opposed to the servers that transfer air from front to back. This created challenges in the installation of Cold Aisle Containment, although eCool Solutions was able to quickly design a prototype part which channelled the air effectively.

NetBenefit’s clients want to know not only that their data is being hosted in a safe and secure way, but that it is available 24/7 and that environmental concerns are being addressed. The eCool installation helps NetBenefit to address all of these issues, and is mentioned explicitly in NetBenefit’s proposal literature to potential clients. The Greater London Datacentre is billed as being a more environmentally friendly option.

The outcome

“eCool Cold Aisle Containment directs the cold airflow into the hardware, so it isn’t wasted. You can feel a definite difference, and the hardware performance is noticeably improved.”
Dean Clark, Head of Hosting Services, NetBenefit

Manufacturer’s optimum temperatures maintained, costs reduced

  • Ideal temperatures achieved and maintained within the Datacentre environment.
  • Reduction in risk of hard-drive failures due to overheating.
  • Extended expected lifetime of hardware and reduced equipment costs by working within manufacturer’s guidelines.

Increased server density enables more efficient use of space

  • Server density was increased per rack without overheating as a result of maintaining an optimum working temperature.
  • More efficient use of Datacentre space with no compromise on safety or operations.

Energy usage reduced

  • Energy usage lowered by around 15% following installation.

Optimum layout for new Datacentres

  • Close partnership between eCool Solutions and NetBenefit on the design and specification of the new Greater London Datacentre ensured optimum performance for the Datacentre from the outset.

Advantages for both new and existing Datacentres

  • Successful installation at new Datacentre facility.
  • Following the success of the installation at the new Datacentre, Cold Aisle Containment was retrofitted at NetBenefit’s London City Datacentre without requiring any downtime to carry out the work.