The initiative included consolidation of existing data centre capacity, upgrades to the physical infrastructure and the deployment of next generation data centre infrastructure (DCIM) management software.
The digital transformation project aims to improve the ability of Newcastle City Council to deliver e-government services to the 300,000 citizens and businesses within its constituency.
The new data centre replaces three legacy server rooms, each containing a number of disparate UPS and cooling systems that were old.
In addition, the company said EcoStruxure IT Expert enables the facility to deliver hosting services to other local bodies and businesses.
“Previously, we were able to withstand a loss of power for about 20 minutes,” said James Dickman, Senior ICT Solutions Analyst, Newcastle City Council.
“Now we can operate for three hours on UPS batteries if required and can use our backup generator to provide alternative power in the event of a lengthy loss of our mains supply.
“It’s also reassuring to know that the data centre infrastructure is being constantly monitored, with alerts routed directly to mobile devices if events occur out of hours.”
Around 10% of the data centre’s real estate is leased out to other public sector organisations including HM Courts and the arbitration service, ACAS.
“The monitoring and management capabilities of EcoStruxure IT has resulted in greatly improved visibility of the data centre operations and consequently offers a greater ability to proactively mitigate emerging issues,” said John Thompson, MD of Advanced Power Technology.
“With more detailed insight into operations, Newcastle City Council can increase the resiliency of the IT Service delivery to improve the customer experience.”
The Council installed Schneider Electric modular and scalable range of Galaxy range UPS’s, offering N+1 redundant configuration and extended runtimes, together with a standby power generator, for uptime in the event of a power outage.
“With IT, connectivity and digital demands growing exponentially, the data centre plays a crucial role in e-government service delivery,” said Marc Garner, VP, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric UK&I.
“APT’s expertise in data centre design, build and installation have been pivotal in the success of this digital transformation project for Newcastle City Council, offering them greater resiliency and efficiency.”
