Thought leadership

White paper

Top reasons to upgrade

vintage data centers
Part 1: Explore top trends, Executive summary
issues and recommended
upgrades to data centers According to the National Disaster recovery is also Emerging trends and issues
Resources Defense Council increasingly a top priority and put vintage data centers
John Collins (NRDC), “nearly 3 million data center requirements under pressure to perform
Product Line Manager, U.S. data centers help power vary greatly by industry beyond their current means.
Eaton our economy, make our and business model. As A variety of beneficial MEP
lives easier, and render our organizations evaluate their infrastructure upgrades can
buildings and electricity grid optimization and sustainability alleviate concern while adding
‘smarter.’” At the same time, options, in many cases it is the stability and longevity to
data centers are now rapidly existing data center facilities existing facilities. This paper
driving the construction of new that continue to carry the explores common problems
power plants as they become proverbial load. and pressures while identifying
one of the nation’s largest and simple solutions that can be
Implementation of more highly
fastest-growing consumers of readily implemented to achieve
efficient power and cooling
electricity. more performance-optimized,
designs plays a significant role
value-driven data center
With the explosion of trends in saving money and recouping
operations in vintage spaces.
such as big data and cloud earlier investments in the
computing actively disrupting data center. By modernizing
the space, rising costs vintage power and cooling Table of contents
of energy and economic equipment and employing
hard times mean resource emerging technologies—such Top trends affecting
efficiency has never been as economizers—many data vintage data centers............2
more important. center expenses can be
Issues faced by vintage
more fully contained while
data centers ........................3
increasingly scarce energy
resources are conserved. Recommended MEP
infrastructure upgrades .......4
Conclusion ...........................8
About Eaton ........................8
About the author .................8
Top trends affecting vintage data centers
IT continues to evolve at a rapid rate, introducing changes few data Commoditization via colocation
center designers could have anticipated a decade or more ago. The
following are among the most important recent technologies and Multi-tenant data center (MTDC) services have become a hot
priorities affecting existing facilities: trend for companies looking to reduce operational cost. Analysts
predict these data centers may make up more than 25 percent of
all data center capacity as early as 2016. Colocation favors OPEX
Mobile computing and big data over CAPEX; some companies find the management of data center
facilities detracts focus from other core business competencies and
There are over 2.5 billion Internet users worldwide, with roughly 250 thus, colocation is a viable solution. In these cases, the location,
million in the U.S. alone. As of 2013, it was observed that a full 90 language and ease of access often become significant factors in
percent of the world’s data had been produced within the previous selecting a colocation service provider. Other factors that can weigh
two years. As smartphone adoption evolves and rapidly gives way strongly in the decision to colocate include latency, performance and
to a new generation of wearable computing devices, big data will disaster recovery requirements.
continue to explode, with new needs emerging for real-time data
access, storage and processing. While colocation does support cost effectiveness and reliability well,
it introduces challenges with respect to improved energy-efficiency.
Operational billing, utility incentives and other motivating factors
Ubiquitous computing are often split among multiple organizations. At the same time,
consolidating space and power capacity in MTDCs can provide
As more and more ordinary devices and appliances essential to new opportunities to create and distribute shared savings and
everyday living are equipped with sensors, processing power and benefits among multiple customer organizations. For this reason,
networked capabilities, the Internet of Things (IoT) will further going forward MTDCs may consider offering “green lease” contract
introduce a more mind-boggling and unprecedented state of templates to make it easier for customers to establish contracts that
data proliferation. Analysts assert that the processing needs incentivize efficiency.
associated with this trend may dictate data center build and
location decisions on the basis of achieving and managing optimal
processing conditions closer to the end user. Distributed data center Automation and predictive analysis
