TM
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Bureau of Special Education
Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network
PaTTAN executives found their data center was prone to frequent downtime and poor performance because of an insufficient power and cooling infrastructure. The data center was a constant source of stress and headaches for the organization.
The group sought a modular solution to get their power and cooling up to par and meet their unique installation and deployment needs. Soon after beginning their search, they found Emerson Network Power to have the most attractive offering.
Harrisburg, PA
The SmartRow™ offering solves a problem all too common to IT management: addressing new capacity needs without building new data center space. This simple, fully integrated row-based infrastructure provides up to 36kW of capacity, with precision cooling, UPS, power management, monitoring and control technologies, and built-in fire suppression.
PaTTAN needed new power and cooling solutions that would provide sufficient service availability, but the environment presented specific challenges. First, any solution would have to be rapidly deployable – over the course of a weekend – because PaTTAN could not allow their services to go down during the week. Second, due to the room’s size, any solution would need a compact footprint. PaTTAN officials also wished to include fire suppression, monitoring, management and alerting functionality.
PaTTAN was dissatisfied with the performance of an outdated data center that had only wall-mounted cooling units and no remote monitoring or alerting capability. They needed to increase the availability of their IT services with reliable power protection, cooling, and fire suppression.
The SmartRow™ infrastructure provides a complete solution including racks, cooling, power distribution, monitoring and fire suppression in a compact footprint.
• Liebert ® Nform™ Centralized Monitoring Software gives the PaTTAN team greater visibility into system operation.
• Liebert APM™ On-line UPS provides highly efficient power and a path for growth with Softscale™ technology.
• Solution was installed, deployed, and brought to full operation between Friday
evening and Monday morning.

SmartRow Infrastructure, including:
Liebert Challenger™ 3000
Emerson Network Power ® Sealed Racks (3)
Integrated Fire Suppression
Back Up Fans
Liebert Nform Centralized Monitoring Software
Liebert APM On-Line UPS 45kVA
Critical Space Services
Startup and Commissioning
The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network
(PaTTAN) – an organization that provides professional development and technical support to teachers and administrators of special education K-12 students – found its data center infrastructure to be prone to frequent outages and poor performance, which had a negative impact on the availability of services. In addition, their environment was not designed to house a data center and did not have dedicated fire suppression.
Michael Beatty, the Emerson Network Power representative with Total Support Systems (TSS), took the lead on getting the SmartRow™ infrastructure installed at the
PaTTAN location. What challenged PaTTAN’s IT manager, Corey Dickey, and the rest of his team was that they would need to install any infrastructure upgrade solution quickly – between Friday evening and Monday morning – and that the IT space they had was small - only around 130 square feet.
“We were excited to help PaTTAN improve their data center.
The solution was a great fit, and I knew we had what it would take to overcome their challenges. We worked out an aggressive schedule to get the SmartRow infrastructure installed without interrupting their operation,” says Beatty.
Dickey, while researching a solution to fit PaTTAN’s needs, attended an educational technology conference in search of the right offering. At the conference, Dickey visited the
Emerson Network Power booth, saw a demo of the SmartRow infrastructure, and sat in on a presentation.
“It was impressive,” says Dickey. “Right away, I liked the racks, and the fact you could see the equipment inside. The size and modular design were attractive, too. After talking with Michael
Beatty at Total Support Systems – our local Emerson Network
Power office – I was sure the SmartRow infrastructure could be up and running in our time frame. It would be a challenge, but the enthusiasm of the team left me feeling confident.”
With a solution selected, PaTTAN and Emerson Network Power moved forward on the project.
With the tight installation time frame, the two parties began working right away. “We started as soon as business closed on Friday,” says Dickey. “Earlier in the week, Enginuity, our mechanical contractor, installed the condenser on the roof, and G.R. Monn, our electrical contractor, ran the wiring. So when we got to the weekend, we focused on getting the SmartRow infrastructure into the space, tested, and fully deployed.”
“Friday, we disassembled and removed the existing data center. Then we spent Saturday and the early morning Sunday getting the SmartRow™ infrastructure installed. After that, the
IT department came in and got all of their infrastructure set up and functioning.”

That’s where the modular design became key. “With the holistic package, it was easy to get the solution inside and deployed,” says Beatty. Together, the Emerson Network Power team and the IT group at PaTTAN had the infrastructure fully operational by Monday morning.
“The solution we put together for PaTTAN was designed to help ensure the availability of their systems while promoting energy efficiency. I didn’t want them to have to worry about the status of their data center on the weekends or when they were at home,” says Beatty.
The SmartRow infrastructure installed in the PaTTAN data center includes integrated cooling and backup cooling, power management, centralized monitoring, fire suppression and sealed enclosures. A separate Liebert APM™ On-line 30kVA
UPS, with the ability to grow to 45 kVA of capacity, provides backup power for the IT equipment.
The SmartRow infrastructure paired with the Liebert Nform™
Centralized Monitoring software provides PaTTAN’s system administrator, Joel Wehr, with a solution that allows him to receive data center status alerts and notifications from anywhere – even his home. He can also log in remotely and shut down servers gracefully. “And, in the event login is impossible, the battery back-up system gives me enough time to get to the data center and shut the servers down myself,” says Wehr.
The integrated Liebert cooling system has digital scroll compressors and Liebert iCOM™ controls that provide high efficiency at all load levels while retaining high reliability - so operating expenses are low and availability is high.
In the Liebert ® APM™ On-line UPS, double conversion technology corrects all types of power fluctuations. It also provides PaTTAN with a clear path for expansion, when the time comes. “As far as capacity,” says Beatty, “they’re at 30kVA out of a possible 45kVA. They don’t have plans to expand right now, but we wanted them to have the capability to easily get more capacity without using additional floor space.”

The SmartRow™ infrastructure was installed and commissioned by Dickey, the PaTTAN IT team, Beatty, and the Emerson
Network Power services team before business started on
Monday. “Our users didn’t even know anything had changed,” says Dickey. “I don’t think we could have accomplished that without the support of Michael, Joel, Enginuity, G.R. Monn, our Emerson Network Power team and the design of the
SmartRow infrastructure.”
“From the start of the project through to the weekend when we installed it, I knew our data center was in good hands,” says
Dickey, “and that we had the expertise and technology to get the job done. It was a tough request, but the team got it done in a way that surpassed my expectations.”
According to Dickey, the upgraded cooling capacity and power protection go a long way towards preventing unplanned downtimes. “With the dedicated cooling in there,” he says, “and the new UPS as well, we don’t have to face the same downtime we did before. Our services don’t get interrupted – and that means the clients we help don’t get interrupted, either.”
“But what we really have in that room,” says Dickey, “is more than just technology. It’s peace of mind – that if something goes wrong, I’ll know. And, usually, our systems administrator will be able to react to it right away, right from his home - or someone will have enough time to get to the data center and take care of it there. With the SmartRow infrastructure, I don’t spend nights or weekends worrying about my data center anymore, which is invaluable.”
Dickey has the reassurance that if any issues occur in the data center or if a new expansion or data center becomes necessary, Emerson Network Power service and support will be available to help resolve issues, develop strategies, and allow PaTTAN to prepare for what’s next.
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