RMD is the one stop shop for Domicilium's next generation data centre

Headquartered on the Isle of Man, Domicilium (IoM) was formed in 1991. It was one of the first internet service providers (ISPs) in Europe and the first on the Isle of Man. Today Domicilium is a leading data centre operator and one of only a handful of the original ISPs to remain independent. Domicilium specialises in the provision of upper quartile technical services, resilient network connectivity and the provision of bespoke secure hosting solutions.

 

Challenge

Major changes in the IT sector over the last five years means there is an increasingly sophisticated market for hosted services and outsourcing.  This presented Domicilium with an opportunity to create a modern Tier 3+ facility, different to any other on the market.  To cement their position as leaders in the field, Domicilium knew they needed to offer customisable as well as shared options, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

The site identified for the new data centre was a redundant 21,000 square foot shoe factory and the building needed major renovation to convert it into a state of the art, secure next generation data centre.

Domicilium operates at the higher end of the hosting and network markets where they deliver resilient IT services to their customers’ organisations. Domicilium’s clients tend to be very risk averse so downtime is not an option. Since a lot of Domicilium’s clients treat them as if they were just another internal department, Domicilium have to have solutions that enable them to adapt quickly and easily to the business model of the client.

Market research identified that Domicilium’s potential datacentre clients were concerned about escalating power and cooling requirements which their existing providers found difficult to service.  Their research also identified that a lack of choice and a "one size fits all" approach was common in the industry and presented a significant barrier when considering outsourcing.  Domicilium wished to build an environment which could rapidly respond to clients changing needs throughout its life.

 

Solution

Much of the design for the state of the art data centre was undertaken by RMD, one of the UK’s leading independent specialists in integrated power and cooling solutions. After speaking to a number of market leaders in power and cooling, Domicilium contracted RMD to provide them with an end to end solution that would meet the overall project objectives.

In 2007 AST, RMD’s trusted partner, started the construction of a 21,000 square foot data centre on the Isle of Man.  The hosting space was divided in two distinct sections with a shared hosting environment and an area where companies could outsource their hosting requirements customising the space to meet their own needs and in-house standards.

RMD’s solution provided Domicilium with a modular approach, thus allowing for the rapid deployment of dedicated and bespoke hosting facilities without compromising the integrity of installed systems.

The proposed solution was a standardised and modular datacentre equipped with APC, MGE and Schneider Electric group solutions including MGE Galaxy 5000 60kVA UPS, Galaxy 6000 400kVA UPS fitted with THM and advanced pack filters, MGE Upsilon Static Transfer Switches, specialist in-room MGE PDUs and modular input/output panels.

The physical infrastructure is comprised of APC InfraStruXure rack systems with In-Row chilled water cooling units and rack-mounted PDUs, Airedale Ultima chillers with free cooling systems to 400kW and multiple 1 MW generators.

Ten miles of power cabling and 30 miles of data cabling were installed into the fabric of the data centre and the extensive power distribution and cabling links created modularity meaning data rooms can be added, sub-divided or taken away with no disruption to services.

The internal walls were constructed using AST Smart Shelter components, which are both fire resistant and penetration proof, to provide additional layers of security within the building.

APC In-Row cooling was selected because it overcame the problems of reliability and predictability whilst meeting the requirements of the next generation of processors.  Domicilium’s customers can choose in-row, hot or cold aisle containment or a traditional raised floor environment.

While Domicilium’s location on the Isle of Man has many advantages of power availability, security and a fully provisioned space, RMD ensured that local sub-contractors were trained to provide 24/7 support and also increased the availability of critical parts locally.

 

Results

Domicilium’s approach, articulated by RMD, to modular data centre deployment, is unique.  By delivering hosting suites that exactly meet client needs without compromising the uptime, availability or stability of its own core infrastructure, Domicilium differentiates itself in the marketplace.

RMD created a ‘hybrid’ solution for companies that want security of power and cooling as their technological and business needs evolve without impacting on the integrity of their installation or investment.

Extensive research identified a gap in the market for Domicilium to create a data centre where clients could rapidly deploy customised hosting suites and specify their own cooling, power and security levels.  Since completion, sales have consistently exceeded Domicilium’s original business plan.

Bringing together a team of experts capable of innovation and creative thinking and not just building a standard ‘off the shelf’ centre was critical to the ultimate success of the project.

RMD worked closely with Domicilium’s project manager, Andrew Cairns, to lead a hand picked team comprising local contractors, data centre construction company, AST and manufacturer, APC by Schneider.

Domicilium’s alternative approach to design and management processes has enabled Domicilium to uniformly cool high density racks in large shared hosting rooms and rapidly deploy custom hosting environments to clients’ exacting specifications while helping them meet, if not better, their environmental objectives.

The advent of cloud computing infrastructures has seen an increased demand for providers who can rapidly deliver an infrastructure capable of cooling significant quantities of high density racks.  Having recognised world class facilities has led to partnerships with a number of organisations delivering scalable services in a range of new sectors and Domicilium is currently working on a range of projects with these partners that will further differentiate its service offering in these markets and take it forward into the future.

Domicilium’s facility has been nominated three years running at the Datacentre Leaders Awards and has received an award from the Isle of Man Governments department of Trade and Industry as an ‘Energy Champion’ in recognition of the energy efficiency designed into their next generation Isle of Man Datacentre.

Andrew Cairns, Programme Manager of Domicilium explains:  “Domicilium got what we consider to be the best solution possible to meet the future needs of our clients because we utilised the strengths of the people we worked with and learned from the mistakes others had made. RMD has a powerful reputation in the datacentre industry and we have forged a strong partnership with the company over the three years we have worked together. RMD always put us first and really thinks about what we need.  They are straightforward, honest and upfront and deliver exactly what they said they are going to and can be relied upon to work in your best interests.”