architectures may not support the exponential data needs of future
computing power; instead, smaller, regional sites are expected to Data from operational and IT system monitoring today provides
provide more acceptable latency. valuable operational insights on energy consumption and reveals
where extra capacity resides so data centers can assign power
usage specific to each piece of equipment. The availability of a range
Consolidation and virtualization of data center information management (DCIM) tools now affords
a convergence of monitoring tools, analytics, and management
Seeking to lower capital and operational expenses by consolidating algorithms that can further drive and even automate additional
underutilized hardware, businesses today are making widespread energy-efficiency, asset management, and enhanced IT workflows.
use of server virtualization, which enables a single physical server Nearly half of operating data centers have invested in intelligent
(or host) to support multiple virtual machines, each with its own power distribution units (PDUs) and utilize feature-rich options for
operating system and applications. Often used in conjunction with better analytics on power use and efficiency. Likewise, advanced
virtualization, blade servers are plug-and-play processing units with monitored and managed rack enclosure power distribution units or
shared power feeds, power supplies, fans, cabling and storage. ePDUs enable similar information-based gains and controls at the
outlet-level with high accuracy. Interest in DCIM solutions is on
By compressing large amounts of computing capacity into small the rise and can yield significant operational and energy-efficiency
amounts of space, blade servers can dramatically reduce data gains pertinent to assuring faster return on investment (ROI). DCIM
center floor space requirements. For many organizations, the also supports higher levels of integration for facilities and IT around
ratio of physical to virtual servers is literally flip-flopping through critical data management needs.
virtualization. Consolidation is a popular strategy for medium size
data centers that want to identify a path for return on investment
with least risk over time so they can focus more on delivering core Energy efficiency and sustainability
IT services.
The NRDC finds that: “U.S. data centers are on track to consume
roughly 140 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually by 2020,
Cloud computing equivalent to the output of 50 large power plants (each with 500
megawatts capacity) and emitting nearly 150 million metric tons of
A key question many organizations now face is that of determining carbon pollution.” Within vintage data centers, “up to 30 percent of
where data processing occurs best. Some companies looking to servers are ‘comatose’ and no longer needed; other machines are
lower overhead and improve efficiency are rapidly adopting cloud grossly underutilized, and a number of strategic and tactical barriers
computing in either public, private or hybrid implementations. Public still remain.” Today’s energy resource assessments further find, “If
cloud solutions deliver applications and infrastructure resources via just half of the savings potential from adopting energy-efficiency
the Internet, whereas private cloud infrastructures employ the same best practices were realized, America’s data centers could slash
basic technologies, but reside behind an individual organization’s their electricity consumption by as much as 40 percent. In 2014,
firewall. While cloud-based strategies continue to attract interest this represented a savings of $3.8 billion and 39 billion kilowatt-
and hype in the news media, enterprise data centers are not hours, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of all the
disappearing any time soon, especially if prior investments in households in the state of Michigan.” (Statistics courtesy of the
them were significant. Organizations also need to be careful to NRDC.)
understand their consolidation needs well before moving to the
cloud as a quick-fix solution. In some cases, the newness of a For help in measuring a data center’s power efficiency while setting
computing need inadvertently influences and skews data processing realistic efficiency improvement targets, most data center operators
location decisions. rely on a metric called Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). Many
utility companies offer energy-efficiency incentive programs that
can help ward off the threat of penalties. Flexible, proportionate,
modular and scalable solutions for the data center can qualify for
these incentives, help address issues and improve PUE, but making
businesses more sustainable also requires looking beyond the
present to anticipate future growth and asset utilization.

