Maintain business continuity with Eaton’s innovative solutions

Acxiom, a leading database marketing company with a global presence, faced an increasingly common and complex dilemma: the need to upgrade existing power infrastructure within critical facilities without halting operations. That’s why, for nearly a decade, Acxiom has relied on renting temporary mobile power trailers designed by a pair of Eaton agents. When Acxiom first started looking at replacing their UPS systems, the greatest challenge they faced was how they could perform the required work with the least impact on their clients. 

Martin Bosch of Air Power Consultants and partner Marc Basche of Global Power Supply custom-built the mobile UPS trailer from the ground up with data centre upgrades in mind. The self-contained UPS-system-on-wheels was specially constructed to support critical infrastructure facilities during upgrades or disaster recovery efforts.

The 52-foot-long mobile trailer integrates a complete line-up of state-of-the-art equipment, including a 1200 kW Eaton Power Xpert 9395 high performance UPS, Eaton PredictPulse Insight predictive analytics and monitoring service, Eaton automatic transfer switches and switchgear and battery cabinets from LiiON and Marvair HVAC. The trailer also has a hurricane-rated roof, R32 insulated factor, and all wiring neatly and efficiently organised within a sub floor.

The solution is also the first of its kind to offer lithium-powered batteries. “Not only does lithium-ion increase reliability but it also dramatically lowers the weight of the batteries to make the trailer highly transportable”, says Bosch. The mobile station’s six battery cabinets weigh in at just 7,200 lbs (3,265 kg) – more than five times less than the 40,000-lb (18,143 kg) lead-acid alternative.

Another differentiator in the new trailers is the addition of the 9395 high performance UPS, which provides double-conversion efficiency of up to 97% and boasts redundant modules built into the system. “Competitive UPSs don’t offer inherent redundancy”, Bosch points out. Furthermore, the  Eaton 9395 is certified to perform with the LiiON-brand lithium-ion battery cabinets, which Bosch says is a huge advantage. “Everything works together seamlessly”, he emphasises.

That includes PredictPulse Insight next-level monitoring and management service. Shifting power monitoring from a reactive to a proactive model, PredictPulse Insight collects and analyses data from connected power infrastructure devices, providing Eaton with the insight needed to make recommendations and take any necessary action on behalf of the customer. The first cloud-based analytics service for data centre infrastructure that can actually foresee the failure of power components, PredictPulse Insight provides real-time status information, time savings and peace of mind that the entire power infrastructure has a second pair of eyes on it.

With the service running via a wireless modem on the trailer during the upgrade project, Acxiom is relying on it as a back-up alarm system in conjunction with its own internal system. “It’s an added benefit to the customer, knowing that we’ve got their backs”, Bosch says of the monitoring solution. “It just gives them that much more reliability, having the trailer equipped with a full communications package.” The wireless modem also allows PredictPulse Insight to run without ever connecting to the client’s secure network, which eliminates possible user security concerns

Eaton automatic transfer switches and switchgear complete the state-of-the-art solution, which has been attracting attention from data centres operators coast to coast. In fact, both trailers are already booked out well into next year.

The mobile back-up station is meeting a vital need in today’s mission-critical data centre market. “There are so many customers with legacy equipment who want to take advantage of newer technology, such as higher efficiency UPSs with greater reliability, but they don’t have the luxury of shutting down operations for three months”, Bosch says.

And, as Acxiom continues to replace the UPSs in its Conway data centre, Thompson credits the Eaton trailer for a completely smooth transition, noting that the company has experienced zero downtime, loss of production or broken service level agreements (SLAs) for clients.

“It has worked excellently for us on all of our projects by allowing us to replace UPS systems without impacting our clients”, says Thompson.