A Customer Success
from the Experts in
Business-Critical ContinuityTM.
& dark fiber solutions
DataCenter.BZ
Background
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, DataCenter.BZ provides enterprisegrade data center and telecom solutions—including high-density
co-location, cloud computing, metro-area dark fiber, managed hosting,
hosted storage and related disaster recovery solutions—to a variety
of regional, national and international customers, including major
telecommunications network carriers, government entities, healthcare
systems and numerous Fortune 1000 companies.
In an effort to keep up with rapid growth in demand for its premium
data center services, the company expanded its 66,000-square-foot
headquarters with the addition of a second carrier-neutral data center
in 2011. When turning up more than 22,000 square feet of additional
raised floor space to support its high-density IT and telecom operations
(more than 32,000 square feet of 24-inch raised floor space in total),
DataCenter.BZ relied upon Emerson Network Power to optimize its
unique data center infrastructure for availability, efficiency and capacity.
Case Summary
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Products/Services:
Room-based infrastructure design aligned with the
SmartDesign™ approach, which simplifies data center design
by applying power, cooling and monitoring technologies from
Emerson Network Power to create an integrated, highly efficient
room-based infrastructure. DataCenter.BZ’s SmartDesign
infrastructure includes:
• Liebert NX uninterruptible power supply (UPS) modules with
Softscale™ technology
• Liebert CW precision cooling units with EC fans and VFD drives
• Liebert FPC power conditioning and distribution cabinets
DataCenter.BZ provides carrier-neutral,
ultra-high power density data center and
metro-area dark fiber solutions from its
headquarters facility in Columbus, Ohio.
As part of its high-availability solutions
offering, DataCenter.BZ is backed by
SAS70 Type II certification and operates
pursuant to 2(N+1) availability standards,
making the company’s flagship carrierneutral data center the only of its kind in
the state of Ohio.
• Liebert SiteScan monitoring software
Critical Need: Support DataCenter.BZ’s data center expansion
with an ultra-high-density power and cooling infrastructure
optimized for efficiency and flexibility without compromising its
2(N+1) high-availability operational commitment.
The Situation
DataCenter.BZ provides enterprise-grade data
center and telecom solutions to a variety of regional,
national and international customers, including major
telecommunications network carriers, government
entities, healthcare systems and numerous Fortune
1000 companies.
Results
Substantial gains in power and cooling capacity enabled
DataCenter.BZ to continue providing data center
customers with 500 watts per square foot of power
across a 32,000-square-foot raised floor along with
ultra-high-density cabinet power deployments—some
up to 90 kW (50 kW in standard racks)
Cooling infrastructure helped to achieve a facility-wide
PUE of 1.25 or less
Projected to achieve LEED Certification from the United
States Green Building Council (USGBC)
100 percent site availability since completion of initial
carrier-neutral data center provisioning in 2007
2(N+1) redundancy maintained on all critical power and
cooling infrastructure
Originally established in 1988 as a hub for telecommunications carriers throughout Central Ohio,
DataCenter.BZ has been providing high-availability telecom
and IT services to its customers for more than two decades.
DataCenter.BZ also maintains one of Ohio’s largest
collections of carrier/municipal/private fiber networks on
its property and serves as a critical point of interconnection
among the carriers, dark fiber networks and “last mile”
providers in Central Ohio. The company’s regional, national
and international customers—which include numerous
government entities, educational institutions, healthcare
systems and Fortune 1000 companies—and Tier 1
partners also leverage DataCenter.BZ’s carrier access and
connectivity solutions via the company’s wholly-owned
metro-area dark fiber network.
“Our market is fairly unique because our customer
base is almost exclusively high-end,” said Michael Scherer,
director of business development for DataCenter.BZ. “That
means our approach has to be non-stop. We don’t have
scheduled maintenance that could cause an outage of
any kind—and any downtime, scheduled or unscheduled,
is just unacceptable.”
