This university was seeking to upgrade its existing data center to support the next generation of its High-Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities. The primary challenge was ensuring that the data center infrastructure could handle increased concentrated demands while maintaining its reliability, scalability, and capacity objectives.
Continue readingRepublic Bank Limited
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Statement of Requirements, Design, Engineering, Construction Management
IBM/BRUNS-PAK were selected by Republic Bank Ltd. to develop a statement of requirements, architectural design and engineering, construction management consulting and commissioning services for a new data center and support infrastructure building to be developed on a Greenfield site outside Port of Spain, Trinidad. Upon completion the facility has become the new primary data center for the Bank.
The project scope included the infrastructure development of the undeveloped site; providing communications and utility services. The single story structure, which is approximately 26,000 square feet in area, is raised roughly five feet above the surrounding grade to enhance security and provide protection from flooding. The new facility provides the Bank with over 10,000 square feet of raised access floor space; including approximately 5,000 square feet of “white space”, 2,500 square feet of future expansion “white space”, a Command Center, a War Room, a Staging area and other raise floor support functions. The structure, designed to withstand category ‘3’ hurricane winds, is a concrete frame with an insulated exterior metal wall panel system over concrete block exterior walls and covered by a ‘double roof’ system. The receiving area / loading dock supports both the IT technical functions and the mechanical / electrical infrastructure areas.
The mission critical facility incorporates a ‘2N’ segregated independent redundant electrical systems to provide concurrent maintainability in an “A/B” configuration, with the potential of a future “A/B/C” configuration. The mechanical system provides ‘N+1’ redundant configuration and utilizes a ‘hot aisle’ containment system in the Data Center. A ‘double interlock’ pre-action sprinkler system provides protection of the entire facility while a full flooding gaseous suppression system provides primary protection for the Data Centre and other critical areas. An Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD) system provides for early detection in critical areas.
When you want to know what trends should be on your radar as a data center professional, Mark Evanko is a good source of knowledge. With nearly four decades of experience in the data center space, the co-founder and principal engineer at data center consulting firm BRUNS-PAK understands where today’s trends came from – and where they’re going.
He has his ear close to the ground, getting feedback directly from BRUNS-PAK’s target market. He hears what issues are top of mind for board executives and senior management when planning their data center developments and uses this to help maintain a multi-point strategic planning model.
In the past, that model has featured 19 elements that impact enterprise data center solutions. They have included cloud computing, colocation and disaster recovery.
Evanko has moderated a panel about trends in the data center space at Data Center World Local, Washington D.C. on May 15. Attendees at this Data Center Enterprise Transformation presentation learned the “elements” and fundamental concepts associated with the continued transformation. The panel also explains what board of directors, senior management, stockholders, trustees, and taxpayers are looking for in their data center solution and provide a vendor-neutral overview of total cost of ownership vs. risk.
One of the most significant factors associated with data center transformation is cybersecurity, especially as it pertains to cloud computing, Evanko warns.
“If data is ever taken, stolen or corrupted at a third-party venue, there is no recovery for the enterprise. They can’t sue the third-party provider because they absolve themselves of any liability,” he says. He adds that large third-party cloud and colocation service providers will generally not take liability for security breaches in client contracts because it would be prohibitively expensive for them.
“Some of these large enterprises are weighing that risk,” he explains. This manifests itself in decisions about which applications to take off-site and which to retain on a company’s premises. He has a process called ‘candidacy’, in which BRUNS-PAK reviews products and services against several tiers of mission-criticality. The cloud has a role in less critical applications, he says.
Evanko warns that there is still much educating to be done as companies struggle to keep track of a rapidly changing data center landscape. “Many of the customers that we have come across have not necessarily understood what the impacts are,” he says.
Therein lies his fundamental message. When it comes to managing transformational data center trends like edge and cloud computing while keeping your information safe, data center professionals must understand how to balance risk, total cost of ownership, and functionality.
That can be a difficult path to walk, which is why understanding the impacts of these new technologies is so critical.
In festive holiday spirit we’d like to share with all of you, 12 Days of Mark Evanko’isms! 12 Days of personal attributes, quotes and one liners from our one of a kind Principal, Mark Evanko!
Day 1: Today we would like to highlight the term in which Mark introduces himself in meetings, conferences, presentations etc: “Mark Evanko, a Paranoid Schizophrenic Conservative Engineer”
Day 2: Mark Evanko is a gentleman and does not use profanity. Here are some of our favorites: “We’re gonna be in deep sneakers!”
“He’s a Cone Head.”
“Tell him to go jump in a lake!”
Day 3 – how Mark expresses the chaos and uncertainty of the day to day:
Since 1980, we have worked with IT and facilities executives all over the globe across many organizations, Academic, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Public Sector and deliver real business value every time by providing:
Our customers and engagements have kept us on the forefront of technology advancements and data center evolution. Being the go-to trusted partner allows us to devise and deliver versatile, industry-leading solutions. Employing our professional’s fulltime, we mitigate a huge risk in our industry of avoiding mistakes made by untrained professionals. Clients like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard University, CVS, Dell, Darden Restaurants, CSX, University of Miami, The State of Connecticut, Geisinger Health Systems, LA County, Great West Life, First Energy, and Dollar Tree all have partnered with us in order to entrust us with some of their most prized infrastructure decisions and builds.
BRUNS-PAK’s extensive cross-functional skill in information technology, data center design, capacity planning, energy management and LEED-certified design, engineering, construction and commissioning, co-lo, and cloud are unique in our industry. We have pioneered the integration of Heat Wheel, DCIM, 400v technology, and Cloud Candidacy to keep our client base ahead of their competition and TCO down.
If you have a green-lighted data center, co-location, or cloud project, take a few minutes to review the attached information and learn why BRUNS-PAK should be your design/build/technology/cloud partner.
If you’re beginning to explore how your enterprise could benefit from adopting a flexible, hybrid approach, we offer the “BRUNS-PAK Hybrid Data Center Study” along with the “Co-location Site Optimization Comparison Analysis” to help you create simplicity in a complex world. It provides a fast path to strategies and approaches applicable to your existing infrastructure and IT platforms.
We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you and create a technology environment that meets your exact business needs.
