Global market leaders need world-class IT infrastructure. “Before we got the Rittal Micro Data Center, some parts of our IT infrastructure, which had grown organically, lacked redundancy,” reports Leon Wurm, Network Administrator at Viega. What’s more, the available space offered no scope for the structural changes that would have been necessary, for example, to extend the expanding company’s IT systems and implement up-to-date fire safety measures.

The IT specialists and the facility management team were looking for a quick and practical solution. They wanted to split the IT infrastructure between two locations in different fire compartments in the building and provide urgently needed redundancy without taking up too much space. There wasn’t time to build a new data centre with a separate security room.

MICRO DATA CENTER FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

The company ultimately opted for two Rittal Micro Data Centers (MDCs), each with four bayed enclosures, on different floors of the building – with sufficient capacity to map all production-related applications and also ensure the necessary redundancy. The clock was ticking for Rittal. The solution needed to be ready as soon as humanly possible, without compromising on security or fire safety.

Fortunately, MDCs meet the relevant requirements as standard. The rack technology’s level of protection against dust, dirt, smoke, fire, impacts, etc. means no further physical protective measures are necessary. For safety reasons, Viega nonetheless installed the MDCs in separate rooms rather than in the actual production area. “That was a request and a requirement from our IT team – amongst other things, to ensure access could be controlled,” Wurm explains.

The MDCs’ fire safety monitoring was incorporated directly into Viega’s inhouse monitoring system. If an alarm is triggered, nobody even needs to call the fire service, because the integrated gas extinguisher system automatically reduces the amount of oxygen in the air enough to suppress any spark. Once the gas extinguisher has done its job, the doors can simply be opened again. This is preferable to sprinkler systems, which can quickly damage the sensitive electronics.

Further key factors in Viega’s decision included its appreciation of how quickly but conscientiously Rittal works, the MDCs’ high-quality workmanship, and integrated services such as power supply and water cooling. “By 2035 at the latest, we want Viega to have completely carbon-zero production operations, so there was no question of us using a potentially environmentally harmful refrigerant,” says Wurm.

GUARANTEED FUTURE-PROOFING

Meeting the requirements perfectly wasn’t the only impressive thing about the solution. “The MDC will ensure we remain incredibly flexible in the future,” Wurm emphasises. After all, the system can be extended at any time. What started at the headquarters in Attendorn is now well on the way to becoming the new standard at the company. Viega has already ordered two further Rittal MDCs for the company’s Grossheringen site in Thuringia, its largest production site anywhere in the world. Another site, which is currently being built in Kirkel, in the Saarland region, is also set to be equipped with this system. “Many data centres from other manufacturers often require large investments and come with numerous features we don’t need. MDCs, on the other hand, are both streamlined and reliable. They have everything we need, with no unnecessary frills,” Wurm concludes.