At Park Place Technologies, we believe that sustainability is now an urgent necessity for data centers. AI has added a new dimension to data center maintenance and monitoring by incorporating predictive analysis into management operations. Park Place Technologies is committed to supporting circular economy principles across the data canter industry, especially with regard to hardware and its disposal, said Xavier Surentherathas | Senior Director | Partner Sales | APAC | Park Place Technologies. In this Volt-Full Interview with Niloy; Xavier also highlights Park Place Technologies’ key components to promote sustainability, states the reason behind adopting End-to-End Managed Data Center Services, and puts light on the growing Data Center Market in India. Edited Volt-Full Excerpts Below.
Modern Data Centers are power-hungry, hence how can the power be optimized to make it efficient, resilient and sustainable, how has Park Place Technologies been instrumental in this transition?
Often labelled the engines that drive the digital age, the importance of data centers stretches across industries. They do, however, come with a significant environmental footprint. From fossil fuel requirements for operations and water consumption for maintenance to high-scale carbon emissions and large electronic waste production, the challenges are numerous.
At Park Place Technologies, we believe that sustainability is now an urgent necessity for data centers. Our overarching approach is rooted in circular economy principles that prioritize reuse and recycling rather than completely discarding equipment in favour of new products. By managing and disposing of hazardous e-waste in a responsible fashion, we ultimately strive to create a closed-loop system that minimizes our clients’ environmental footprint.
Additionally, we also offer several services that are tailormade to help our customers’ embrace the circular economy and substantially reduce the impact of their operations on our planet. Some of these are:
- Network Monitoring – Park Place Entuity Software proactively measures productivity levels and monitors potential server issues. This helps guarantee network availability for data centers. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), it also bolsters efficiency of operations while slashing the wastage of energy resources.
- Liquid Cooling – An alternative to traditional air cooling, liquid immersion cooling is a modern development that promises long-term power saving for data centers. Internal temperature maintenance is vital for data centers. Unfortunately, it is a constant procedure that consumes a huge amount of resources. Our Liquid Cooling Systems empower data centers to achieve more while using less space, energy, and costs.
- Hardware Maintenance – Our round-the-clock, end-to-end ParkView Managed Services aim to help customers’ make the most of their existing architecture by monitoring, repairing, and upgrading equipment wherever required. We aid organizations to use their hardware for as long as possible, eliminating the need to undergo an expensive and time-consuming overhaul that produces substantial amounts of electronic waste (e-waste).
What is the major reason behind the growing data center capacity?
Globally, a primary driver behind the increased demand for data center capacity is the growing adoption of modern technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). Despite their utility, the surge in demand for data center capacity globally can largely be attributed to the proliferation of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
AI systems, renowned for their computational intensity, necessitate substantial upgrades in IT infrastructure to manage their extensive data processing requirements. This, in turn, has compelled companies to expand their data center capacities. The pervasive applicability of AI across various sectors has further fueled this demand, particularly within the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) industry, where the need for sophisticated IT solutions has soared.
In India, the data center industry has grown rapidly, bolstered by favorable government policies and a thriving market environment. The country is steadily positioning itself as a pivotal data center hub within the Asia-Pacific region. An increasing number of global multinational corporations and industry-leading firms are eager to leverage India’s skilled IT workforce and strategic location, resulting in a significant rise in the establishment of data centers across the nation.
Reasons for Adoption of End-to-End Managed Data Center Services?
A data centre is a foundationally important component of an organisation’s digital capabilities. It is imperative for data centres to operate at maximum efficiency on a 24/7 basis. As a result, these physical locations require continuous and careful monitoring and maintenance.
Unfortunately, many companies do not have the resources to sustain an in-house team that is dedicated purely to data centre management. Even larger firms can find data centre management to be a time-consuming exercise that requires additional manpower and expenditure.
Outsourcing these services to a third-party partner has yielded enormous success for companies because it allows them to focus completely on their core business functions. It also allows them to leverage and rely on the expertise of partners who are more experienced and competent in the field of data centre management, saving valuable time and expenditure in the process. This solution has numerous other benefits, such as:
There are several other benefits to this solution:
- Enhanced Scalability: Allows companies to tinker and adjust their data centre capabilities without massive refurbishment or reworks, especially in this AI-dominated era where versatility is paramount.
- Regulated Expenditure and Cost Management: The right partner can help companies slash investment in data centre operations without compromising on the performance levels.
- Reduced Recovery Periods and Downtime: Having the entirety of a partner’s dedicated team at one’s disposal allows companies to monitor their network and infrastructure round-the-clock, minimising time taken to resolve network downtime, equipment failure, resource wastage, or security breaches.
- Global Access and Reach: Collaborating with established data centre management experts gives companies access to the external partner’s entire network. This helps firms build stronger relationships and opens doors to previously inaccessible regions.
- Tightened Security: Data centres house sensitive data pertaining to companies and their customers. External partners help companies implement the latest, cutting-edge security protocols and stay abreast of constantly evolving security regulations.
With the integration of AI in Data Centers, how has the maintenance and monitoring practices transformed?
AI has added a new dimension to data center maintenance and monitoring by incorporating predictive analysis into management operations. In today’s world where real-time solutions and end-to-end servicing is at the forefront of data center management, short response time is more important than ever before.
