How Water Strategy Became a Game-Changer for a Leading Data Company

Situated 25 miles from the centre of London, this major data operations hub operates a state-of-the-art neutral facility housing 27 data centres.

The facility provides more than 12,500 m2 of data centre space with a total power provision of 68 MVA, and an industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.22.

The site is close to London, but outside the M25, which means that if there is an emergency lockdown in the City, or the M25 is completely closed, the data centre is still accessible.

Back-up infrastructure for critical power systems on site includes generator systems, back-up systems and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), providing the highest level of power protection.

The Challenge 

As a leading data centre, the business has extensive and ongoing investment in its services. Significant investment in infrastructure and innovation, including industry-leading adiabatic cooling systems, led the business to review its risk assessments and continuity planning to ensure industry best practice above and beyond standard requirements.

Water is critical to data centre operations. Every single unit consumes water, and with 20 litres per second required for adiabatic cooling, water consumption can be considerable. Even a short supply interruption can be devastating.

For years the data centre has spent fortunes on protecting power supply, and is now regarding water supply as equally critical to their core physical and cyber security.

Whilst the site is well prepared for power failures with 68 generators in place with a store of 72 hours of fuel and a failsafe with contracts in place for assured fuel delivery. The same could not be said for the continuity of the supply of water. Given how critical the supply of water is to the central operations, the team recognised that they needed to make sure the planning and contingency for their water supply aligned with power and be given the same level of assured water supply contracts in place.

The Solution – A WaterTight solution for core data centre operations

Water cooling systems are relatively new to the London site, introduced when the business began using industry-leading Adiabatic Cooling systems six years ago. This system uses a cooling mist technique, with each unit consuming water at a rate of a quarter of a litre per second. With 100 units on site, the water consumption can be considerable. As a result, if the water supply fails, the entire system goes down because there is no way to cool the data centres.

To address this, Water Direct’s WaterTight team collaborated with the site, conducting a comprehensive audit, preparing risk assessments, and creating an advanced Business Continuity Plan for water. This plan includes the guaranteed delivery of alternative or emergency water across various scenarios.

Key Highlights

• The client has successfully implemented a full contingency plan supported by a robust risk assessment, ensuring comprehensive preparedness and operational resilience.
• A 24-hour Service Level Agreement (SLA) is now in place to guarantee rapid emergency alternative supply, enhancing responsiveness and continuity in critical situations.
• Peace of mind assured—operations will seamlessly continue in the event of a failure, ensuring uninterrupted service.

Conclusion 

By taking this proactive approach, the client has significantly reinforced their infrastructure, gaining greater resilience and peace of mind for their operations team.