2 EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers

 Issues faced 12
1 Aging equipment
by vintage 11

data centers 10
Low efficiency power
2 and cooling equipment

9 3 Insufficient cooling capacity

or ineffective cooling

Lack of flexibility 8 4 Crisis response and

and scalability disaster recovery
7 5
Inappropriate sizing 6 Speed to deploy
Security

Issues faced by vintage data centers

On average, most data centers in use today are roughly eight to ten 3 Insufficient cooling capacity or ineffective cooling. Cooling
years old with an average power density of 5 to 7 kilowatts (kW) per alone accounts for 30 to 40 percent of the power costs for the
rack enclosure. These older data centers are usually ill equipped to entire data center. The cooling systems used in most vintage
fully handle trends like those just discussed for the following reasons: data centers date back to an era of significantly lower power
densities. As a result, they often struggle to cope with the
1 Aging equipment. In vintage data centers, core mechanical intense heat generated by today’s dense, power-hungry IT
and electrical components such as uninterruptible power equipment. In other cases, some facilities do have sufficient
systems (UPSs), static transfer switches (STSs), building cooling capacity, but they are unable to deliver it where
switchgear, and PDUs are often nearing the end of their needed. Or, the data center may not be running at the
recommended service life. Regular inspection and maintenance capacity originally anticipated. The typical response has been
must be kept up to assure equipment is functioning properly, to overcool instead of stabilizing cooling at a comfortable,
safely, and efficiently. Over time, such systems inevitably even temperature.
become less reliable, more expensive to maintain and
significantly riskier. It’s easy to forget that even equipment like 4 Crisis response and disaster recovery (DR). In many vintage
capacitors and circuit breakers has a usable shelf life. Further, data centers, updated or brand new crisis response plans
as conditions evolve in the data center, additional generators need to be established and implemented as a high priority for
and backup power may become necessary. It’s often better to centralized sites as well as all secondary data center sites.
take action to replace, upgrade or add these components than What will happen if something goes wrong in a smaller but
to respond to a crisis upon a preventable failure. (See the white mission-critical site? Downtime and lost data are simply not
paper, “Best Practices for Modernizing Vintage Data Centers” permissible in today’s culture, making DR a key driver for every
for lifespan and replacement recommendations on a variety of data center project.
aging MEP equipment.)
5 Speed to deploy. Some data centers have a requirement
2 Low efficiency power and cooling equipment. The more for avoiding hot electrical or mechanical work during peak
work a server performs, the more energy-efficient it is. Fully operations time, but often the site may not have the same level
loaded equipment runs best, but sometimes older mechanical of discipline or structure with respect to the wiring. This double
and electrical systems are not fully loaded; in addition, this standard should be avoided; there is a need to take the higher
hardware tends to deliver lower energy-efficiency than newer, transfer of data into account and not put the data center at risk
more modern products, further increasing operating costs. due to piping.
According to the NRDC, “the average server operates at no
more than 12 to 18 percent of its capacity while still drawing 6 Security. Early consolidation efforts have already resulted in
30 to 60 percent of maximum power. Even sitting virtually a heavily increased emphasis on security, as organizations
idle, servers draw power 24/7, which adds up to a substantial are forced to assure the protection of massive amounts of
amount of energy use. To put this in perspective, much of mission-critical or regulated data. In many vintage data centers,
the energy consumed by U.S. data centers is used to power appropriate infrastructure was not fully considered to be able to
more than 12 million servers that do little or no work most account for today’s strictest data security and increased privacy
of the time.” Weak power and cooling efficiency can also needs. In many cases, modernization efforts may be advisable
make compliance with environmental regulations exceedingly simply to avoid being hacked. One strategy for keeping a
difficult, if not impossible, as the current data trends continue primary facility anti-hackable has been to pursue deck-to-deck
to evolve. security at a colocation site.

EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers 3

 7 Inappropriate sizing. Organizations now face a delicate 8 Lack of flexibility and scalability. The integration of newer
balancing act with respect to managing data load levels amidst IT technologies requires the MEP infrastructure to adapt to
the proliferation of data and rising power densities. While many changes and load demands to meet future business drivers
data centers built in the last decade assumed growth would while minimizing additional capital expenditures. Virtualization
occur on massive scale, they now find themselves inefficiently and cloud environments can cause roaming hot spots in the
over-provisioned in some respects. Bigger data centers are not data center due to dynamic shifting of workloads. Related
always better; in today’s data centers, utilization rates tend to variations in power demand can be managed safely with
range between 30 and 50 percent on average. At the same planning and technology, as the operators of the electrical
time, with data generation continuing to explode, some may grid have shown. According to the NRDC, “The data center
yet face an exponential increase in demand for compute and industry should follow the lead of the utility industry, which
storage. To meet these demands, power must be abundant, ramps its power plants up and down depending on demand.”
reliable, renewable, and energy-efficient. Two critical questions Vendors, data centers, and utilities will need to work together
are whether the existing electrical infrastructure is able to cope to find viable solutions for supporting increasingly dense IT
with all the data generated today (and in the near future) and environments and fluctuating data processing conditions
whether enough power can be provided to help support the more sustainably.
growing data needs. The ability to flexibly “right-size” the data
center is critical to cutting cost and improving efficiency.

