United Kingdom: Pirbright Institute installs new containerized data center

The UK's Pirbright Institute, a global leader in the study and surveillance of viruses, has installed a new containerized data center.  The containerized data center will offer “scalable, resilient, flexible, and energy-efficient infrastructure” for the Pirbright Institute, Schneider and APT said.

The new data center, which took 12 weeks to build and install, has an initial capacity of 80kW and uses components provided by Schneider Electric and APT, including Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT Expert data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software, which monitors 60 different environmental parameters within the data center. Heavy-duty enclosures are also utilized outside the facility to prevent physical intrusion, and the design has enabled Pirbright to extend the life cycle of the data center, delivering a 50-year life span.

“Cyber and physical security is at the heart of the Institute’s work, and it is essential that we have continuous and proactive protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and more. In fact, security is one of the biggest drivers we have, after the science,” said Tim Haywood, IT infrastructure manager at The Pirbright Institute. “The investments we’ve made in EcoStruxure DCIM and data center physical security have paid dividends - allowing us to leverage automation and remote monitoring to help protect against a host of threats.”