The temperature across the UK on 19 July broke records but it’s likely that another record was also broken – for the highest number of nationwide data server failures due to overheating. That’s according to cloud and data specialist PeaSoup, which says that it was almost inevitable that the legacy technology wouldn’t stand up to the record temperatures.
Guy's and St Thomas' Trust in London had to cancel operations, as doctors were unable to access patients' records after both of its datacentres ceased functioning when their air conditioning units did not work.1 Tech giants Google and Oracle suffered outages as cooling systems failed at their London data centres.2 Even publishing house Newsquest wasn’t immune to the overheating issue as its network of websites became inaccessible for the same reason.
Art Malinowski, Head of Marketing at PeaSoup, was not at all surprised at the outcome, since sensors on IT servers (incl. CPUs, GPUs) are set for a certain temperature limit and, if the threshold is exceeded, the systems simply shut down to prevent permanent damage. He says that switching to cloud-based data services powered by eco-friendly and high-performance liquid immersion cooling technology will significantly reduce the risk of system failures – as well as cutting carbon emissions.
He explained:
“Depending on the organisation the consequences of a system failure could be catastrophic – especially in healthcare or, for example, airports or an ecommerce company. The failure itself can often be rectified quickly but data migration and getting to the stage of systems readiness can take some time. Guy’s and St Thomas’ were still struggling two days after the failure. “PeaSoup is pioneering liquid immersion cooling technology across the UK and it is without doubt the future. Temperature sensors are set to the same level whatever the cooling method but I’m proud to say that in the recent heatwave, our liquid servers did not record a rise in temperature at any time.”
With further heatwaves predicted, the first as early as August, PeaSoup says any organisation relying on legacy technology should be rethinking its data storage strategy as a priority. Rising temperatures and increasing computer chip power both necessitate huge cooling resources and there are limits to how far the outdated technology can be adapted to meet these new demands year after year. Liquid immersion cooling is an innovative emerging solution that genuinely answers the corporate social responsibility dilemma for data storage, backup and recovery for the data-reliant business.
Art Malinowski concluded:
“We’re confident that legacy data centres will soon start to be superseded by more robust systems, as data-driven organisations in particular see the benefits of switching to a super-green solution that eliminates the likelihood of failure due to overheating. We’re living through climate change right now and I’d say to any organisation relying on datacentres to get ahead of the game. Don’t wait until the next freak heatwave, take action now to protect your business and the people it serves.”
Liquid immersion cooling provides temperature stability, improves the reliability and efficiency of IT servers, extends life span by up to 40%, and reduces the need for replacement of IT parts. Switching to a sustainable cloud-based service such as PeaSoup Eco Cloud can eliminate a multitude of potential problems as well as provide a comprehensive review of data storage, gap analysis and backup services.
For further information visit www.peasoup.cloud
1https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4053558/extreme-temperatures-disrupt-nhs-trusts-systems-impacts-services
2https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62202125