Since 2007, the company has offered carrier-neutral, highdensity co-location solutions that leverage a completely
new data center infrastructure and purpose-built,
highly secure telecom facilities on its five-acre campus.
Supported by SAS70 Type II-audited operations with 2(N+1)
redundancy, the facility and its power, cooling, network
and security infrastructures are specially designed to
support a variety of enterprise-grade data center solutions,
including high-density co-location, managed hosting, cloud
computing, virtual data center, hosted storage and related
disaster recovery solutions.
To support these enterprise-grade solutions,
DataCenter.BZ leverages ultra-high power and cooling
densities—providing customers with 500 watts per square
foot across a 32,000-square foot raised floor and ultra-highdensity cabinet power deployments, some up to 90 kW
(50 kW in standard racks). Such power densities enable the
company to offer smaller footprint solutions, minimizing
customers’ operating costs while maximizing facility
economies of scale enjoyed by all customers.
this demand, the company expanded its headquarters
by opening an additional carrier-neutral data center on
its campus in 2011, making it the largest 2(N+1), carrierneutral data center facility in Ohio. A new IP core also was
deployed in 2011 that leverages multiple Cisco 7609 and
Nexus 7010 IP fabrics to enhance the availability of virtual
services—including Virtual Data Centers (vDCs), virtual
machines, virtual firewalls and hosted SANs and hosted
backups—in turn driving additional demand for extremely
reliable power and cooling resources.
DataCenter.BZ’s Liebert NX UPS modules operate at
extremely high efficiencies, which are maintained even
when operating at partial capacity due to integrated
SoftScale technology.
“In recent years, the data center has essentially developed
into a central office for the private, public and hybrid cloud
community, with some virtual machines deployed here
utilizing several petabytes of storage capacity,” said Kim
Gerhart, enterprise sales for DataCenter.BZ. “While we have
remained committed to providing carrier-neutral services
to our strong telecommunications customer base, the
demand for 24/7 cloud availability has made our highdensity, high-availability data center extremely attractive to
our enterprise and government customers, including those
leveraging us for large-scale enterprise private clouds or
active/active business continuity deployments.”
To enhance these offerings, the company leverages
many benefits intrinsic to its dedicated telecom campus,
including world-class connectivity and abundant access
to on-site redundant primary (diverse power grid feeds)
and secondary power (multiple 2 MW generators). These
unique attributes also allow DataCenter.BZ to implement
an industry-leading high-density power and cooling
infrastructure to fulfill the availability requirements of these
mission-critical applications.
As the company experienced rapid growth over time—
driven in large part by a surge in popularity for the data
center applications—it quickly began to exhaust the
capacity of its existing space. In an effort to keep up with
Now with more than 32,000 square feet of 24-inch raised
floor space supporting the company’s high-density, highavailability IT and telecom operations, fortifying the data
center’s infrastructure with power and cooling equipment
optimized for the highest levels of reliability and scalability
was imperative. However, the company’s management—
actively involved in a variety of green initiatives throughout
the community—also recognized the importance of
maintaining highly-efficient operating conditions in its highdensity virtualized environment.
“Virtualization of the server environment provides huge
efficiencies, but also huge fluctuations in power demand,
because while servers are active they’re drawing a huge
amount of power which also requires a huge amount of
air conditioner load. Then, when they’re inactive, the air
conditioning requirement drops off just as quickly. In order
to optimize energy efficiency, we needed an infrastructure
that could dynamically react with pinpoint accuracy to
changing virtualized server loads,” said Gordon Scherer,
president of DataCenter.BZ.
Accordingly, DataCenter.BZ turned to Emerson Network
Power to leverage the SmartDesign approach to optimize its
unique data center infrastructure for availability, efficiency
and capacity.
The Solution
To accommodate the unique needs of its data center and
telecom customers, DataCenter.BZ relies on a redundant,
concurrently maintainable data center infrastructure
operating at ultra-high power and cooling densities generally
not feasible in typical co-location facilities.
