Case Studies

Fortune 500 Bank

Large multinational bank needed to validate a chimney based cooling solution was working as designed

Customer Challenge

Needed to evaluate the effectiveness of chimney-based cooling vs. hot aisle containment in their tier 3 facility
Validating CFD airflow patterns were predicted accurately
Concern around positive or negative pressure building up in chimney impacting exhaust airflow

The Approach

A LiveDC field kit of pressure, thermal sensors were temporarily installed in key locations and data collected under floor, in cabinet, in chimney, and above ceiling.
Custom cabinet/chimney elevation view maps were used to visualize thermal patterns over time

Solution & Results

Real time results stopped team members from debating if chimney cabinets were preforming as designed.
Chimney-based cooling was confirmed to be working as design and proved to be more effective then rear exhaust.
Validation of collocation SLA’s were measured over a period of time

Electrical Utility Provider

Large electrical utility provider needed to measure energy optimization savings due to data center facility and operational modifications in order to obtain government “Green Data Center” tax credits

Customer Challenge

Government “Green Data Center” tax credits were available, but the customer needed to prove that changes were implemented resulting in utility power reductions
It was difficult for the customer to measure and show this over time

Our Approach

LiveDC field kits were used to certify energy optimization as a part of the Xcel Energy Data Center Efficiency program.
Test were completed on current facilities and IT related equipment to set a base line. Post measurements were completed to prove energy savings.

Solution & Results

Historic data capturing proved energy and cost savings in the optimization of data center spaces and IT systems.
Customers received rebates for saving energy
Clear return on investment was documented and validated

Regional Healthcare Provider

Improved communication, operational visibility, and capacity forecasting

Customer Challenge

Business expectations around availability and agility were increasing
Visibility into data centers and critical environments was limited due to tooling
Communication challenges with facility management resulted in finger pointing
Capacity forecasting was difficult

The Approach

Implement LiveDC to replace operational monitoring tool to provide DCIM capabilities
Create custom forecasting metrics and dashboards
Build notification rules and process to support both facilities and IT needs

Solution & Results

Cohesion between IT and facility management teams
Improved operational monitoring/alerting of facility events
Real-time visibility of data center health
New capability created to forecast data center power/cooling/space capacities

National Civil Engineering Firm

Analyzed potential user experience impact of relocating by simulating user access from multiple locations

Customer Challenge

Facing a headquarter relocation resulting in losing current data center needed to review hosting options
Concerned about application performance degradation due to additional latency being introduced depending on hosting location
Lacking tools to objectively analyze the impact

The Approach

Leverage remote LiveDC collectors running in multiple locations to simulate end users accessing real applications
Create custom application performance monitoring scripts and execute over an extended period
Log results to LiveDC for reporting and analysis

Solution & Results

Concerns about latency being introduced were confirmed
Strategy around hosting locations and application placement were adjusted to minimize impacts