The issue of building new data centers and retrofitting or expansion of older ones to handle more sophisticated and increased amounts of medical data has become more critical as the Obama administration has announced that $975 million in grants will help states, doctors and hospitals move from paper to electronic record-keeping.
Continuous power supply and proper cooling systems are, of course, critical components of a successful medical data storage center and represent just some of the complex challenges facing entities considering whether to build or retrofit existing medical data storage centers.
The Tishman project at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), for one, has found a way to expand capacity while conserving energy by using new and innovative methods of cooling delivery systems, including fan wall systems, according to Martin J. O’Neill, vice president of Tishman Construction Corporation of Massachusetts (TCC-MA), which has been hired to serve as Construction Manager for this $15-million project.
UMMS has also implemented flywheel support to the UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) systems in lieu of more commonly used battery backup, which ultimately use less energy and reduce the PUE (power usage effectiveness) of the project.