Due to the company’s unique location that also hosts both
an extensive hub of telecom fiber networks from over
twenty Tier 1 and other major network carriers as well as
To meet the data center’s unique availability requirements,
2(N+1) redundancy was established across the data center’s
power, cooling, security and network infrastructure to
eliminate single points of failure and to ensure all equipment
is concurrently maintainable. However, in addition to meeting
these stringent availability requirements, DataCenter.
BZ’s management team also recognizes the importance
of maintaining a highly efficient operating environment to
ensure the company’s high-density, high-availability service
offerings remain competitive from a cost perspective.
The Liebert CW cooling equipment deployed in this
facility intelligently adapts to DataCenter.BZ’s rapidly
changing needs without requiring compromises on
availability or efficiency.
multiple carrier operations housed within the same facility,
DataCenter.BZ is afforded access to dual utility feeds capable
of delivering up to 30 megawatts of total utility power to the
facility’s redundant utility busses. Backed by such a robust
utility grid, the company can provide enterprise-grade,
ultra-high-density data center solutions to its customers.
Specifically, the company is able to deploy an average density
of at least 500 watts per square foot of power across 32,000
square feet of raised floor, with an average rack density of
5-10 kW and high-density cabinet power deployments up to
90 kW (50 kW in standard rack deployments).
As part of its high-availability solutions offering,
DataCenter.BZ’s data center operations are designed
to meet or exceed all industry-recognized Tier IV data
center standards. With the capability to achieve such high
power densities throughout the facility, the company’s
management team and operations staff—predominantly
comprised of engineers—understand the heightened
risks and implications of a catastrophic downtime event.
Therefore, in addition to supporting the facility with
redundant back-up generators, extensive steps were
taken to ensure that the data center’s ultra-high-density
IT deployments are backed by an equally robust data
center infrastructure.
To address this challenge, DataCenter.BZ fortified its
infrastructure using the SmartDesign approach’s room-based
Liebert power, cooling and monitoring technologies. The
company’s management team found to be particularly wellsuited for providing the ample power and cooling capacity
needed to accommodate dense IT equipment loads while
remaining scalable and energy efficient.
In light of the power densities being accommodated
throughout the facility, DataCenter.BZ required a customized
UPS deployment designed to provide ample power
protection with the added benefits of scalability and highefficiency operation. With these requirements in mind,
DataCenter.BZ deployed Liebert NX UPS solutions from
Emerson Network Power.
“Because our customers require the highest possible levels of
availability, UPS redundancy is required for both the ‘A’ and
‘B’ sides of the facility,” said Paul Keinath, CFO and partner
of DataCenter.BZ. “We chose Liebert NX UPS solutions
specifically for their reliability, but also for their unique
high efficiency across a wide load range together with their
scalability and modularity.”
Leveraging their high configurability, the company paralleled
six 200 kVA Liebert NX modules with a 1.2 megawatt
paralleling switchboard in each of the facility’s six newly
commissioned NX UPS systems—initially establishing more
than seven megawatts of additional UPS backup. This unique
configuration—the only Liebert NX deployment of this size in
North America—provides true 2(N+1) UPS redundancy with
the scalability required to meet the unique needs of its highdensity data center space. The Liebert NX systems deployed
as part of this configuration operate at extremely high
efficiencies, which are maintained even when operating
at partial capacity thanks to integrated SoftScale™
technology—up to 94 percent at partial load. “In the data
“Before deploying the Liebert NX series, final power delivery
could be compromised by up to 20 percent relative to rated
input power due to power factor and harmonics—we have
since driven such losses down to less than 2 percent,” said
Scherer. “So, the high power factor efficiency of the Liebert
NX was particularly attractive to us and ensures that we can
capitalize on 99 percent of the UPS system’s capacity in the
form of usable power—a significant benefit when considering
the savings across the initial six paralleled systems.”
In addition, because the Liebert NX is transformer-free,
DataCenter.BZ does not incur power losses at the UPS level—a
typical byproduct of transformer-based UPS systems.
