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5G NETWORKS
Data centres in a box
It goes without saying that these edge data centres aren’t
on the same scale as the massive hyperscales chock full of
storage racks. It’s neither feasible nor financially viable to
pop up a new data centre next to practically any building. By
its very nature, edge processing often needs to find a home
in an environment not originally designed with the needs of
a data centre in mind – an unused office, a spare corner of a
warehouse, outside in the car park, or even on the roof.
For this reason, micro data centres are likely to become
the go-to choice. These prefabricated facilities are pretty
much shrunken data centres housed inside a secure steel
shipping container. They’re weather and fireproof and
are built off-site before being transported to their final
destination. But while they don’t perhaps look like the
archetypal data centre, what’s contained within the four
walls is exactly the same, just in a heavily reduced footprint.
Containerised data centres incorporate all the same core
elements and technologies as a typical enterprise facility.
Standard 19in cabinets and server racks, uninterruptible
power supplies for emergency backup, cabling, PDUs and
air conditioning. Plus, they utilise all the usual DCIM and
monitoring software.
One key point about containerised data centres is that
they’re classed as a temporary structure, so they aren’t
actually subject to UK planning regulations. This means
they’re often ready to ‘go live’ within just eight weeks of
the initial design, a fraction of the time – not to mention
the cost – of building a standard data centre. And by their
very nature – in essence, a data centre in a box – they also
offer great flexibility as they can quickly and relatively easily
be transported between several different locations. As long
as the container itself meets Lloyd’s Register Container
Certification Scheme (LRCCS) criteria, the structure can be
moved by rail, road, sea, or air without the need to break it
down and then reassemble at its next destination.
Rittal solutions for the technology of the future.
Edge computing enables enormous amounts of data to be
processed directly at the place where they arise. Securely
and in real time. Rittal prepares you and your IT infrastructure
for new challenges - flexibly, economically, and globally.