Protect against Power density level Equipment protected Power in the rack
fluctuating Standard density 5 to 15 1U servers 2 to 4 kW
data processing
conditions Medium density 15 to 30 1U servers 4 to 8 kW

High density 42–1U, or 2-3 blades 8 to 15 kW

Ultra high density 4 to 6 blade servers 15 to 30 kW

Figure 1. Virtualization, blade servers and cloud computing have combined to increase data center power densities dramatically.

Recommended MEP infrastructure backbone upgrades

Data centers face tremendous challenges with respect to Flexibility is enhanced with units capable of both panelboard and
maintenance, alignment of the business and IT strategy, and subfeed distribution, and management has been significantly
proliferation of risk due to the explosion in emerging technologies. improved with comprehensive metering packages, allowing visibility
For many companies, updating an older data center is significantly down to the branch circuit level; remote monitoring available via
less costly than constructing an entirely new facility. Below are some IP; and support for common protocols (SNMP, Modbus TCP, etc.).
of the most cost-effective and practical steps organizations can Busway is a modular power distribution system that consists of
take to increase the reliability, efficiency and capacity of a vintage preassembled busbar track fixed or adjustable vertical dropdowns
computing facility. from plug-in power tap-off boxes available with receptacles, circuit
breakers and drop cords. These systems offer significant flexibility,
modularity, safety and reliability. Regardless of which system is used
Update data center electrical distribution equipment as a replacement, modern PDUs or busway will allow your vintage
Data center electrical distribution equipment is the backbone of data center to support the unique needs of today’s data centers.
the data center, as it provides the power to all of its IT equipment
and supporting infrastructure. Many existing data centers rely on
Implement high power distribution
power distribution architecture that was developed for previous
generations of IT equipment, often exceeding 10 years in age and In many parts of the world, power is distributed to IT loads at
typically consisting of power cabling, transformers, panelboards, 400/230 Vac. In North America, however, power is traditionally
power distribution units (PDUs) and automatic transfer switches distributed at 208/120 Vac, resulting in greater cost, lower efficiency
(ATS), etc. and greater space consumed. Higher AC voltages to the rack can
increase efficiency in multiple ways. Delivering 400 V or 480 V in
Today’s electrical distribution designs are rapidly evolving, driven
place of 208 V enables data center managers to decrease losses
by needs such as increasing power densities, energy-efficiency,
in distribution cabling and remove transformers from the PDUs.
flexibility, and the benefits of minimizing maintenance while retaining
Modern PDUs or busway systems enable such an architecture
reliability. Dramatic changes, such as DC distribution systems, have
and can deliver efficiency improvements between 1 and 3 percent
been explored, but there are some practical and affordable options
in most data center configurations. It also, however, introduces
to significantly improve a vintage data center.
heightened arc flash risks. For more information, see the
Eaton white paper: Arc flash safety in 400V data centers.
Upgrade PDUs
Modern PDUs and busway solutions have advanced greatly over Install modern rack PDUs
previous generations of PDUs, providing efficient and flexible
With data center devices smaller than ever—often served by
distribution for today’s data centers. Modern PDUs offer a footprint
dual or triple power supplies—a single rack of equipment might
that has been significantly reduced, conserving valuable data
produce 80 or more power cords to manage. With virtualization and
center space, and many utilize energy-efficient TP-1 transformers
converged infrastructure, computing capacity is dynamic; workloads,
that provide energy savings that can offset upgrade costs. (In
applications and storage are moved around both within and among
2016, dry-type distribution transformers will need to meet new
data centers as business needs dictate.
Department of Energy standards.)

