Why should you build a modular data center?
From the battlefield to the boardroom, technology is king. But how do you get access to the computing, processing, and networking power you need to compete in today’s constantly changing world?
The answer could be modular. We've used modular technology and modular construction to create some pretty amazing things. Modular buildings aside, there are also modular training facilities, (modular shooting ranges are just one example of that), and modular access points.
A modular data center is a self-contained facility that comprises the servers, routers, switches, firewalls, and application-delivery controllers you need to improve your mission’s odds of success. If you’re like most people, you still might be asking yourself, “but why modular?”
We get it.
As one of the industry leaders in the design and construction of robust modular buildings, it’s a question we get a lot. To give you the answer (or in this case, answers) you need to make an informed purchase decision, we’ve compiled the following information.
Six advantages of modular data centers
When compared alongside traditional brick and mortar facilities, data centers built utilizing modular construction techniques offer a wide range of economic, structural and efficiency-related benefits.
1. Modular Data Centers Can Be Deployed Quickly.
They have shorter production times. With the design, engineering, and manufacturing of modular data centers being conducted almost entirely off-site, there is virtually nothing that can delay their construction. Adding to the overall speed of completion is the relatively standardized construction of modular buildings which decreases the number of variables that could provide unwanted “surprises” at any point in the process.
All told, modular data centers can be constructed in 25 to 50 percent of the time it takes to complete a traditional brick-and-mortar building.
2. Modular Data Centers are Less Expensive
Modular data centers are made out of high-grade steel, which is historically a lot less expensive than concrete and wood. On top of that, since steel is so much stronger than traditional construction materials, a lot less of it is needed.
But the real cost savings comes in the form of labor. Since modular buildings are built on frames that have been pre-engineered, it leads to a drastically shorter production time—and any issues involved in the construction process have been worked out at the beginning of the project, so modular construction projects are more likely to stay on budget with fewer hiccups.
On top of those cost savings, if you’re a U.S. military customer, a modular building’s ability to be moved from one place to another means that it can be classified as “equipment” and is not viewed as a formal construction project. That means modular data centers can be purchased through Operations and Maintenance appropriations—sidestepping the lengthy MILCON approval process.
3. Increase Efficiency With Modular Data Centers
Data centers require a lot of power to cool and keep running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Thanks to their compact and efficient use of space, and their tightly sealed steel exterior, modular data centers use significantly less energy than their traditionally built counterparts.
4. Modular Data Centers Offer Scalability
Yes, that's right. They're scalable. One of the biggest perks modular buildings have to offer is their ability to grow based on your changing needs. These unique buildings are specifically designed to be scalable, offering you the most flexibility possible and ensuring that your initial investment is never wasted.
5. They’re more secure
Need proof that modular buildings can be significantly stronger than traditional stick-built structures?
There are a number of protections that can be built right into a CoverSix structure. As part of RedGuard, we have the largest selection of leasable steel, blast-resistant structures in North America. CoverSix buildings can be designed blast-resistant too. When it comes to blast resistance, our blast tests pretty much say it all.
Much of a modular building’s strength is a direct result of its unique all-steel frame, which has the incredible ability to flex and absorb what could otherwise be a destructive force. In addition, the steel connections used in the manufacturing process allow for a slight rotation at the joints so that steel beams do not separate under stress.
Modular buildings produced by CoverSix, as well as some other manufacturers, are also finished with a polyurea exterior coating which is a highly resilient elastomer commonly used as a lining on truck beds and as a coating or lining on steel pipes and tanks.
To top it off, at CoverSix, our modular buildings can be made to be resistant to forced-entry, and they can be ballistic-resistant.
6. Get It Your Way - Modular Buildings are Easy to Customize
There’s a misconception that modular buildings are basically cookie-cutter structures.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
There’s virtually nothing that can be done with a brick-and-mortar structure that can’t be done with a modular structure—the only limitation is your own imagination. But, unlike those traditionally built structures, modular buildings are completely portable, which means if you decide a year from now that you need your data center somewhere on the other side of the world, you can—with virtually no downtime or lost expense—move it where you need it.
Increase Your Efficiency with a Modular Data Center
If your operation requires a significant amount of technology to keep it running on all cylinders, you need to look into purchasing a modular data center. These robust facilities offer strength, flexibility and efficiency while being quicker to build, less expensive and more secure.
To learn more about the modular data centers available from CoverSix, or to get an estimate, contact us today.
