Case Study: $6 Million Data Center Modernization Project
Recently, a data center modernization project was completed by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. This project, which cost $6 million, consisted of building automated and standardized infrastructure capable of adjusting to the varying workload demands. The power and cooling system of the data center was designed to keep up with dynamic technology while staying within the capacity constraints, budgets, and efficiency demands. Due to the importance of protecting the servers and information in data sets, this project also consisted of evaluating and redesigning the security system.
Due to the nature of its operations, DWSD needs to have consistent and dependable access to its information systems in order to facilitate operations and provide quality customer service. Therefore, DWSD deemed it necessary to develop more reliable infrastructure to minimize the risk for serious disruption. The upgrade served to make the data center far less susceptible to breaches, as information security happened to be a major concern for DWSD.
The project succeeded in updating the data centers of DWSD to meet the industry standards for improved operational sustainability, supportability, and reliability and uptime. DWSD currently has two data centers. One data center serves as the primary facility while the second data center, which is located elsewhere, serves as the backup.
As a result of this project, the two data centers are now far easier to maintain, troubleshoot, and improve. This will allow DWSD’s personnel to perform their tasks far more efficiently during downtime, upgrades, and relocations in the future. Some other advantages of this project include that the data centers are now more energy efficient and compliant with CIP requirements.
These changes were achieved through data center infrastructure management, which refers to the combination of IT and facility-management disciplines. The purpose of DCIM is to centralize intelligent capacity planning, monitoring, and the management of the critical systems of a data center. DCIM tends to bring control, consistency, and greater predictability whenever it is incorporated into a data center. Specialized software, sensors, and hardware were implemented in the data centers during DSWD’s project. DCIM also tends to lead to improved service assurance.
In conclusion, this upgrade gives DWSD the power to integrate their data, strengthen their network infrastructure, and optimize their equipment in their two data centers.
