Amdocs worked with Eaton and Carter Sullivan to transform its City of London data centre and satellite offices into a modern, purpose-built infrastructure which has resulted in increased efficiencies and cost-savings.
Amdocs’ customers have high expectations for the integrity and availability of its data centres. Some of the world’s most successful wireless, wireline, broadband, cable and satellite services and mobile financial services providers rely on Amdocs’ blend of software and services to power their businesses.
Amdocs, which has 25,000 employees and serves customers in over 85 countries, provides a range of technologies that help drive its customers’ digital and network transformation, such as cloud, IT modernisation and DevOps, and its data centres are a critical component of its service.
For many years, Amdocs had been based in the heart of London, in Fetter Lane, within the Square Mile. At the start of 2016, the company made the decision to move to outer London to consolidate its satellite offices into one, purpose-built, modern building. By moving to a new location, Amdocs could reduce many of the overheads it faced with being in central London and it could also build a site that would address all its needs for a future-proofed, efficient data centre.
Challenge
Amdocs faced a serious timing challenge – although the site had been acquired and the design and planning completed by Amdocs personnel, the company would need to move out of its current office and it would need the new site to be fully implemented and operational within a short timeframe of just 90 days.
Amdocs put out a tender for bids to find the right supplier for the data centre’s power infrastructure, with the crucial factor being able to complete the project on time. This was so important to the success of the move that Amdocs needed to be able to completely trust its chosen suppliers to meet the deadline.
Amdocs and Eaton have enjoyed a long, successful relationship and the company trusted Eaton above other power management providers to deliver the product.
Eaton responded to the requirement together with its trusted partner Carter Sullivan, who had already developed an excellent relationship with Amdocs as the main contractor on the project. Carter Sullivan specialises in the design, manufacturing and installation of complex UPS systems, high-end data centre solutions and bespoke electrical switchgear products. Working together, the two companies put forward a solution using Eaton switchgear and UPS back-up. At the same time, Carter Sullivan coordinated the fit out of the state-of-the-art air conditioning system throughout the data centre.
Solution
Eaton and Carter Sullivan implemented a complete power security solution based on the design provided by the Amdocs team and built around Eaton’s Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS), switchgear, transformers and Cold Aisle containment. Eaton looked at the load that Amdocs predicted it would run in its data centre and proposed using its 93PM UPS range – one of the most efficient on the market and quite a simple, straight-forward solution to the Amdocs UPS specification.
The 120kW unit is completely aligned with the requirement and the battery system is sized accordingly. The 93PM UPS guarantees power supply for a defined period to critical loads in the event of a power failure. The unit also protects critical loads by filtering out power fluctuations, such as voltage spikes, and providing continuously high-quality power.
The design of the 93PM is based on online double conversion technology, which is widely recognised as giving the best possible protection because it guarantees a clean and reliable power supply regardless of the quality of the grid. Energy loss with the 93PM is minimal, compared to traditional double conversion UPS devices, and it can achieve an efficiency rating of 96.7%.
After the initial install of the power quality items, attention turned to how the team could further increase energy efficiency within the data centre. Two rows comprising 30 42U server cabinets sat in an open area and after conducting a survey Eaton and Carter Sullivan designed and installed the cold aisle containment, which provides more effective airflow management.
This was a completely bespoke design and comprised a set of aisle doors with roof panels.
Mark Anderson, Managing Director at Carter Sullivan, said: “Collaboration drove the success of this project. There was a great working relationship between all the companies involved, which meant that the tight timing of the build could be achieved and we could give Amdocs a data centre solution that will enable business growth and improve efficiency.”
He added: “We worked closely with Eaton to deliver a solution based on their xEnergy switchgear, Uninterruptable Power Supply and electrical panel components – all of which were integral to delivering a smart and comprehensive power security solution for Amdocs.
“This enabled the construction of their data centre within the confines of their budget and proposed timeline – an achievement we are very proud of. Additionally the cold aisle containment function was a bespoke design that was created after the power quality items were successfully installed and we’re pleased to know that this additional feature will enhance the data centre’s overall energy efficiency.”
Amdocs also requested isolation transformers in the data centre, which Eaton provided, to ensure electrical isolation for the system and prevent downstream issues due the building four-pole main circuit breaker.
In the second phase of the installation, Eaton built the electrical panel, which is future proof. This eliminates the need to interrupt the data centre’s operation during any future expansion and incorporates all of Amdocs’ requirements for the building infrastructure, IT, generator and bypass facilities. The panel is based on the Eaton xEnergy LV Switch system, which is designed to meet constantly increasing requirements, providing optimum conditions for building infrastructure up to 5000 A.
Amdocs also chose Eaton’s Green Care Service Contract, which provides comprehensive protection through remote monitoring and maintenance and guarantees that Eaton would be onsite within four hours in the case of any events.
Results
The move was completed within the 90-day timeframe and the modern facility is now operating successfully using the new power management concept. Amdocs will be using this data centre set up as a model for the development of its other data centre projects around the world.
Ronnen Perry, Global Technical Manager and Regional Facility Manager at Amdocs, said: “I have technical engineering responsibility for Amdocs data centres worldwide and I can honestly say that my experience with this project ranks with the best that I’ve worked with. The outstanding efforts of Eaton and Carter Sullivan made it possible to complete the Amdocs data centre on schedule and on budget.”
The data centre is delivering cost savings already. It uses Eaton’s Variable Module Management System (VMMS), which increases efficiency without compromising reliability.
This new data centre has the lowest PUE in Amdocs world-wide. Amdocs has recently implemented a second UPS for the B-side of the data centre and is looking to roll out this approach in other data centres around the world.