4 EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers

Traditional power strips just don’t deliver enough power or flexibility pushes hot server exhaust air toward the facility’s return air ducts.
for these realities. To ensure peak operating efficiency—an absolute By allowing air to move freely throughout the data center, however,
necessity given modern business demands—data centers must such techniques permit exhaust air to find its way back into server
monitor and manage power distribution at a granular level. Advanced air intakes and cool supply air to join the return air stream, lowering
rack PDUs have the features and reliability that today’s data centers cooling efficiency.
need to maintain their own operations, but more importantly, to
Legacy hot aisle/cold aisle rack enclosure orientation configurations,
support the changing and accelerating demands of the business.
in which only hot air exhausts or cool air intakes face each other
The process of selecting a rack PDU should begin with its power in a given row of server racks, marginally improves efficiency by
rating. Once this is considered, data center personnel should next generating convection currents that produce a cooling, continuous
evaluate technologies when selecting a PDU. Typically, rack PDUs air flow.
come in three categories: basic distribution, metered distribution,
The most effective cooling schemes utilize server rack containment
and managed or switched distribution. Moving up the stack from
technologies for active cooling rather than controlled ventilation.
basic to metered will provide data centers with the ability to locally
Designed to organize and control air streams, containment solutions
measure current and load balance—not to mention the capability
enclose server racks in sealed structures that capture hot exhaust
to remotely monitor branch circuits and facilitate capacity planning.
air, vent it to the CRAC units and deliver chilled air directly to the
With advanced meters, data centers gain the capability to meter
server equipment’s air intakes. The end results include enhanced
power at the outlet level—advanced functionality needed for
efficiency, better reliability and lower energy bills.
accurate Level 3 PUE calculations. In addition, managed PDUs
facilitate outlet switching, an ideal capability for lights-out data The use of containment systems is truly one of the simplest steps
centers or in situations where fast response to remotely cycle power that can be taken to optimize data centers. A wide range of partial
in the rack is needed. With outlet switching, data centers can also and total containment solutions is available; in-row and end-of-row
turn off outlets when not in use, thereby preventing accidental cooling solutions support a variety of configurations, including open
overloading of the rack PDU. Finally, outlet switching enables or contained aisle configurations.
data centers to sequence power-up and perform load shedding—
advanced features that can be important elements of an overall
power strategy.

Upgrade or install automatic transfer switches

With advances in generator technology, the advent of renewable
energy storage, and increased availability of multiple power sources,
many data centers typically utilize a secondary emergency power
source or are adding this functionality. Transfer switches are reliable,
rugged, versatile and compact assemblies for transferring essential
loads and electrical distribution systems from one power source
to another. They are available as contactor and circuit breaker
construction and as open-delayed, open-in-phase and closed
transition switching that allows for bypass isolation, plus they
feature advanced controllers and meters for proactive management.
Upgrading or adding these capabilities allows your data center
to evolve with today’s business requirements, as dual source
capabilities are not just for the world’s largest data centers.
Figure 2. Containment-based cooling strategies improve efficiency by
completely isolating the supply and return air streams.
Replace UPS power train
Replacing older UPSs with newer models is a low-risk, relatively Many additional improvements have also been made to rack power
low-cost way to boost reliability and generate annual savings. distribution equipment in recent years. Equipment is available now
Furthermore, it can also slash energy waste while ensuring the that is capable of operating at 50 °C in the rear, where it’s usually
right size UPS is deployed. While late-model UPSs are often as little blazing hot. Other features include better communications, lighter
as 80 to 82 percent efficient under standard loading conditions, weight, ease of maintenance and enhanced security.
newer models routinely achieve 92 to 96 percent efficiency over
a wide band of operating capacity under maximum power control.
The latest, most advanced UPSs, meanwhile, have a high efficiency Use next-generation rack enclosures
mode delivering 99 percent even at light loads. Today’s rack enclosures allow integration of third-party first
With the advent of virtualization, loading on UPSs has typically architectures to maximize security, airflow and power distribution.
decreased significantly as the load in data centers has decreased Plugging airflow leaks within the rack enclosure can be a big problem
pushing you further away from the optimal efficiency of the UPS if not addressed with a blanking strategy. The ease of hanging or
especially with older UPSs. inserting the PDUs in the latest rack enclosures has been improved to
allow pop in and out capabilities. The design also assures there is less
And, typically the UPS is oversized because virtualization has interference and proper airflow to the rack enclosure. Premium rack
decreased the overall load in many data centers. Rightsizing enclosure systems offer the industry’s broadest range of compatibility
optimizes the overall investment of the UPSs, saves space, and for mission-critical data center equipment.
costs less to maintain.
Customized rack enclosure solutions can also include special
Also, remember to think of the UPS power train as an integrated accessories and options for easy and efficient airflow management,
system; don’t forget to regularly maintain the batteries and bypass cable management, and power delivery. For example, some rack
connections. enclosures and racks are now available in a brighter, white color—an
option that greatly simplifies the ability to service and troubleshoot
Implement rack enclosures or aisle containment systems equipment inside the rack enclosure. It is significantly easier to see
inside a white cabinet than a dark, black one, and the lighter color
While the footprint of equipment and hardware is shrinking, just also reduces some energy absorption in the data center.
as much power or more is drawn and it typically requires more
cooling. Many vintage data centers employ cooling schemes based
on so-called “chaos” air distribution methodologies, in which
computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units around the perimeter
of the white space pump out chilled air that cools IT equipment and

EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers 5

Update components in electrical switching or Deploy a redundant electrical architecture
distribution systems
With today’s current emphasis on reliability, many data centers are
The switching equipment used in many vintage data centers is now seeking to employ active-active architectures for continuous
designed to provide up to 20 years of service if properly maintained. availability and improved DR. Organizations must have the ability
Organizations can improve the performance, safety, and efficiency to avoid downtime. To keep critical workloads fully operational, dual
of their switches by servicing them regularly and updating circuit bus architecture can also be employed for additional protection and
breakers and relay schemes after 10 to 12 years. ATSs are a good regular maintenance or servicing needs. A dual bus solution typically
place to provide additional redundancy of multiple power sources. contains two UPSs (or sets of UPSs), each with its own power
Some bypass isolation transfer switches are designed for mission- path to the server rack enclosures. This approach assures uptime
critical applications where maintenance, inspection, and testing must if one UPS fails or requires maintenance. While adding dual buses
be performed while maintaining continuous power to the facility. dramatically improves redundancy and availability, it can also
drive up capital and operational spending, making it an advisable
The use of arc flash–resistant switchgear can be leveraged to
option only for facilities that place an especially high premium
protect personnel and improve the safety of electrical systems.
on maintaining uptime.
Updating components could change access requirements and
service clearances, thus reducing wasted space. To comply with arc
flash regulations, proper signage must be posted with each change. Rethink lighting
Often a coordination study is required, a compliance date is set, and
labels must reflect safe clearances and other critical information. While lighting is only a small percentage of need in data centers,
many companies can look toward this area for additional cost
savings and efficiency gains that can add up significantly over time.
Improve the cabling infrastructure Simple changes such as moving lighting from the ceiling to the aisle
can speed productivity. Likewise, the use of modular, engineered,
The challenge of maintaining order and ease of access in the
reliable, lighting fixture wiring capabilities—sometimes known as
cabling infrastructure is an issue that affects almost every data
MWS—reduces installation cost for data center retrofit projects
center, particularly as changes are layered in gradually over time
while adding flexibility and capacity for future growth.
and as local network closets sometimes facilitate distributed
resources as stop-gap strategies. Of course, significant flexibility, control, and cost savings can also be
found through the adoption of more energy-efficient light-emitting
Cable management products make it easy to manage the miles
diode (or LED) options and integrated lighting controls throughout
of power and data cabling in the data center—from distribution
the facility. LED lighting solutions that feature integrated individually
to the rack enclosures. A key area of note is the overhead space.
addressable controls make it possible to employ multi-sensor
New thinking looks to utilize overhead cable management systems
strategies to automate lighting efficiency gains using innovative
that put cabling just beyond reach, above the rack enclosures. By
strategies such as daylighting, occupancy sensors, or even
ensuring proper labeling at install, interdependencies in various
temperature metrics.
cables can be kept clearer to help prevent unnecessary losses due
to error or physical obstacles. Remember to fully assess the entire data center and egress for
potential updates to lighting needs. Lighting is now moving into
rack enclosures for better visibility and to reduce over-lumination.
At the rack enclosure level, paint and finish selections may also have
some impact; color choices can be leveraged to optimize lighting
for a range of user benefits, including health and safety aspects.
Quality vendors can provide guidance on creating an optimal lighting
design strategy appropriate to the unique space and equipment
requirements while maximizing improvements to user comfort,
space aesthetics, and overall data center functionality.

