Involta Data Centers

PACKET POWER CREATED A SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR A RAPIDLY GROWING COMPANY’S COMPLEX NEEDS

Involta’s Challenge

In eight facilities located across five states, Involta runs co-tenant data centers and IT solutions for clients with com-plex and diverse needs. At its initial facility in Marion, Iowa, Involta used a branch circuit monitoring system deployed at the power sub-panels. When designing two newer data centers—located in Duluth, Minnesota, and Akron, Ohio—the company used a different power-distribution design. They implemented STARLINE Track Busways, which use overhead busways to deliver power to drop circuits above the rack level. Involta needed a power monitoring option that was more robust than they had used at the Marion facility, a system that would integrate well with the busway design and easily monitor and report back on power consumption.

The Deciding Factors

Involta saw in Packet Power a system that:

• Could be installed easily and deployed quickly. Mistelske notes that implementation was straightforward. They configured the cabinets and attached Packet Power’s small, wireless power sensors. The sensors immediately began generating data that Involta could access easily via Packet Power’s EMX® Energy Portal, and the install was complete.
• Was a value-add for customers. Packet Power gave Involta the capacity to create custom dashboards for individual customers. Each dashboard can present varying degrees of information on the basis of what the customer wishes to see. Customers get all the information they need from Involta, so there is no need for them to purchase their own smart PDUs. They save money and time by choosing Involta and using Packet Power’s systems. In addition to full-time monitoring within the facility, there is an alert structure that goes out to cell phones and 24/7 staff for emergencies. This is critical for Involta because its customers depend on the company for the success of their businesses. Even a small outage could have a significant business impact.
• Facilitated monthly billing for individual customers. As a co-tenant data center, Involta needed the capacity to bill customers on a monthly basis. Packet Power’s systems allow Involta to generate an aggregated monthly report. Involta’s finance department then uses the report to conveniently and accurately bill customers based on their individual usages.

• Was supported by excellent customer service. Data Center Managers Tom Lang and Lucas Mistelske both mentioned their satisfaction with Packet Power’s customer service operation. The customer service has been responsive. Lang explains that, “Any issue has been quickly acknowledged, responded to and resolved in short turn—none of which have been service impacting by any means. We’ve never lost power-consumption data to date.” Mistelske adds that he is particularly pleased with the “can-do” attitude of Packet Power’s customer service operation. He notes that it takes feedback very openly and very well, takes feature requests and product requests, and it is a very dynamic environment from a customer perspective. “I place a lot of value in that,” he said.

What Does the Future Hold for Involta and Packet Power?

Involta’s Duluth, Minnesota, facility relies on Packet Power for power usage and temperature monitoring, while the Akron, Ohio, facility currently only partners with Packet Power for power usage monitoring. Going forward, the Akron facility will be pursuing environmental monitoring as well.

Environmental monitoring is critical to Involta and is one of the company’s SLA metrics for delivering service to their customers. Involta guarantees certain server inlet temperatures that are in alignment with ASHRAE standards.

Currently, the Duluth facility’s temperature monitors are positioned in the hot aisles, working as top-of-rack hot-aisle sensors. The facility is planning to add additional temperature and humidity sensors to the cold aisles to be certain that data also is being captured. The new temperature and humidity sensors will communicate on Packet Power’s network, through the same set of gateways that are already in place.

At the Akron facility, Data Center Manager Tom Lang is getting ready to implement environmental monitoring. His facility currently does monitoring through pre-set inlet and return sensors that are in the facility’s mechanical systems. As the company has gained customers and use of the data center has increased, so has the need for accuracy in humidity and temperature reporting. 

He will be turning to Packet Power for help.  Lang explains that, “it makes sense to continue working with Packet Power. We invested with them regarding the power side, and it’s worked well, so why not explore the temperature and humidity side as well?” 

Packet Power is proud that its partnership with Involta has grown to include their Tucson and Boise facilities, and both companies look forward to continued growth in the future.