Netshield has unveiled its Data Centre in a Box offering, a self-contained IP 54 rated mobile unit that enables a business to rapidly and immediately wheel in, plug in and go, an entire IT infrastructure that can be managed from a single IP address in minutes.
The brainchild of the Netshield development team, the offering is designed to strip away challenges facing local businesses as they look to expand or roll out new technology.
“We have designed the Data Centre in a Box to answer the demands of customers looking for a rapid, low maintenance means to roll out an IT infrastructure in their business,” states Inus Dreckmeyr, CEO at Netshield. “The immediate benefits for customers is that they can literally wheel a data centre into their business and start working virtually straight away, without the need to invest in scarce technical skills, hours of configuration, or the necessity to make a large physical investment in a server room.”
The solution consists of a fully self-contained unit, equipped with an air conditioner, access control keypad, electronic locking, Netshield UPS, centre management and control device, temperature monitor, humidity monitor, flooding detection, as well as smoke, fire and flood detectors.
The built in fire extinguisher makes use of potassium nitrate ejectors that can be used without damaging the equipment or leaving a residue. The units are available in a variety of sizes and configurations with cabinets ranging from a 15U, 25U and a 42U, in both indoor and outdoor varieties.
While the aforementioned features are standard with the units, customers can also tailor their units to include a wireless AP, networking switches, patch panels, wiring, servers and a myriad of additional technologies that can be sourced through Netshield’s partnership with the Westcon Group. The entire unit is then preconfigured and set up by the Netshield technical team before being supplied to its resellers for installation on site at a client.
A major benefit to customers is that the unit acts as an entire stand-alone server room, boasting all of the features required by a server room to secure and protect your technology assets. This includes a UPS, restricted air flows and forced cooling that are also wired into the control system as an added management benefit, all of which is then managed from a single IP address.
The IP54 rated enclosure boasts dustproof and splash proof gasket seals; an enhanced electronic locking mechanism that can be locked and unlocked remotely; as well as full environmental monitoring capabilities that can be executed through the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) on an Ethernet networking interface or sent via SMS’s all through the built-in GSM connectivity module.
In the event of a fire or even a flood the system will immediately detect the threat and if necessary will shut down firstly the power, air conditioner, checks the doors and then releases the extinguisher. For added security the unit can be programmed to ensure that access is managed remotely, reducing the risk of theft or tampering of the equipment.
“The dearth of available technical skills in South Africa remains a very real challenge to the IT industry, that coupled with the cost of physical floor space and the need for secure and tamper and theft proof solutions have all prompted the development of this solution.
“We are already rolling out a significant order to government clients that requires a self-contained and already functioning unit per office, that does not require onsite maintenance or management and that will give them access to a working ICT environment instantaneously,” ends Dreckmeyr.
The Netshield Data Centre in a Box is available through all Netshield and Westcon resellers throughout the continent and can be customised to include technologies from more than 50 vendor partners from within the Westcon Group.