By conditioning power via TP1 transformers at the PDU level
through the use of high-capacity, high-efficiency Liebert FPC
power distribution cabinets, the company is able to farther
increase the overall efficiency of the power infrastructure.
The 50-ton Liebert CW units dynamically react to the
changing loads, staying in the peak range of efficiency,
and automatically adapt and cover cooling as a backup
for the loss of any cooling capacity or cooling units.
center environment, very few UPS units operate at 100
percent capacity for extended periods of time over the
life of the equipment,” said Gordon Scherer. “This made
choosing a UPS solution with high partial-load operating
efficiency very important to us.”
“The design avoids having stranded UPS capacity and
supports a mix of 150 kW and 300 kW Liebert FPC power
conditioning and distribution cabinets located close
to the final load and direct 480 VAC loads,” Scherer
continued. “By only dealing with three-wire 480 VAC until
the FPC power centers are reached, power losses are greatly
reduced­—increasing efficiency—and the costs of panels,
conduits and wiring is reduced while still delivering several
megawatts of power.”
Specific design attributes also made the Liebert NX UPS
attractive to DataCenter.BZ. In particular, the company
appreciates the system’s minimal distortion and harmonic
interference (less than 3 percent)—a critical benefit in a hightier data center—as well as the system’s “self-maintenance”
features and high power factor efficiency (0.99 typical).
“The integration of a transformer in the power infrastructure
can lead to losses in available power, typically around three to
five percent, which can have a dramatic impact on efficiency
when operating at high densities,” said Michael Collins,
professional engineer for DataCenter.BZ. “Eliminating a
transformer allows us to eliminate these potential losses
and maximize the available UPS capacity being delivered to
the customers, and the Liebert FPC transformers are 98.5
percent, or more, efficient across a 30 percent to a 100
percent load.”
In order to accommodate the fluctuating heat loads
produced by the data center’s high-density server racks,
DataCenter.BZ needed to develop an ultra-dense cooling
infrastructure. This comprises precision cooling solutions
with enough capacity to accommodate the data center’s
peak loads, with redundancy, while remaining highly efficient
when operating at partial load. This need was heightened
due to the high volume of virtualized servers deployed in
the facility, creating rapid fluctuations in heat densities on
a regular basis. With this in mind, DataCenter.BZ chose to
deploy Liebert CW data center cooling units.
“Because more than 80 percent of our facility contains
virtualized servers and storage arrays, the need for an
ultra-dense cooling infrastructure is even more critical,” said
Rachel Miller, director of marketing for DataCenter.BZ. “The
Liebert CW cooling equipment deployed in this facility is
an ideal choice because it intelligently adapts to our rapidly
changing needs without requiring us to make compromises
on availability or efficiency.”
availability of our high-density IT equipment. And the 50-ton
units dynamically react to the changing loads, staying in the
peak range of efficiency, and automatically adapt and cover
cooling as a backup for the loss of any cooling capacity or
cooling units.”
“The adaptive cooling is really critical in a modern data
center,” said Gordon Scherer. “Heat demands and the
energy demands are shifting all over the data center based
on the customer’s virtualization and cloud demands. So
as the customer’s demands are changing, the data center
is dynamically reacting in a micro-second to the power
demand, the air conditioning demand, and the core is
reacting to the IP demand. You’re only delivering the
resources as they’re needed, where they’re needed, and then
as the load diminishes, the units are in turn reducing their
power consumption.”
DataCenter.BZ also deployed several 90-ton high-efficiency
heat recovery chillers integrated into and managed as part of
the Emerson solution. With an Energy Efficiency Rating (EER)
of 30:1, the company is effectively removing 30 tons of heat
for every one ton of energy used by the chillers—resulting in
significant energy savings.
The Liebert FPC power conditioning and distribution
cabinets allow DataCenter.BZ to efficiently maximize
the available UPS capacity delivered to its customers.
By installing 50-ton Liebert CW precision cooling units on the
perimeter of the data center’s raised floor space,
DataCenter.BZ was able to maximize the available space on
its data center floor to accommodate additional customers.
