Data Center Turn Up: Increasing Your Velocity

The Skills Shortage and Skills Gap Dilemma

The data center industry continues to face a significant skills shortage due to a succession gap and the complexity of new and emerging technologies. At the same time, the industry is growing rapidly, creating high demand for skilled data center professionals. Data center developers and operators often struggle to attract and retain the talent they need, making it difficult to staff projects and meet critical timelines.

Data center services, including managed services, can help provide assistance or augment existing teams by taking on advisory, design and engineering aspects of data center deployments that solve for these specific, yet ubiquitous problems, while providing the perpetual attention that operators need to ensure the highest levels of uptime and performance.

Wesco has a global partner ecosystem of integrators and contractors that provide solutions for every phase of deployment, and alongside our partners, we leverage our collective knowledge to deliver solutions for even the most unique and complex situations. We can deliver these services virtually anywhere in the world, providing cost-effective support for organizations operating co-location, cloud, edge and micro data centers. Our highly experienced team has the expertise and credentials to meet the most stringent requirements, backed by agreement commitments for uptime and incident response.

IT, OT and IoT Integration

Without intelligent, automated systems, it falls on the data center staff to perform many tasks manually, creating operational challenges that can delay commissioning. Building highly integrated IoT solutions into the data center design can be a critical step toward achieving velocity. 

IoT devices and sensors are essential for monitoring, automation and optimization, enabling more efficient and sustainable operations. These devices and the systems or platforms that act to aggregate this wealth of information collect data on various aspects of the data center, such as temperature, humidity, power usage and equipment performance, which are then used for real-time analytics and predictive maintenance. 

Data center developers can leverage Wesco’s lengthy experience and proven expertise in both IT and OT disciplines to deliver innovative IoT solutions. Through our IoT advisory services, we help data center developers define their IoT strategy, identify use cases, and select and implement the right devices to meet specific objectives. The result is a well-coordinated IoT ecosystem that automates many routine tasks and provides the insight operators need to bring data centers online quickly.

The Data Center Infrastructure Equation

The complexity of today’s data center infrastructure is equivalent to an intricate mathematical equation and plays a key factor in commissioning delays. Developers need to coordinate a vast array of interconnected systems and components, some of which have extremely long-lead times, and through all this, contractors must also ensure the efficiency, reliability and scalability for the developer. Complexity then increases an order of magnitude from the built-in redundancies needed for high levels of operational efficiency and reliability.

To achieve this, all systems must be tested in isolation and as an integrated whole to ensure they meet design specifications and work as they are intended. This can be a complicated and time-consuming process and despite even the most careful planning, unexpected issues or design flaws can arise during commissioning, which of course, lead to more potential delays.

Wesco provides a comprehensive suite of data center infrastructure services to streamline design, engineering, implementation and testing. Our dedicated data center experts serve as trusted advisors for data center fit-outs, offering product recommendations, procurement and installation enhancements. Our rack deployment services encompass every element of the IT integration process, providing rack and stack, rack integration and rack and roll services.

Overcoming Supply Chain Complications

Supply chain issues remain a significant limiting factor in data center deployment velocity. Any number of products and equipment from electrical transformers and switchgear to chips and motherboards have long lead times that in some cases can approach two years. Raw material shortages, labor shortages, increased capital and shipping costs, and a volatile trade environment further exacerbate the issues surrounding a reliable supply chain.

Data center developers depend on a resilient supply chain to bring their facilities online with velocity. They must constantly evaluate their product and material needs and be prepared to pivot to alternative solutions when supply chain constraints and higher-than-expected costs come into play.

This can be a formidable hurdle for developers who are already juggling multiple partners and priorities. It is difficult, sometimes overwhelming to anticipate supply chain challenges and identify suitable alternatives in time to prevent costly delays. Wesco’s supply chain services are designed to close this gap. We offer on-site job solutions, kitting, inventory management and many other services that streamline procurement, reduce lead times and ensure product availability to meet project timelines.

For a more comprehensive approach to your supply chain, Wesco offers advanced warehouse solutions for a fully unified approach that includes warehousing and logistics, comprehensive inventory management, on-site staffing support and centralized sourcing with a dedicated customer service team.

Solutions To Increase Velocity Across a Data Center Turn Up

Velocity will come with the right plan and alongside trusted partners who can work through the issues we’ve addressed and ensure that the right resources are available at the right place and the right time. A true partner will work collaboratively with the developer, design and engineering firms, building contractors and equipment manufacturers, supporting all parties involved to stay on course and within project timelines. A partner with deep knowledge of data center solutions and strong supply chain solutions can respond quickly to delays and disruptions and find alternatives that meet the necessary requirements.

Wesco has a proven track record of success helping developers turn up facilities faster. The four areas we touched on are just a part of the expertise we bring to data center deployments; addressing the skills gap, IT, OT and IoT integration, the data center infrastructure equation, and overcoming supply chain complications all help bring velocity to data center projects and help to ensure streamlined operations.

¹ CBRE, North America Data Center Trends H2 2024