ealthy mix of renewal energy sources; i.e. not too reliant on coal or petroleum. Next, providers should be assessed on the sophistication of the critical infrastructure systems within the considered data centers. Efficiency gains can most easily be realized by the cooling system in place. Is outside air used to cool the IT equipment? Is hot/cold aisle containment implemented? Are chillers optimized to sensitively scale cooling in conjunction with the IT load? Is cold air directed intelligently to ensure maximum interaction with servers? Finally, even if a data center features the most efficient infrastructure on the market, it’s only as good as the people operating it. Having a team that continually optimizes operations to improve power usage effectiveness (PUE) and other key operational indicators is perhaps most important.
In the midst of climate change, finding an energy efficient data center should not be an environmentally-aware organization’s sole concern. Selecting a site that is protected from a more volatile climate is also crucial. The EPA tracked 32 weather events in the United States that caused at least $1 billion in damages between 1980 and 2012. It’s unclear if data center outages were included in the Agency’s summation, but those costs are nothing to sneeze at. Last year, Data Center Frontier published a report that estimates the average data center outage costs over $740,000 dollars and will only grow as companies rely more on digital applications. This is where site selection comes into play – companies need to pinpoint locations that not only meet their latency requirements, but also provide an environmentally and geologically stable climate.
DataSite not only has facilities in exceptionally safe environments, but also strives to minimize its carbon footprint. The utility power we leverage takes advantage of hydroelectric, wind, and solar sources. We employ the latest cooling strategies to minimize our energy usage including free-air cooling, high-efficiency chillers with variable frequency drives, thermal insulation, chilled water to the rack, plenum and chimney returns, and hot/cold aisle containment. Our seasoned operations team is always seizing efficiency gains, leveraging infrared imaging to both diagnose and document the reduction of bypass airflow in all DataSite facilities. Our customers, in addition to the environment, benefit from our penchant for sustainability. Since PUE is factored into our metered power program, all efficiency gains are passed down. And we’re always looking to drive down our PUE!
As a provider of data center services, we are going to work even harder of Earth Day to reduce our environmental footprint through infrastructural improvements and even more diligent operational procedures. We know the Internet is only going to grow. As a supplier of its most foundational infrastructure, we promise to do our best to minimize the environmental cost. In return, we ask users to make intelligent choices.