case study
The technical knowledge of Emcor UK in this field is extensive and has been gained from working on a range and depth of projects across both the private and public sectors . This experience extends to managing hi-tech security premises , laboratory clean rooms , military facilities , and pharmaceutical and commercial environments . Such a broad spectrum of relevant work enables Emcor UK to share best practice , innovations , and new cross sector ideas with clients . Woking Borough Council has consistently shown that it is not afraid to implement the latest technology to achieve its goals . For example , with Emcor UK ’ s help it was the first council in Britain to install a digitally recorded CCTV system .
Achieving savings with sustainable design The design of the bespoke data centre was not just focused on its operational performance . Woking Borough Council also has taken a strong lead on tackling the causes of climate change and is wedded to the principles of sustainability . It was essential to the council that the data centre operates as energy efficiently as possible , inclusive of the cooling of the processing equipment which typically consumes a fair amount of energy .
Being a founding partner of the Facilities Management Sustainability School and BS8903 accredited , Emcor UK was uniquely positioned and qualified to recommend a solution ; specifically , the use of rear door heat exchangers to provide cooling extraction within the data centre .
John Kovacs , general manager at Emcor UK Network Services , explains , ‘ We recommended high efficiency chillers and “ free cooling ” methods that , when used with the rear door heat exchangers , together provide up to 90 per cent of the cooling load . The coolers ensure optimum thermal and energy performance by removing the heat generated by the active equipment directly at source , preventing hot exhaust air entering the data room .’ This technical approach has achieved dramatic savings on energy costs and associated emissions compared to the council ’ s previous data centre air conditioning strategy .
Information at the fingertips Further , a fibre optic distribution network was installed across the town of Woking using high bandwidth blown fibre . This installation made it possible to connect and integrate a number of operating systems onto a common platform for CCTV , building management systems ( BMS ), voice service , data , and information systems .
By also installing ‘ dark fibre ’ ( fibre that is laid down for the future but not yet turned on ) the council is future proofing the town of Woking to help to ensure that connectivity and capacity is available for years to come as the IT needs of society and the council continue to grow .
Secure progress As might be expected for an organisation responsible for dealing with sensitive and confidential information , data security is of the highest priority . John Kovacs says , ‘ We worked with the council to upgrade its local data and security systems , which included the introduction of a proximity access control system , supported in all of their buildings , onto a single secure network , thereby allowing them to have their own totally secure physical infrastructure .’
Feedback has been very positive . Jamie Archer , infrastructure manager at Woking Borough Council , states , ‘ We are delighted with our new data centre facility , which has greatly boosted the council ’ s ICT services and also provides colocation facilities for local businesses . Emcor UK delivered a fully managed , design , build and fit out solution , and have also incorporated additional work packages which were added to the project by the council . Emcor UK ’ s skilled and flexible team ensured that this did not impact on the project timescales – completing the data centre on time and on budget .’
For the first time , the installation of the high capacity blown fibre is enabling distribution of information from the data centre across Woking town and delivering meaningful economic and social improvements to the local community . Some of these improvements will be immediately apparent . For example , the town now enjoys free town centre Wi-Fi enabling citizens and businesses alike to stay connected for their mutual advantage . Others , such as the installed ‘ dark fibre ’, offer the capacity to further grow the network in the future .
Emcor UK ’ s specialist IT , network design and engineering team continues to work in partnership going forward with Woking Borough Council to implement its innovative digital strategy .
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