In this recent magazine interview, John Consoli, AFCO Systems CTO says: “Most network switches wreak havoc in a data center, generating heat loads of 1,500kW for each switch. That is a major power and cooling challenge right there. Add to that the network switch cables running into the unit, problems hot-swapping parts because of how the cabinet is positioned, and worry about exhaust out the back of the system. This is the industry’s first active airflow management network switch enclosure.”

Read the complete interview at Processor magazine

John Consoli, chief technology officer at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com), says administrators should understand their overall cooling strategy, whether it is a hot aisle/cold aisle layout, aisle containment, in-row cooling, or active airflow management. Each of these approaches, says Consoli, has positives and negatives, so administrators should become familiar with the pros and cons of their chosen course of action and plan accordingly.

Read the article at Processor Magazine

In the article, “Get A Better Handle On Data Center Costs”, AFCO CTO John Consoli discusses the benefits and necessity of taking a granular approach to power monitoring:

Want to get a grip on energy costs? IT managers will need to monitor energy use and record it for each piece of IT equipment, says John Consoli, chief technology officer for AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com).

“The more granular the monitoring, the more precise the number,” he says. “Power strip monitoring is more precise than branch circuit monitoring for instance.”

With power use numbers in hand, managers can better make decisions on how to control and manage energy costs, he adds.

Read the full article here

In the article, “Use Computational Fluid Dynamics To See How Changes To Your Data Center Will Affect Cooling”, AFCO CTO John Consoli discusses the merits of CFD modeling:
Because data center conditions can be so complex and variable, data center managers need all the help they can get. Without sufficient visibility, they’re flying blind—and wasting resources.

“Many data center managers have basic information on what power and cooling is being used,” says John Consoli, CTO of AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com). “CFD modeling can provide a very detailed picture of what the cooling resources are actually accomplishing.”

Consoli continues, “Many data centers that seem to require additional cooling are often using existing cooling inefficiently—the cooling is being wasted. CFD modeling can show where cooling inefficiencies exist and model improvements in airflow to improve data center cooling.”

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Ed Koplin, a Principal in X-nth’s Mission Critical line of business, has more than 26 years experience in data center electrical and mechanical design. He was recently interviewed by Rami Rihani, a consultant with Accenture, for his views on datacenter power and cooling. In this interview, Koplin points out that “All data center resources converge at the computer enclosure. Understanding, testing, and modeling the coordination of power, space and cooling at the enclosure is essential for optimizing energy conservation.”

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It may be more important to ensure good cooling in small data centers than in big ones. John Consoli, CTO at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com), draws an analogy to protecting fine cigars. “The cigars I keep at my cigar club are preserved in a big, walk-in humidor. I have never had one go bad on me there,” he says. “Yet, if I neglect the small humidor I keep in my office for even a few days, I will have a bunch of dried tobacco sticks! The smaller the environment, the less tolerance for error.”
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Temperature is a critical factor in the modern data center, and it is only becoming more so. Increased processor speeds, smaller server form factors, and higher server rack densities have all contributed to tremendous challenges for data center administrators in the areas of cooling and air movement.

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Online education provider gets high marks from buyers

AFCO Systems purchasing guru, Francis DiMotta discusses the value of online education with Wayne Forrest at Purchasing magazine.

Francis DiMotta certainly knows that the art of purchasing has changed considerably over his 20-plus years in manufacturing, serving in various procurement, warehouse supervision and materials control positions.

“Purchasing is not just getting on the phone anymore, placing an order and going with your gut feeling,” says the inventory control manager for AFCO Systems, in Farmingdale, N.Y. The need to continually educate one’s self on burgeoning procurement techniques and purchasing nuances is one of the reasons DiMotta began to investigate online training as a way to enhance his own skills and diversify the way he helps AFCO become more profitable.

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Enables Datacenter and Co-Location Facilities to Provide Physical Security at the Datacenter Enclosure Level

Farmingdale, NY — September 15, 2009 — Physical security inside datacenters and co-location (co-lo) facilities is extremely important to ensure data integrity as well as privacy and compliance with industry and government regulations such as HIPAA. And while room access is protected via keys, codes and biometric devices, individual cabinet-level security has often required additional structures such as gates and individual rooms within the datacenter. To improve this situation for datacenter managers, IT professionals and facilities managers, AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com) has added remote access security capabilities to its AFCO Resource Manager real-time power and cooling performance management tool. Resource Manager now enables datacenter and facilities staff to remotely provide individual access to specific AFCO datacenter enclosures outfitted with electronic locks. More information about AFCO Resource Manager is available at http://afcosystems.com/ResourceManager.aspx.

By empowering datacenter professionals to lock down or unlock specific cabinets within their datacenters, we have given them the tools to secure and protect their businesses’ most powerful resources - their data

User defined control of remote access conditions is a significant benefit to using the Resource Manager solution

Sophisticated data centers each have their own unique requirements which need to be met based on their business and physical set up.

As datacenters and co-lo facilities become the heart of more businesses; they also become the single most vulnerable point of potential data loss due to accident or intentional interaction. Currently, in many datacenters, it is possible that an IT professional can mistakenly or purposely open and access, shut down or remove the incorrect computing equipment within a datacenter, simply by accessing the wrong enclosure. Traditional datacenter-level room security cannot provide protection against this inevitability. AFCO Resource Manager now provides the ability for datacenter professionals to remotely lock or release individual AFCO datacenter enclosures that have been outfitted with electronic locks. Now, when providing access to their secure datacenter facilities, IT pros can also enable access to specific cabinets within the datacenter, while limiting or eliminating access to others.

“By empowering datacenter professionals to lock down or unlock specific cabinets within their datacenters, we have given them the tools to secure and protect their businesses’ most powerful resources - their data,” said John Consoli, AFCO Systems Chief Technology Officer.

User Configurable Flexibility

AFCO’s implementation of access control provides extensive flexibility to meet the complexity of modern data center operations to support repair, maintenance, Move, Add and Change (MAC) activities, as well as security and emergency considerations. “User defined control of remote access conditions is a significant benefit to using the Resource Manager solution,” says AFCO developer John Segreti. “Sophisticated data centers each have their own unique requirements which need to be met based on their business and physical set up.” Using Resource Manger allows Datacenter and Site managers to set their own specific access rules.

The remote access flexibility also extends to the door hardware. AFCO offers many options to implement the physical locking features. These can range from simple solenoid based systems, to shielded magnetic implementations, as well as locally augmented solutions such as card entry or biometric.

About AFCO Systems
AFCO Systems is a global leader in the design and manufacture of scalable enclosure technology for mission-critical datacenter environments. It has the one of the largest globally installed bases of active, air-cooled, high-density (5-8 kW) and extreme high-density (up to 24 kW) server and network cabinets. AFCO Systems’ active airflow control technique, delivered through its KOOL-IT™ brand of technologies and services, provides cost-effective datacenter cooling in accordance with ASHRAE standards. This enables datacenter operators to measure, manage, monitor, and maintain their overall energy efficiency. The company is headquartered in Farmingdale, NY with global operating capabilities for its installations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.afcosystems.com or call 631-249-9441.

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Server virtualization has been the big buzz in data center operations for only about four years. But today, virtualization is going beyond servers. Costs have dropped markedly, making the price tag on virtual servers lower than physical costs.

However, John Consoli, chief technology officer at AFCO Systems, warns: “Don’t assume that virtualization will save space.” In high-rent areas, many assume there will be a lower total footprint in the data center; however, the cost savings associated with virtualized environments sometimes lead to more applications and more servers overall, he says.

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