Would You Buy A Data Centre Delivered By Truck?

The modular approach means that while the initial facility is easy to deploy – pre-fabricated modules are delivered by truck – further units can be added to expand the site if necessary. This can be done by linking units together or even stacking one on top of the other in multiple floors. This has benefits over both the bespoke data centre approach which may need new buildings and maybe over-specced.

There is no need to build a 5000 square-metre site based on what you might be doing in five years. The modular aproach lets you build what you need now and expand it as necessary.

The relatively short build time means the modular approach competes with the container-style facility in deployment time but has the scalability, quality and longevity that companies require. Unlike the containers, these are real data centres but just put together in an innovative way.

Green credentials

The flexible nature of the modular approach hasn’t been developed at the expense of sustainable design either. Each facility is capable of using free-air cooling up to 25 degrees Celsius while waste heat from the main exhaust ducts can be siphoned off to heat nearby buildings.

Other environmental considerations include the use of recyclable steel in the main structure of the units. The structure is also largely self-supporting which cuts down on the need for the embedded carbon associated with a large concrete floor.

While the sustainable design of the facility itself is important, the headline figure wich managers will be looking at is the PUE or Power Usage Efficiency. On a scale where as near to one as possible the better, Colt’s modular data centres have a target design PUE of around 1.21 under defined operating conditions.

When it comes to deploying the units, companies can choose to site them either at a location of their choosing or at facilities owned and operated by Colt which has 19 major locations across Europe. The company may be mainly known for its telecom services but it has more than 15 years experience in the data centre arena and provides more than 21,000 metre-squared of space to its customers across Europe.

Drastic warnings about the state of the economy and the environment might indicate that radical action is the only course open to meet the challenges head-on. Taking a piecemeal approach to new infrastructure to keep down costs or conversely committing to time and resources to a monolithic green build might seem like the only options available. But as with many things, there is usually a middle way available that carries the advantages of the extremes but few of the downsides.

By its very nature, the modular approach is one that can respond to today’s uncertain economic, societal and environmental landscape. Flexibility will be fundamental to thriving in these conditions where having too much or too little of a vital resource can spell the difference between success and failure.

Akber Jeffer is a general manager at Colt Data Centre Services