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Views: 82 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2021-12-28 Origin: Site
Today's data centers are more dynamic than ever, and constant change is often a reflection of market behavior as organizations strive to anticipate new customer needs. In the data center information technology (IT) space, innovations that improve performance often drive investments in data center modernization. As a result, it is not uncommon for servers to be updated or upgraded every three years, and servers are only one part of a data center facility.
When it comes to data center operational technology (OT), traditional infrastructure (such as power, cooling and ventilation facilities) is updated at a much slower pace (typically 10 to 20 years for equipment such as UPS batteries and server room air conditioners). But now that operational technology (OT) system design is beginning to be applied to built-in intelligence, digital components, and network facilities, there is a risk of downtime and financial loss around the long-term idleness of modern OT systems. In fact, outdated physical infrastructure can sometimes prevent the anticipated benefits of IT technology renewal.
When modernization of the physical infrastructure of the data center is neglected, the following issues arise.
New equipment for data center infrastructure is far more efficient than legacy equipment. As a result, legacy equipment is often synonymous with higher energy consumption. In the case of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), for example, the energy cost of the original UPS power supply (additional energy cost due to inefficiency) is nearly $400,000 more over a 10-year operating period when compared to a modern UPS power supply (96% efficiency) with the same load characteristics (88% efficiency) as a traditional UPS power supply. In fact, some UPS power supplies can reach 99% efficiency when operating in eco-mode. The same is true for cooling facilities, which traditionally consume more power in a data center. And with the new cooling system less energy is used, resulting in less CO2 emissions.
When determining system reliability, it is important not to confuse the reliability of individual power components with the reliability of the power system. The reliability of a power system depends on its weakest link. If the data center infrastructure has not been modernized in 8 to 12 years, there are still many weak links, and the question is not if a failure will occur, but when. The original data center infrastructure equipment requires more time, effort and expense to provide support. For example, parts inventory decreases over time and spare parts can cost more. The mean time to repair (MTTR) for data centers will also increase as it becomes increasingly difficult to find the right technicians to repair legacy equipment. In terms of data center cooling, innovative cooling systems use less floor space and are often much simpler to access and maintain, which also reduces repair time.
In today's data centers, the term flexibility implies the need to deploy data center assets in innovative ways that allow data center operations to grow faster. Because the market changes rapidly, data center operators also need to react quickly. Traditional outdated physical infrastructure can limit this flexibility, and installing advanced IT equipment in legacy data center facilities can limit the benefits of their adoption of new technologies. In some cases, new IT technologies can overload the legacy infrastructure or even cause it to fail. If an existing UPS power supply cannot meet the organization's current or future mission-critical performance requirements (e.g., required redundancy and runtime levels to support the entire IT load), the UPS power supply is in an "end-of-life" state. Newer technologies such as modular, scalable infrastructures and mobile on-premises infrastructures are key enablers of data center flexibility as they support rapid business expansion.
Modern data center physical infrastructure systems now provide data operators with warning signs of aging systems. For example, instead of identifying problems when UPS power systems fail, new remote monitoring services provide data on the life and warranty of components such as AC capacitors, batteries, DC capacitors, fans, power supplies, contactors, circuit breakers, power modules, air filters and more.