Complete relocation and refurbishment of EEDA's server room
Being responsible for driving sustainable economic growth and regeneration in the east of England, The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) needs to ensure its IT network is efficient, streamlined and, above all, reliable.

State-of-the-art server room, advanced technology
Having contracted Comms Room Services to undertake a complete relocation and refurbishment of its server room, the project began by building a new state-of-the-art server room, before carrying out the relocation of existing equipment and installing some of the most advanced technology available.

Minimum disruption in a live environment
The project was completed in eight weeks, with no unscheduled outages, and was executed outside of office hours in order to cause minimum disruption to EEDA's operation. Comms Room Services engineers also worked in a 'live' environment on-site for five weeks, and ensured that there was no down-time throughout implementation.

Design and installation challenges
With an apex-shaped ceiling, the new server room presented a number of challenges. Sealant had to be applied to all its extremities (10 metres wide and 4.7 metres high at the point of the apex) to ensure that it was completely gas-tight, while a new ceiling and lighting system was also installed. The flooring was raised from 100mm to 300mm, with an anti-static vinyl finish applied to the floor tiles, enabling an under-floor pressurised air-conditioning system to be installed, providing chilled air to the data cabinets exactly where it is needed.

Upgraded infrastructure
The increased volume of the new server room enabled Comms Room Services to install a UPS double the size of EEDA's original system, upgrading to 30kva. Other new features include an n+1 down draft air-conditioning system, advanced gas extraction system, and an emergency controlled shut down solution. Additionally, Comms Room Services set up a sophisticated fire suppression structure and boosted the server room fire rating to one hour.

According to Karen Pinder, senior office manager at EEDA, the project has been a great success: "We are extremely impressed with the work Comms Room Services carried out for us; the deadline was met, each job was completed to the highest quality, and our staff were able to continue working without disruption throughout implementation. Comms Room Services' project manager, Chris Hambleton, was also the best we've ever worked with and ensured the entire process ran smoothly. We're delighted with the results and I'd have no hesitation in calling upon Comms Room Services again in the future."