What it takes to power a Tier IV cloud data centre

Business Connexion has invested a furthermore R23 million in additional upgrades to its Midrand data centre, substantially increasing the electricity supply to the facility and providing headroom for growth.

The effort -

The effort - and expense - required to power a data centre that underpins cloud computing is remarkable, being substantial, complex and risky. It is for these reasons that the company is pleased to announce the on-time, on-budget completion of the project.

IaaS, or infrastructure as a service, refers to companies which provide computing power, storage, software, infrastructure or other information and communication-powered services. “The demand for these sorts of services is increasing steadily, as more companies come to appreciate the cost savings and flexibility associated with this procurement model,” Burger continues. “With the upgrade to the power supply into the data centre, we are positioned to take advantage of that demand.”

The project approved

With the project approved by Business Connexion's board of directors in September 2010, its successful conclusion this May sees the addition of a furthermore 1 Mega Volt Ampere capacity to the data centre. During that may not mean much to the layman, or even to customers procuring ICT services from the company, it means a lot to the data centre managers.

That's because it means the ability to put a lot more computing power into the facility. And what goes into enabling that capacity is fascinating.

All the company's customers continued processing while scheduled shutdowns of one of the duplicated plant room facilities, resulting in zero impact on their businesses, Burger says. “This is owing to the centre operating in tandem with a twin, remote facility. The shutdowns, highly unusual events for a data centre of this capacity, provided the possibility to test our ability to meet up to the Tier IV requirements,” he adds. “By and large, extensive downtime will be required for upgrades of this magnitude for customers who host in lower-tiered data centres.”

John Jenkins, Chief Executive: Services Group at Business Connexion, notes that as one of only two companies in the southern hemisphere to operate a Tier IV data centre, it has a proven understanding of energy efficiency then. “Enabling customers to outsource infrastructure operations highlights the role cloud computing plays in reducing energy consumption,” he says.

The completion of this project

With the completion of this project, Jenkins adds that Business Connexion takes another leap forward in its ability to deliver managed cloud-based services from locally-owned and managed facilities.

“It's another way in which we are making the notion of Connective Intelligence happen for our customers - combining research leadership with human expertise to create an advantage,” concludes Jenkins.

Business Connexion is a leading integrator of innovative business solutions based on information and communications research. With over 4 500 employees and a track record spanning 32 years, Business Connexion runs mission-critical ICT systems and manages products, services and solutions for JSE listed and key public sector organisations, parastatals and medium-sized companies.

Business Connexion has a unequalled business model that represents the company's approach to configuring and integrating business solutions, which it develops and implements by drawing on expertise from entrenched competencies across the organisation. In order to deliver a world-class service, Business Connexion has developed strong relationships and attained top-level certification with many of the world's leading ICT suppliers. To find out how Business Connexion can connect your business to a world of endless possibilities, visit: www.bcx.co.za.