Power Distribution Management
The Key to Increasing Data Center Efficiencies

by Dave Mulholland

Manhattan, Metro New York and Northern New Jersey continue to be hot destination spots for data center buildings. With the world’s financial markets firms calling this area home, as well as leading Fortune 500 companies, carrier networks, and cloud computing companies, it’s easy to see why. A recent example is Google’s purchase of one of the biggest and most sought-after tech addresses in Manhattan, 111 8th Avenue. But facilities managers and data center operators in this region understand a very specific set of challenges that go along with taking up residence in this high-demand location: space and power are at a premium, and the repurposed buildings are often already at a critical power mass.

Today’s Metro NY facilities manager is tasked with expanding raised floor capacity, either within existing buildings or through acquiring and developing new spaces – while also on the hook for reigning in energy consumption costs. These two goals, until now, worked in direct opposition of one another; however, there are choices available to help meet both, quickly and cost-effectively. Finding the data center’s inefficiencies while planning for additional white space footage can be a source of substantial savings for facility managers if they know where to look.

Take back the power: Knowledge is the first step
Your facility’s power distribution system is one of the most important components to an optimized, efficient data center environment. However, it’s often one of the most overlooked. One simple but effective place to start is with an audit of the data center’s current power distribution systems. Conducted by an experienced data center power distribution management expert, an in-depth audit allows IT and facility managers to evaluate the building’s power path leading to current servers, the efficiency of existing transformers and even a Kilowatt-per-cabinet analysis of existing server rooms. This audit will allow you to optimize your power distribution and help your systems management team plan ahead for denser server loads.

Beyond raised floors: Choices in white space power management
The conventional wisdom is that a traditional, raised floor configuration is the only choice for a mission-critical center in an existing or retro-fitted property.  And as most facilities managers know, the time it takes to build out or retrofit a traditional raised floor can be measured in years, not months. Further, if you are renting your space, the raised-floor model makes it difficult to relocate when new space is needed. But there are power distribution management solutions and optimization tools that allow facilities managers to circumvent that raised floor plan without sacrificing performance. For old buildings that have been converted to data center space, another option is to invest in modular, pre-engineered products, such as overhead bus lines. These are as easy to install as an overhead lighting fixture system and do not require further preparation of the concrete floor. For a facilities manager who needs to expand or develop a new data center site, a better option could be a containerized data center that can be housed indoors or outdoors with self contained power and cooling options.
For a free audit, contact PDI at freeaudit@pdicorp.com. PDI is a leading provider of power distribution equipment and services. With over 30 years of experience and more than 50 product patents, PDI is a trailblazer in the design and manufacturing of intelligent, energy-efficient distributed power solutions. PDI is an Inc. 5000 company with 350 employees across three manufacturing facilities with its headquarters in Richmond, VA. n