EXPERT OPINION
As one of the UAE’s information technology
leaders, and a specialist in Digital
Transformation, Injazat helps organisations
put digital at the heart of their business –
working with clients to reduce risk, improve
productivity and drive growth.
Injazat operates two world-class facilities:
a Tier IV Data Centre in Abu Dhabi,
offering the highest levels of uptime,
resilience and security; and a Tier III+ Data
Centre in Dubai, also offering excellent
levels of uptime and resilience, while
greatly expanding Injazat’s capacity
to provision cloud services and other
managed service offerings.
An understanding of the applications of a
data centre is of paramount importance
for companies and Injazat consulting
teams help clients to improve business
performance by utilising data centre
solutions and enabling them to make full
use of digitised operations.
Are there any unique challenges
to the data centre industry in the
Middle East?
Ganesh Bhat, Head of Data Centres,
eHosting DataFort
The Middle Eastern region in general
has ambient conditions which can take
a major toll on the efficiency of data
centres. Two of the main factors include
temperature and dust. With operating
temperatures set higher, it has a negative
ripple effect on the condensers or outdoor
chiller units. Since cooling units and
associated outdoor units are oversized to
compensate or offset ambient conditions,
they then become an overkill on the
efficiency. Additionally, there has to be an
extra effort in ensuring that the air filters
are cleaned and replaced frequently.
The majority of data centre units
are imported and hence any future
maintenance is comparatively more
expensive than the countries where
they are manufactured and supplied.
Availability of spare parts and the
supply lead times are other factors to be
considered for maintenance. It may be a
wise idea to keep few critical components
in stock to avoid supply lead time.
Ganesh Bhat, Head of Data Centres,
eHosting DataFort
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Issue 08
Also, there is a huge skills gap for IT
personnel in the region. On the other hand,
the intelligence, know-how and technical
competency that is required to build, expand
and adhere to certification requirements
calls for a higher degree of expertise.
More often these roles are outsourced and
at times may not be available locally.
The region has to make some concerted
efforts in ensuring that these technical
skills are nurtured and in turn work
towards a stronger industry.
It is critical that data centre providers
implement advanced technology to
ensure that the efficiency levels are
optimised. Given the nature of the
business, we must be aware of and
make adequate investments in security
solutions to be in a strong position to
protect the infrastructure as well as the
all-important data. ◊
THE MIDDLE
EASTERN REGION
IN GENERAL
HAS AMBIENT
CONDITIONS
WHICH CAN TAKE
A MAJOR TOLL ON
THE EFFICIENCY OF
DATA CENTRES.
www.intelligentdatacentres.com