Cable runway
Leverage automated controls, sensors and economizers
Innovative cable tray solutions can also be used to make the Other automated controls and sensors can support a variety of
process of following wires into or out of the data center much more needs in the data center. Sensors can detect higher than normal
apparent and user-friendly. Look for products that combine strength, data center temperatures—such as those of greater than 80 degrees
lightweight construction, depth, and unmatched jobsite adaptability Fahrenheit. They can also enable greater use of economizer cooling
to support power and data cables in a fast and economical way. and airflow management solutions, which improve efficiency and
Some solutions also include UL classification as an equipment- comfort in the space.
grounding conductor, making them ideal for data center cable
Safety and fire suppression are among the biggest concerns for
management applications.
facilities, and they become much more critical in the enclosed data
Feature-rich patented cable management systems are available that center environment. Fire suppression systems are recommended—
offer simple, modular and easy-to-install designs. These solutions and in some cases required—at the room, row and rack enclosure
can address any structured cabling need with open architectures levels. It is necessary to make sure all these levels have been taken
that can meet the specific needs unique to each data center’s into account with respect to how all the different systems interact
circumstances. This added agility and flexibility is particularly with each other. Automated controls can alleviate these concerns
important in today’s adaptive environments. by addressing such needs as built-in features. One example
includes overhead containment panels that drop away if a fire issue
is detected, allowing room- level fire suppression systems
to operate properly.

6 EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers

Install or upgrade monitoring and management systems Improve security
Many older data centers do not properly monitor resource usage, Security in the data center has become an ever more pressing need,
and those that do often use outdated monitoring and management especially as mission-critical data, resources and assets undergo
hardware and software platforms. Installing or upgrading advanced centralization and consolidation. At present, there are not many
power and energy metering devices and reporting software allows power management products available that address security directly,
data center managers to collect and archive enterprise-wide power but the physical and logical layers should be addressed. Physical
usage data that can be used to fine-tune energy management security may include efforts such as locking systems on data center
practices, calculate PUE ratios, and perform forensic analysis of doors or the creation of partitions throughout the space. At least
system failures and maintenance issues throughout the power two levels—rack enclosure and row—are recommended for logical
system. In short, monitoring the data center vastly improves the security of power systems. State-of-the-art security features such as
ability to fully manage, measure and control power equipment. biometric locks and gates are now realistic options, regardless of the
data center size. It’s best to choose security options as appropriate
Today’s monitoring and management software solutions combine
based on the application area. Consider whether the equipment is
hardware, software and communication elements to bring diverse
cost-effective and necessary based on the location, type of business,
power components into a unified system. For the data center,
type of industry, and type or types of regulations required for the
a wide range of software solutions is available that can address
facility and for the data it stores and enables.
the complexities of large system deployments of over 100 rack
enclosures or simply manage multiple UPS and ePDU devices across
a network. For example, one remote monitoring solution collects Investigate new options in prefabricated modular data centers
performance data on the UPS and battery systems and sends out
status messages. With 24x7 real-time monitoring, it continually Prefabricated modular data centers (PFMs) include ISO shipping
evaluates the health of the UPS by comparing current and historical containers and a variety of new offerings that have since evolved
performance data with specified parameters, facilitating accuracy in from this very agile concept. In fact, some analyst forecasts now
performance reports of UPS status. The remote diagnostics and field assert that PFM will begin to top $4 billion in the next three to
technician dispatch also expedite service response time to improve five years.
reliability and minimize necessary downtime. PFM data centers typically rely on one or more standard structural
Harmonics, voltage fluctuations, transient over-voltage conditions, building blocks prepared and shipped from factory for final onsite
and more can wreak havoc on equipment and processes. Advanced integration. The resulting technical facility is ready-made to
power and energy meters provide accurate real-time system values, accommodate power and cooling units or can be transported with
capture waveforms and system events, and display data directly on some or all of such systems already in place and tested to minimize
the devices through on-board Web servers or software monitoring onsite install and startup work. The emphasis on modularity allows
solutions. Using a simple energy management system upgrade kit, for greater scalability and reuse of the design across sites and
data centers can continuously measure the current on all breaker can also better accommodate a wide array of design flexibility
levels, and receive warnings of impending trouble to be proactive. requirements. With containerized and custom rack enclosure-based
data center form factors, virtually any size, shape, or type of facility
Many newer monitoring systems can further assist with operational can be configured using prefabricated modules. The facility can also
tasks such as moves, adds and changes (MAC) and capacity evolve gradually over time as future, unexpected needs arise; PFM
planning. Features might include the ability to trigger the migration can be leveraged to add capacity, rack enclosure space, or more
of mission-critical applications to transparently move virtual machines power and cooling at any time.
to an available server on the network, for improved data integrity and
zero downtime. The best solutions are those that are more predictive PFMs can be considered for IT and infrastructure support. A major
than reactive as well as automated. Such application services can benefit of these solutions is the opportunity to speed efficiency
manage themselves across the physical infrastructure such the gains (energy and operational). Power and cooling equipment can be
optimization of the data center need not require a live operator packaged in containerized solutions for plug-and-play implementation
at all times. capable of bringing PUE to an optimized range of 1.15 to 1.3.
Because of their precision manufacturing, PFMs typically deliver
enhanced predictability and lower risk while the use of structural
Consider DCIM solutions carefully building blocks lends greater agility and productivity.
DCIM systems are a special variety of monitoring and management An especially attractive variety of PFM are those combining
solutions that allow a data center manager to centrally control two customization and standardization. For example, containerized skid
or more functional areas of the data center – i.e. power, cooling, power and more standardized UPS designs can significantly enable
space, environment/security, networking and connectivity, servers greater reliability, speed of deployment, and cost reductions. Learn
and storage, etc. in an effort to bring together the data from both more about available PFM options.
the Information Technology (IT) and Mission Critical Facility (MCF)
management disciplines. They usually include modules that assist
with infrastructure management, virtualization management, power
monitoring and management, dependency modeling and overall
performance metrics. Oftentimes, the way DCIM is implemented
can make a significant difference in whether it delivers the desired
optimizations and benefits. Many companies have a variety of tools
to accomplish the desired tasks, but require the ability to share
information across the disciplines it may be helpful to keep in mind
that DCIM is really a management strategy for choosing a proper
implementation of controls that fits the specific needs and cultures
of the organization holistically. From there, DCIM can be instrumental
in further developing the additional tools that may be necessary
to go forward. Look for providers that have the appropriate IT
partnerships in place to help data centers take control of their
systems in the ways that make the best sense for the organization’s
individual circumstances. DCIM needs to be a strategic evolution as
opposed to a fresh endeavor or “do-over” effort. The high cost of the Prefabricated modular data centers
software license and associated service fees have been a barrier to
adoption, especially in cases where customers are not convinced of
the return on investment, but a well thought out strategy will help to
deliver the return and benefits desired.

