CA Department of Technology

Sacramento, CA

THE RESULTS: New Data Center Maintains Uptime, Saves Energy and Cost

DSI delivered all of the California Department of Technology’s data center objectives. Maximizing the existing infrastructure and allowing for future growth, while dramatically improving the overall efficiency of the system. Of critical importance to the IT team, DSI completed the upgrade project while maintaining uptime for the existing load. The end result was improved energy efficiency and cost savings. After DSI completed the installation and cut over, the California Department of Technology decided to replace the remaining three existing older 1000 kW UPSs with three new, more energy efficient systems, because the return on investment (ROI) would quickly pay for the new UPS systems and installation.

DSI Delivers Upgraded Data Center for Government Agency, Meets New Energy Efficiency Requirements and Future Growth Needs

The California Department of Technology is the central IT organization for the State of California and is responsible for the approval and oversight of all state information technology projects. As the head of the department, and as the state’s Chief Information Officer, the Director of the California Department of Technology provides leadership for the state’s IT programs and works collaboratively with other IT leaders throughout the state.

THE CHALLENGE: Replace UPS System While Keeping Data Center Online

With a growing reliance on technology across all government agencies, the California Department of Technology faced the critical challenge of maintaining the highest level of reliability at its data center. This meant replacing an outdated uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system while keeping the State of California’s main data center online and fully functional. And because the data center was growing, it was important to find a solution that would have minimal space requirements, allowing for future growth with zero downtime.

THE SOLUTION: Assess, Design and Upgrade to an Energy Efficient Data Center

The California Department of Technology turned to Data Specialties Inc. (DSI) to address its data center needs. DSI conducted numerous meetings with the management team to define the specific requirements for zero downtime, as well as ensuring that the upgraded data center would meet new energy efficiency requirements and future growth needs.

In order to stay within the existing footprint, DSI:

  • Created a new electrical room in the rear of the building to house the new Liebert ASTS automatic transfer switches.
  • Provided an electrical gutter system from the UPS to the ASTS’s, allowing for future capacity.
  • Installed a specialized gutter system along the hallway adjacent to the data center for the secondary side of the ASTS’s. This way, as new ASTS’s and FPC equipment is installed, there will be little need to penetrate the current gutter system which eliminates potential downtime.

The project also included installing seven ASTS transfer switches and multiple FPC’s that would enable the load to be transferred seamlessly from one UPS to another.