Traditionally, orthodox data center management has been rather reactive in nature, with issues being addressed after they have been identified by the monitoring team. AI-powered predictive monitoring has enjoyed considerable success in highlighting problems and areas of concern before the actual failure of network or hardware takes place. With the luxury of additional time and armed with a warning well in advance, organizations can then deal with potential malfunctions or breakdowns well in advance.
According to Deloitte, the difference between modern predictive maintenance and outdated reactive maintenance is clearly apparent. A study reveals that predictive maintenance boosts productivity by 25 percent while sharply cutting maintenance costs (by 25 percent) and breakdowns (by 70 percent).
On the whole, AI has also reduced the likelihood of errors in identification of failures, helping companies avoid having to make repairs by preventing operational breakdowns from occurring in the first place.
Can you shed some more light on Park Place Technologies’ commitment towards sustainability and adhering it to your offerings?
Park Place Technologies is committed to supporting circular economy principles across the data canter industry, especially with regard to hardware and its disposal.
To do so, we offer multiple measures to our clients, most of which revolve around the ‘Re-use, Reduce, and Recyle’ formula. ‘End of Service Life’ (ESOL) and post-warranty services are a pivotal part of our sustainability endeavours.
Through them, we aim to increase the lifespan of IT hardware, thereby allowing organisations to obtain the most value out of them. Our coverage extends beyond the original manufacturer’s support period and cuts down the need for companies to spend large amounts on servers, storage, or networking equipment.
Park Place Technologies’ dedicated hardware arm, ‘Curvature’, also offers pre-owned IT equipment that is in top-notch working condition.
For companies looking to upgrade or refurbish their existing architecture, this is not only a cost-effective alternative but also an extremely successful way of reducing electronic waste generation. Recycling is a central theme of the circular economy approach, and Park Place’s IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) service embraces it.
We dispose of IT equipment in an environmentally responsible manner while complying with data security regulations. Through these initiatives, we continue to promote sustainable practices and the re-use of resources in the IT sector.
Key bottlenecks while managing vendor relationships while standing tall to their commitments?
Park Place carefully selects its vendors and partners, and has curated long-standing relationships based on respect, reliability, and making sure our customers are served. But there are often circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
Globally, different parts of the world experience supply chain issues at different times, so we work to stay informed and stay ahead of any challenges we can anticipate. We are also tough on our partners and their sustainability and diversity policies, requiring data and updates to make sure all are adhering to acceptable standards.
As we grow globally, there are compliance and regulatory challenges in satisfying local and international laws. But we stress communication and constant assessment to ensure we face as few bottlenecks as possible.
What role do Managed Services provide in DCIM?
When executed correctly, managed services offer customised end-to-end support that is designed to improve the efficiency of data centre infrastructure and drastically reduce downtime.
Managed services are a broad term that involves monitoring, maintaining and, whenever necessary, repairing, hardware and software housed within a data centre. Key areas that managed services address to boost an organisation’s productivity are:
- Round-the-clock Monitoring: Managed service providers carefully monitor both network and hardware housed within a data centre to ensure they are functioning at optimal levels. This allows them to identify any issues at the earliest and minimise network downtime and potential waste of resources.
- Security: Managed services also conduct security observation by keeping a close eye out for malware attacks, compromised security measures, data leaks, and general cyber threats.
- Data Protection and Recovery: Data centers are often home to enormous amounts of sensitive customer or internal data. Managed service providers help organisations back-up their databases and can aid in recovery of information when needed.
- Hardware and Technical Support: Managed services providers help maintain, repair, and replace data centre hardware such as servers, wires, routers, computers, etc. A competent provider helps minimise expenditure by repairing wherever possible and offering competitive prices when infrastructure requires an upgrade.
By covering all the above bases, managed service providers keep data centres safe, ensure seamless network connectivity, and resolve any hardware-related infrastructure issues at the earliest.
Source: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/parkview/server-management/ | https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/parkview/network-management/ | https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/parkview/
What services to look out for when choosing a Third-Party Maintenance partner?
Outsourcing data center maintenance to an external partner offers a multitude of advantages, whether it is for companies looking to integrate AI or simply streamline their existing operations to improve efficiency. It also allows internal teams at organizations to focus their efforts on business value-related actions by freeing up time that would otherwise be spent on maintenance, repairs, and upkeep.
Collaborating with the right Third-Party Maintenance (TPM) partner is the most convenient and quickest way to obtain these benefits. Characteristics that companies must look out for include:
- Customisation and Flexibility: Partners must be able to tailor their solutions according to the varied demands of different IT companies. Flexibility in terms of contract terms, servicing, and pricing helps minimise costs and risks.
- Security Compliance: It is critical that partners adhere to security regulations and follow practices that protect data and systems from unauthorized access and breaches.
- Customer Service: Having a skilled technical team and a responsible account manager allows TPM partners to cultivate a proactive, transparent, and fulfilling relationship with clients.
- Multi-Vendor Support: Offers additional flexibility and access to a variety of hardware components and software upgrades.
- Global Presence: The best TPM partners have a global presence and network can ensure firms receive reliable service in all locations across regions.
Source: https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/the-key-to-data-centre-success-in-an-ai-driven-era | https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/third-party-maintenance/
