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“Schneider Electric offered us a turnkey solution including an innovative Cooling System, which was a decisive factor in the selection process. But their ability to design the Server room in its entirety was a definite asset. It was very advantageous to have a single contact, as it gave us a global view of the planning”

IT Account Manager at SAP France, Joseph Cinquanta, commenting on Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure Solution for their new Data Center

In 2013, SAP France decided they needed to move their 18-rack integrated Data Center located in Paris France  to a new 80 square meters single office space on the 14th floor of their new French headquarters in Levallois-Perret.

SAP Scheider

Levallois-Perret is located 6.4 km North West from the centre of Paris, France in a communal suburb. However, they wanted to be operational in six (6) months time with some very demanding requirements:

  • Low Energy consumption
  • Intelligent Design
  • Respect SAP’s Environmental Policy
  • Ready for four (400) employees by July 2014

After several tenders wee accepted, Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure Solution won the bid to construct SAP France‘s Data Center. Their turnkey solution satisfied and exceeded the expectations of SAP France in several respects as they decided to basically do everything, namely:

  • Energy infrastructure
  • Cooling
  • Power distribution and Protection
  • Raised floor in the Data Center
  • Urbanization of the white space
  • StruxureWare for Data Center DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management) software

So who exactly is Schneider Electric?

Schneider Electric and SAP France – If the InfraStruxure Solution Cap fits, let them wear it

Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy management that specializes in the installation of Power Management and Cooling Systems for Specialized Rooms for Tier III Data Centers at Telecom Providers, Banks and ISP (Internet Service Providers) throught Europe!

SAP France is a multi-nation company that specializes in Business applications with a taste for a Green Business Model that shareholders, customers and employees the world over will admire.

Their new Data Center is designed to host their information System and professional applications and further their economic and environmental performance in the long term.

This is because Data Centers are notorious for their usage of power to maintain their Servers as well as Cooling, so SAP France was keen on reducing Carbon Emissions to pre-Kyoto Protocol levels while still achieving their stated Corporate objectives.

So Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure Solution success depended on the adherence to a timeline as well as close co-operation between the SAP and Schneider Electric staff to quote Data Center Sales Account Manager at Schneider Electric, France, Franck Laporte: “Throughout the project, the strong involvement of SAPIT Management together with Facilities, enabled to build a state-of-the-art Data Center in terms of energy efficiency and availability in record time”.

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The result was their successful implementation of Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure Solution into the Data Center by July 2014, with Schneider Electric handling the project from start to finish.

This fact was not lost upon IT Account Manager at SAP France, Joseph Cinquanta, who commented, quote: “In my 15-year career, this is the first time I’ve seen a solution operational from day 1! The all-in-one approach offers definite advantages”.

Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure Solution – Nuts and bolts of an Intelligent Cooling System

Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure Solution is not short of an engineering and technical marvel. As SAP France‘s Data Center was to be located in Levallois-Perret, which is 6.4 km North West from the centre of Paris, France in a communal suburb.

Schneider Electric thus proposed its InfraStruxure solution to be customizable and fully integrated into SAP France‘s pre-existing Systems but with a modular approach that guaranteed defining operation and for their Servers.

There are seventeen (17) service areas containing two (2) Server Racks and InRow Cooling System located on all floors for horizontal distribution on each level. In fact, the final installation consisted of the following Systems, all installed by Schneider Electric as part of their InfraStruxure Solution:

Facility

  • 18 NetShelter SX racks in the Data Center + 34 racks in the service areas
  • Uniflair by Schneider Electric raised floor
  • Automatic LED lighting, automatic door

Cooling

  • 6 new generation InRow Cooling units with hot aisle confinement
  • Air Flow Controller System
  • 17 standard InRow Cooling units in the service areas
  • 2 Uniflair free Cooling Chillers

Intelligent Data Center Management

  • StruxureWare for Data Center DCIM software solution – Operation & Energy Efficiency modules

Power and UPS

  • 2 scalable Symmetra PX160 and PX96 modular UPS per module of 16
  • Schneider Electric cabinets and circuit breakers

So how does this all come together? That depends on how good your French is, actually!

Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure Solution – How to make SAP France Data Center Cool, Intelligent and Environmentally friendly

Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure Solution had the following characteristics to satisfy the requirements of their client SAP France:

  • Modular power
  • Precision cooling
  • Security
  • Integrated monitoring and management

The 80 square meters single office space for the Data Center on the 14th floor of its new French headquarters in Levallois-Perret is cooled completely by a combination of solutions comprising:

  • Cooling Production
  • Cooling Distribution
  • Intelligent Management
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Cooling production is provided by Uniflair free-Cooling Chiller units, which are installed on the roof of the building. Due to their huge size, however, and the narrow street in which the 22-story SAP France building is located, the Uniflair free-Cooling Chiller units had to be winched into place from a Super Puma helicopter.

The Uniflair free-Cooling Chiller units installed on the roof are then connected by the Air Flow Controller to the Cooling units inside of the Data Center. The Cooling Units then control the environment within the Data Center, based on the following parameters in order to avoid energy loss:

  • Temperature
  • Hygrometry
  • Air flow

Cooling Distribution is provided by the InRow precision air conditioning System installed within the 18-rack integrated Rack Servers. These units capture heat as close to the Servers and connect to the EcoAisle solution, ensuring no hot air stays for too long in the aisle by increasing the Cooling efficiency.

Intelligent Management is implemented thanks to Schneider Electric‘s StruxureWare for Data Center DCIM, which generates automatic reports with the aim to give the System Administrator and overview of not only the Energy Consumption but also alert him in case of problems.

Finally, the Data Center’s Servers, Cooling Systems and the System that runs the StruxureWare for Data Center DCIM are run on two (2) scalable Symmetra PX160 and PX96 modular UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) per module of sixteen (16).

This guarantees optimal efficiency and ensure that the Data Center experiences no disruption due to the frequent power cuts that occur in the Levallois-Perret commune.

Schneider Electric’s InfraStruxure Solution – SAP France’s Cool Operator in Levallois-Perret

The result after six (6) months of construction?

A System that not only delivers on the requirements of SAP France within the require timeframe but achieves a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.3.

Schneider Electric‘s InfraStruxure high-density urbanization solution has Intelligent Management provided by the StruxureWare for Data Center DCIM that controls the Air Flow Controller.

This ensures intelligent Cooling management and consequently reduces the carbon impact and energy consumption of SAP France’s IT (Information Technology) Room, now completed at new French headquarters located in the Levallois-Perret Commune.

All in a day’s work for the Engineers and Designers at Schneider Electric!

Here’s the link:

Schneider Electric

SAP France

SAP France Data Center Testimonial

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