Useful Life — A Relative Term
Long term reliability of electrical equipment is a fundamental requirement for mission critical facilities. Though the electricity may still be ‘on’, the power system may not be robust enough to support today’s technological requirements of data centers. Current technology circuit breakers feature enhancements that were not available 15-20 years ago.
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In mid-2013, a global network solutions provider released a study based upon a survey administered to 1,750 IT professionals in North America, France, Germany and the U.K.1 A significant outcome of the study revealed that many of today’s data centers are relying on 20-year old technology which impacts server productivity. Of those surveyed with these older technologies, 33% reported weekly network downtime.
Generally speaking, the data centers referenced above were built in the 1990s and therefore are ill-equipped to keep up with the sheer number of users and/or technological advances.
- Advances in technology such as video on demand and remote access increase the strain on ‘aging’ data centers.
- Cisco projects the amount of video-on-demand traffic in 2017 will be equivalent to 6 billion DVDs per month.2
Upgrading existing equipment with state-of-the-art circuit breakers is a cost-effective approach that does not compromise the reliability of the switchgear. The new circuit breakers feature solid state trip unit, communication capabilities, improved lubrication materials and modern composites. The switchgear structure and footprint remain intact, which minimize demolition costs and downtime. Better yet, the electrical power system has been upgraded to support the data center’s operations.
To learn more about modernization solutions for aging or legacy switchgear, download our whitepaper, “A Modern Data Center Requires a Robust Electrical Infrastructure”. |
