Why Reliable Power Protection is Critical for Data Center Operators

John Collins is a Product Line Manager for Eaton.

You may not know it, but last month we celebrated World Backup Day, in which the tech industry encouraged both consumers and professionals to back up their important data. The occasion served as a good reminder for data center professionals that backing up critical data means having the right power protection strategy in place to ensure data center downtime doesn’t translate into lost revenue for their businesses.

But not everyone took notice. In fact, it’s somewhat surprising that many operators consider reliable power protection to be low on their list of priorities, even though it can have major implications for data loss. During the course of operation, power sags, surges and outages are unavoidable, and more than capable of damaging valuable IT equipment and cutting off access to important data. Because of this, it’s essential that data center operators incorporate a robust power protection solution into their overall data center design strategies.

This article will provide an introductory overview of why comprehensive power protection is critical to ensuring continuous uptime in the data center. Additionally, we’ll look at an example of how one data center operator, ByteGrid, recently implemented a comprehensive power management and monitoring solution to help ensure reliability and reduce the risk of downtime in its facility.

Why Power Protection Matters

No company can afford to leave its IT assets unprotected from power issues. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

This should serve as a sobering reminder to data center managers that they simply cannot afford to go without reliable backup power as part of a comprehensive power protection strategy. Now we’ll look at how one data center operator realized the critical nature of power management as it grew its multi-tenant facility, and took the necessary steps to implement it.

ByteGrid Case Study

When ByteGrid, a leading provider of complaint hosting solutions, began planning a major expansion of its Cleveland Technology Center (CTC) – the city’s largest multi-tenant facility – the company embraced a lofty aspiration: to deliver customized data center solutions with the highest level of compliance. The company pledged to tailor the exact space that each of its customers desires, not a one-size-fits-all approach that many other multi-tenant facilities take. To achieve this, ByteGrid’s project leaders knew they needed to implement a robust power management solution within the company’s exceptionally secure, 333,215-square-foot Tier 3 space.

Understanding the importance of reliable power protection, ByteGrid installed two uninterruptible power systems (UPSs), each consisting of 2 x 750 kW, which ByteGrid expected to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by leveraging groundbreaking energy saving technology while increasing power system reliability.

Conclusion

Data center downtime is unacceptable for any operator, which is why it’s critical to implement reliable backup power management solutions as part of their data center design strategy, whether building a new facility or expanding an existing one. ByteGrid provides a strong example of one such company that understood the importance of having reliable power protection solutions in place and took the needed steps to make its vision a reality. Operators should take a good look at ByteGrid’s example when reviewing their own power management needs and consider adding new power protection capabilities to lower costs and reduce the risk of costly outages in their own facilities.

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