SUMMARY

Business Solution: Datacentre, Global Banking Organisation

Technology: APC

© 2016 Comtec Enterprises Limited

CASE STUDY: DATACENTRE, GLOBAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION

Recognised for its expertise with large UPS systems

in mission-critical financial services datacentres,

APC Elite Partner Comtec Power was brought in by

the bank’s lead facilities management partner to

assess the situation and advise on options.

BANKING ON AN ESSENTIAL UPGRADE

The bank’s previous UPS infrastructure was around

10 years old. What this meant in practical terms

was that the UPS:

l Did not comply with the latest energy

efficiency standards brought in since it was

first manufactured and installed.

l Was approximately four times larger and

heavier compared to new UPS systems

capable of the same power rating.

l Was more prone to battery failure and other

risks, owing to the age of components, and

was not covered by manufacturer warranty.

The bank was keen to protect its core data

infrastructure with the most up-to-date UPS

technology, right-sized to their requirement.

TIGHT TURNAROUND

Comtec’s recommendation was to replace the

bank’s 4 x 60kVA UPS infrastructure with 2 x

120kVA from UPS market leader, APC.

The bank agreed to the proposal on the proviso that

Comtec engineers could remove the old systems,

and install/commission the new systems within 24

hours. Comtec Power took on the project planning

immediately and a date was set for the transition to

take place during a weekend, to mitigate the risk of

any potential disruption.

STABILITY AND SAVINGS

The project was a resounding success, with Comtec

able to hit all of its project deliverables, including

the all-important objective of completing works

within 24 hours. This encompassed:

l Safely decommissioning the 4 x old 60 kVA

UPS systems, removing old cables and

disconnecting battery links etc.

BACKGROUND

This worldwide banking corporation is one of the largest on the planet

with over $1 trillion in assets under management. Like all other major

global financial institutions, it has a large presence in the UK.

It was at its main London site where a UPS failure had exposed risk to its

core datacentre.

© 2016 Comtec Enterprises Limited

ABOUT COMTEC POWER

Comtec Power specialises in the design, build, maintenance and on-going management of datacentres and

server rooms.

Our service encompasses new builds as well as the refurbishment and upgrade of live facilities. Our goal is to

create efficient, technically excellent facilities that are scalable to meet the power and cooling demands of latest

generation IT equipment.

We are an experienced systems integrator with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the IT industry. We

are perfectly positioned to deliver highly resilient solutions for high-density IT deployments and our on-going

maintenance and management services help to reduce the threat of systems downtime, mitigate the risk of thermal

shutdown and keep facilities operating optimally.

T: 0800 008 7599

E: info@comtec.com

www.comtec.com

Head Office

Comtec House

Albert Road North

Reigate

Surrey RH2 9EL

l Carefully maneuvering each of these

through the datacentre and outside for

removal and disposal

l Preparing the datacentre and its power

distribution for the introduction of the 2 x

120 kVA UPS systems

l Installing the systems into place

l Fully testing the systems and commissioning

them into service

In fact, the project was so successful that the bank’s

Head of Technical Services for EMEA wrote a letter

of thanks for the Comtec Power team. It read:

“I would like to express my thanks and recognition

for the team… who worked diligently and efficiently

to deliver a difficult project under testing conditions.

Their quality of workmanship, attention to detail

and also the clean and tidy workplace after

installation was a pleasure to see. A job very well

done.”

The bank now has a new UPS system with the

following benefits:

l Far greater available room in the datacentre,

with the new system occupying one-quarter

of the previous space. This valuable space

can now be exploited by other

infrastructure.

l Major OPEX savings in the shape of reduced

cooling load required to maintain a safe

operating temperature in the datacentre.

l Far more efficient and responsive UPS

capability based on the latest technology

l One-year APC manufacturer warranty, which

the bank may extend for future years

leveraging Comtec Power’s highly accredited

APC Service Partner capabilities.

© 2016 Comtec Enterprises Limited

 

  ©  2015  Comtec  Enterprises  Limited  Page  1 

Case  Study:  Datacentre,  Research  Company 

 

Business  Solution:  Datacentre 

Technology:  APC  

This  organisation  is  one  of  the  world’s  leading  research,  analysis  and  publishing  firms  and  has 

experienced  significant  recent  expansion  through  a  series  of  acquisitions.    Based  in  the  US  with 

annual  turnover  running  into  billions  of  dollars,  the  firm  relies  on  the  integrity  of  data  to  protect 

its  reputation  and  exploit  the  value  of  intellectual  property.     

It  needed  to  relocate  its  UK  headquarters  and  required  a  new  datacentre  build  to  accommodate 

its  critical  IT  infrastructure.   

Comtec  is  an  APC  Elite  Partner  specialising  in  the  datacentre  requirements  of  dynamic  businesses.   

Shortly  after  identifying  Comtec  as  a  possible  supplier,  a  delegation  from  the  firm  visited  Comtec’s 

purpose‐built  demo  datacentre  in  Surrey  to  see  some  of  the  latest  APC  by  Schneider  Electric 

technologies  in  action,  and  discuss  its  requirements. 

A  Wealth  of  Challenging  Needs 

The  firm’s  requirements  were  for  a  datacentre  that  would  achieve  industry‐leading  efficiency 

levels,  resulting  in  greater  sustainability  and  lower  running  costs.     

An  RFP  was  issued  to  Comtec  and  two  other  providers,  outlining: 

‐ A  new  six‐rack  datacentre  build  including  power  distribution 

‐ Re‐use  of  its  existing  APC  UPS  from  the  decommissioned  datacentre  at  the  previous  site 

‐ An  efficient,  N+1  design  that  offered  a  considerably  lower  PUE  (Power  Usage  Effectiveness 

ratio)  at  full  operation 

The  requirement  for  datacentre  cooling  was  for  this  to  be  close  coupled  and  possibly  hot‐aisle 

contained.   

Value‐Adding  Services 

After  tendering,  Comtec  was  awarded  the  contract.    This  was  helped  in  no  small  part  by  Comtec’s 

additional  services  capability  that  would  enable  the  firm  to  assess  and  prove  the  efficiency  on  the 

new  server  room  –  an  important  deliverable  as  part  of  its  corporate  commitments  to 

sustainability. 

As  such,  along  with  the  build  itself,  Comtec  delivered  a  full  consultancy  package  to  audit  the  firm’s 

exisiting  ‘pre‐relocation’  datacentre  environment,  and  then  chart  the  savings  achieved  by  the  new 

room.    Comtec  was  able  to  calculate  a  precise  opex  (operating  expenditure)  measurement,  as  well 

as  proving  the  PUE  of  both  rooms  to  identify  the  reduction  in  the  firm’s  carbon  footprint.   

Major  Improvements 

The  comparative  PUEs  of  the  old  and  new  datacentres  today  is  stark.    From  a  previous,  inefficient 

rating  of  2.9  –  owing  to  poor  layout  and  numerous  cooling  obstructions  ‐  the  new  PUE  is  just  1.6,