EATON Top reasons to upgrade vintage data centers 7

Conclusion About the author
The world of technology has seen plenty of change in recent John Collins is a product line manager for large data center solutions
years. To keep up with it, organizations with data centers that are at Eaton. He has more than 24 years of experience in the data
10 years of age or older should seriously consider modernizing those center industry. At Eaton, he is focused on ensuring Eaton’s data
facilities. Upgrading a vintage data center’s mechanical and electrical center products and solution offerings evolve with the market.
infrastructure can boost reliability, efficiency, flexibility and scalability He is involved in many industry groups including The Green Grid,
while reducing operational spending. It can also save companies the 7x24 Exchange, and AFCOM. John received his Bachelor of Science
considerable expense of building entirely new facilities. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and an
MBA from NC State University.
Though upgrading a vintage data center isn’t simple, careful planning
and skilled execution can dramatically streamline the process and
strengthen ROI. Above all, organizations contemplating a retrofit of
an older data center’s MEP infrastructure should seek assistance
from a skilled vendor with deep and relevant experience.

About Eaton
Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader with expertise in
power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection;
control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions
and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments;
and engineering services. Eaton is positioned through its global
solutions to answer today’s most critical electrical power
management challenges.
Eaton is a power management company with 2015 sales of
$20.9 billion. Eaton provides energy-efficient solutions that help
our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and
mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton
has approximately 100,000 employees and sells products to
customers in more than 175 countries. For more information,
visit Eaton.com.

For more information, please visit

Eaton.com/datacenters

Eaton
1000 Eaton Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44122
United States
Eaton.com

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