Itatel launches environmentally friendly data centre in Italy

​'Environmentally friendly', 'renewable energy' and 'green' are all buzzwords of the modern data center industry.

Itatel has joined the exclusive group after designing and deploying a new green data center at the University of Pisa – one of Italy's oldest universities.

One of the key criteria for the University of Pisa when selecting its new technology infrastructure was that it meets its strict sustainability goals. As data centers are obviously huge consumers of energy, having one that meets Power Usage Effectiveness targets while still reducing costs provided an ideal solution for the University.

Itatel, the telco company specialising in IT system integration, managed services, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and all IP solutions, worked within a temporary group of companies (West Systems and Webkorner) to build the data center within the Parco Regionale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli.

This is linked to the University by a fiberoptic ring, guaranteeing a high level of connectivity and reliability.

The project was implemented by Italtel in just eight months, despite the infrastructure challenges posed by converting part of an existing building into a reliable and technologically-advanced data hub.

According to Itatel, the data center has been built with best-of-breed technologies, including racks and air conditioning technologies with a guaranteed level of quality and efficiency.

To be certified as a data center that is environmentally friendly, a facility must be operating with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) value of 1.3 – the new data center in Pisa managed a PUE of just 1.17, not only overachieving the certification requirements but also bringing additional benefits such as reduced running costs.

"Because of their requirements for continuous power and air conditioning, data centers are traditionally associated with very high levels of energy consumption," says Fiorenzo Piergiacomi, Head of Public Sector Account Unit at Italtel.

"By choosing to create a green data center, the University of Pisa has reduced its environmental impact while also optimizing the available space and cutting ongoing maintenance costs.