-
1. Data Center Design.- 2. High-level design specification.
- 3. Data Center Feasibility and Requirements Definition.
- 4. Data Center Build or Colocation Assessment.
- 5. Data Center Design Peer Reviews.
- 6. Data Center Witness Testing and Commissioning.
1. Data Center Design
The first stage of any project is to carry out a feasibility study involving all of the key stakeholders. The output of the study should be a feasibility report answering all the key questions, defining the requirement, providing outline design options, timescales and cost estimates and alternatives for colocation (where applicable).
If you tender without a high-level design specification, supplier prices and the designs they offer, will vary widely
2. High-Level Design (HLD) Specification
The purpose of this phase is to develop the outline design options into a high-level design of the various systems and layout options. A typical specification will include design philosophy, narrative and key equipment sizing and location. Project documentation, administration and maintenance requirements and an energy management report. It will also include drawings for:
- • Building layout.
- • Computer room layout.
- • Electrical system.
- • Air conditioning and ventilation system.
- • Lighting and signage.
- • Computer room earthling.
- • Security and Access Control.
- • BMS/DCIM and monitoring points.
- • Cable containment.
- • Structured cabling model.
Note that a high-level design is not an architectural ‘build-ready’ level of design and the services of an architectural company may still be required for new build and substantial refit projects.
However the specification should be sufficient detail for competent suppliers to provide proposals to complete the project.
The next stage of the project is to issue this specification to design and build contractors and choose a contractor to build the data center.
We can help you from the initial feasibility stage through development of the design specification and can support you during the procurement process, the build phase, witness testing and commissioning and final approval. We act as your own internal data center specialist helping you to define your requirement, helping you to choose a supplier, and making sure that the finished data center meets your requirements. We can also help you to develop the right operational management processes to manage the data center once it is built.
3. Data Center Feasibility and Requirements Definition
You need more space for IT equipment and you’re planning to build a new data center. There are a number of questions you will need to answer:
- • How big does the data center need to be?
- • What Tier or class of data center do I need?
- • What power capacity do I need?
- • Where should I build it?
- • How much will it cost?
- • Should I build a new one or rent space in an existing data center?
These are just some of the questions which need answering. The first stage is to carry out a feasibility study involving all of the key stakeholders. The output of the study should be a feasibility report answering all the key questions, defining the requirement, providing outline design options, timescales and cost estimates and alternatives for collocation (where applicable).
The feasibility and requirements definition provides senior decision makers with the information they need on which to base their decision on how to proceed with the project.
A data center is a significant investment and perhaps more importantly your business will depend on the service continuity it can provide. Anything which may disrupt that continuity of operation should be identified and the risk assessed before making a decision to proceed. During this process it is also important, as with any investment, to ensure that it provides value for money.
This can be determined through a site location assessment. Guidance is provided in a number of standards.
We offer a feasibility and requirements definition service. We meet with all the stakeholders in the project and combine our findings with a our extensive knowledge of data center projects and the data center market to provide a report on which the management team can base their decisions
4. Data Center Build or Collocation
When you need more IT space you have a choice:
- • Build a new data center
- • Rent space in a collocation data center
There are advantages and disadvantages of each approach and there are many factors which may impact on the final decision depending on the priorities of your business. In the case of a data center build Vs collocation decision there are three main issues to consider:
- • Security
- • Service Availability and Continuity
- • Cost
Any business decision should be based on facts. We can help you to establish the facts. Whether you want to know the cost of building a new data center or get an independent assessment of the Tier or Class of a colocation facility or perhaps an assessment of the operations management of the facility to ensure business continuity we can provide assistance.
Be aware that it is your responsibility to check that the technical reality of a collocation site matches the marketing
5. Data Center Design Peer Reviews
There are many very good electrical and mechanical engineering consultancies, you may even work for one of them. The skills of their engineering staff are not in question. However, when carrying out a detailed design exercise it is very easy to miss the bigger picture and introduce single points of failure or equipment which requires the IT to be shut down whilst being maintained. These issues may not be important in the design of an office facility or a residential block but for a data center such design omissions can cause significant costs further down the line.
Perhaps you need to be sure that the data center design meets a particular Tier or Class. An expert review by an independent specialist like us will give you reassurance that you are meeting your contractual obligations.
The cost of a peer design review can be considerably less than the cost of correcting mistakes after the construction work starts
It is much easier and cheaper to correct design errors before construction work starts.
In almost every peer review, we have identified improvements which can be made
6. Data Center Witness Testing and Commissioning
The commissioning processes is one of the most important aspects of any project.
Without proper commissioning and testing how do you know your data center has the resilience it was designed for?
Commissioning should start as soon as the design stage is completed. The tests to be carried out during the commissioning process should be documented and agreed between the client and the contractor.
Commissioning is widely understood to be a 5 stage process:
- 1. Factory acceptance tests
- 2. Supplier/sub-contractor installation tests
- 3. Witnessing of Supplier/sub-contractor installation tests
- 4. Testing of interfaces between different systems i.e. UPS/generators/BMS etc.
- 5. IST, Integrated System Test
Stages 1-3 are similar in any construction project but stages 4 and 5 are particularly important in a data center project. We must establish that the redundancy we have built into the system works in every configuration and will support the full design load during normal running and maintenance or failure modes.
We must test every configuration of a redundant system before accepting the installation
This means that a detailed and thorough commissioning plan must be documented early in the project and time must be allowed in the project plan to complete this process before handover.
Another crucial aspect of the handover process is ensuring that the “as-built” installation matches the original client requirements specification and that the documentation provided by the contractor is complete and reflects the “as-built” installation.
During every project there are changes made during the construction process. These must be reflected in the “as-built” documentation
Our data center commissioning process is designed to provide a holistic review to demonstrate that the data center works as an integrated system that matches the client requirements. We also audit the site to ensure that the handover documentation is complete and accurately represents the “as-built” installation.