In addition to providing the company with enough capacity
to cool even its highest density cabinets, the Liebert CW units
are equipped with EC (electronically commutated) plug fans,
variable frequency drives and intelligent controls.
“The Liebert CW’s variable frequency drives enable us to
achieve a truly ‘intelligent’ cooling infrastructure,” said Paul
Keinath, CFO and partner of DataCenter.BZ. “This gave us
peace of mind, knowing that our cooling infrastructure is
only utilizing as much capacity as needed during peak and
non-peak hours, allowing us to make significant efficiency
gains on the cooling side without compromising the
These chillers, combined with geothermal heat pumps
installed throughout the facility, enable DataCenter.BZ to
gain more than 100 additional tons of “free cooling”.
By deploying high-efficiency Liebert CW precision cooling
units—equipped with EC fans and VFD drive motors—in
concert with three separate cold water loops, high-efficiency
chillers and geothermal heat pumps, the company employs a
redundant high-density cooling infrastructure, with cooling
systems accounting for less than 10 percent of the facility’s
total power draw on average.
Finally, to enhance the facility’s data center infrastructure
management capabilities, DataCenter.BZ leverages Liebert
SiteScan monitoring software. This allows DataCenter.BZ
and its customers to monitor the data center’s operational
infrastructure down to the rack level in real-time, enabling
data center staff to quickly identify and remedy any potential
power or cooling issues throughout the data center before
they result in any component downtime.
The Results
By partnering with experts from Emerson Network Power,
DataCenter.BZ has deployed a world-class high-availability
data center supported by a robust infrastructure optimized
for the organization’s unique needs, including 2(N+1)
redundancy, concurrently maintainable operations and
providing for 500 watts per square foot of power along with
ultra-high-density cabinet power deployments up to 90 kW
(50 kW in standard racks).
“The choice of Emerson Network Power equipment was
ideal for us because it caters specifically to the needs of
our business in regard to density, availability, scalability
and efficiency,” said Michael Scherer. “With the help of
the SmartDesign approach, we have established a best-inclass data center infrastructure that is dynamic rather than
static—allowing us to rapidly address changing needs while
maintaining the highest levels of efficiency and availability.”
“Our goal has been to build and operate a world class,
carrier-neutral data center in Ohio and we feel that
Emerson has been instrumental in helping us achieve
just that,” Scherer continued. “Further, the efficiencies
gained through Emerson technologies enable us to remain
very competitively-priced, resulting in great value and
satisfaction for our customers.”
From an efficiency standpoint, the data center has
achieved an estimated Power Usage Effectiveness rating
of 1.25 or less and anticipates LEED certification from the
U.S. Green Buildings Council shortly after the opening
of its 22,000-square foot raised floor expansion. The
cooling infrastructure in particular has been recognized
for its extreme efficiency, including leveraging ultraefficient 50-ton Liebert CW precision cooling units with
energy efficiency ratings (EER) of 76:1.Since completion
of provisioning on the original data center in 2007,
DataCenter.BZ also has maintained the highest possible
levels of availability. The company has been able to deliver
100 percent site availability to its customers—even as power
densities and cooling requirements continue to rise—due
in large part to the robust power and cooling infrastructure
supporting the facility.
“With our newly expanded data center facility, we are
better positioned than ever before to deliver high-density,
high-availability data center services previously unseen in
the Central Ohio marketplace at an extremely competitive
price point compared to the leading national providers,”
said Gordon Scherer.
“As the leading provider of power and cooling solutions for
this facility, Emerson Network Power has been a valuable
partner whose innovative technologies have enabled
us to achieve the highest levels of availability, efficiency
and flexibility and pass those benefits along to our global
customer-base.”
For more information on Emerson Network Power and
Liebert solutions, visit www.Liebert.com.
For more information about DataCenter.BZ’s high-density
co-location, virtual data center and dark fiber solutions, visit
www.DataCenter.BZ.
Emerson Network Power.
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