What is Power and Cooling?
As data grows, so do data centers. And as data centers grow, so do their power demands. High‑density blade servers can deliver more processing power in a smaller footprint, but they also bring higher power costs—three to five times as much as previous‑generation equipment. With energy required both to power the computing infrastructure and to cool heat‑generating servers, conservation isn’t easy. But as utility rates rise, power and cooling accounts for more of data center operating costs. IDC estimates that for every dollar spent on new hardware, organizations must spend an additional 66 cents on power and cooling. To keep these costs down, a complete power and cooling strategy is necessary. With the right solutions in place, you can get better control of your climate and your budget.
A data center infrastructure management (DCIM) system collects and manages information about a data center’s equipment, resource use, and operational status. This information is then distributed, integrated, analyzed, and applied in ways that help managers meet organization and service‑oriented goals and optimize their datacenter’s performance. In practice, DCIM systems may vary widely in focus, and complete solutions are likely to consist of a framework or suite of products, from one or many suppliers, that are designed to interoperate or complement each other. The close interworking of IT and mechanical/electrical systems will increasingly lead to the deployment of solutions that span data‑center facility infrastructure, physical IT assets, and virtual IT assets.
How Can I Help My Organization Embrace Power and Cooling Solutions?
When evaluating power and cooling solutions, it is important to ask the following questions:
- How are you currently meeting environmental policy initiatives?
- How many physical servers do you have, and how well are they utilized?
- How many resources are dedicated to data center maintenance and support?
- When will you run out of capacity, and how do you know when you do?
- How do you measure the impact of a Data Center Event?
What Comprises a Power and Cooling Solution?
Designing a modular, energy‑efficient power and cooling system reduces costs and limits downtime. In a dense server environment, placing your data center’s cooling mechanisms near equipment generating the most heat will ensure your systems are running at optimized levels. Also, right‑sizing power requirements can help maximize your hardware lifecycle.
Scalable Three‑Phase Power |
Paralleling capabilities on internally scalable UPS from 10 kW to 2 MW enable right‑sizing and on‑demand adjustments as your capacity needs change with proven, high‑performance UPS. Highly granular modularity of 2 kW, 4 kW, 10 kW, 12 kW, 25 kW, 66 kW is ideal for data centers that need to scale up or down their power quickly. |
Power Distribution Units (PDUs) |
Power distribution is an effective way to increase energy efficiency and improve power management. Metered and switched rack PDUs, for example, are designed to help data center managers control power capacity and functionality. |
Modular Cooling |
In an ever‑changing data center, it is important to have cooling systems that can easily adapt to new environments. Modular systems can be moved from place to place and supplement traditional cooling to counteract hot spots. |
DCIM Software |
You gain better control and management of your data center’s availability and efficiency so you can better align your IT equipment to your organization’s needs. |
Getting Started with Power and Cooling
Your
CDW
Account Manager and certified Solution Architects are ready to assist you with every phase of choosing and leveraging the right solution for your IT environment. Our approach includes:
- An initial discovery session to understand your goals, requirements, and budget
- An assessment review of your existing environment and definition of project requirements
- Detailed vendor evaluations, recommendations, future design and proof of concept
- Procurement, configuration, and deployment of the final solution
- Ongoing product lifecycle support
