Revitalizing the University of Montana's Data Center

The University of Montana faced challenges with an unsupported modular data center and outdated cooling systems that wasted freshwater and required frequent maintenance. We worked with them to deliver a cost-effective solution, replacing the inefficient cooling with advanced DX units, enhancing redundancy, reliability, and sustainability. This upgrade not only conserved resources but also reduced maintenance demands, allowing IT staff to focus on improving the student experience.

Challenge

UoM purchased an exterior 2N modular data center from a European manufacturer that, at the time, was a good solution for their requirements. Unfortunately, the EU manufacturer went out of business and discontinued support just 10 years after the installation, leaving the U to patch & repair components as they failed. The primary driver for a complete replacement of the enclosure/data center was the inefficient adiabatic cooling, which used freshwater over media with fans to cool a single row of sixteen IT racks with the exhaust being ejected through louvers to the outside

Solution

By carefully examining the existing system and structural architecture, Eric (our most trusted and valuable outside sales engineer) with CFT identified an opportunity to replace the existing adiabatic system with four 12” wide, 25kW/7T In Row DX units that provide N+1 redundancy to the load. In addition to the cooling, we were able to add six IT cabinets for future expansion and design, a custom overhead air exchange system to mitigate the challenging structural architecture and provide even cooling throughout the module!

Results

The UoM was able to keep their unsupported containerized data center, which is now operating without wasting any freshwater, all while providing improved redundancy & availability for years to come. In addition to freshwater conservation, the UoM no longer needs to replace filters every other week (more often during fire season). The new system also utilizes the Schneider Electric Data Center IT Expert monitoring software for notification of any potential issues, thus flipping the response from reactive to preventative measures.

The IT staff can now focus more on developing solutions to improve the student's educational experience and other more pertinent matters. Knowing their systems will stay cool on the hottest summer days and report any potential issues for the foreseeable future has helped both the students and faculty continue their journey of being the greatest Grizzles to roam the campus.

CFT has received reports from the UoM IT staff stating things like, “My quality of sleep has improved significantly knowing that the systems will stay cool and report any issues,” as well as “I seriously thought we were going to have to replace the whole data center! Thank goodness for Eric and his keen sense of economic possibilities!”