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Data Center Modernization
A Dataprev case study
Dataprev is a state-owned enterprise (SOE) that provides IT solutions to leverage the social policies of the government of Brazil. Headquartered in Brasilia, the enterprise operates with software development units located in five states (Ceará, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina) and three data centers located in Brasilia (DCDF), Rio de Janeiro (DCRJ), and São Paulo (DCSP). All are designed to provide security and high-availability services.
The Dataprev enterprise completed an IT environment modernization in 2014 with investments of $75 million over three years, improving the security, energy capacity, and availability of mission critical environments.
At the end of 2017, the Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo data centers were awarded the Uptime Institute Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability. The Brasília data center obtained the same award in 2019. With the completion of these awards, Dataprev became the first Brazilian SOE to complete the entire certification cycle.
Opportunity
Uptime Institute's Tier Certification of Operational Sustainability (TCOS) provides tier-certified facility owners, operators, and managers with an assessment of the prioritized behaviors and risks intrinsic to data centers and serves as an essential guide for effective and efficient operations. It helps to ensure that a well-designed and constructed data center facility is operated in a manner that will result in the production levels expected.
In earning the TCOS award, Dataprev demonstrated the ability to plan for nonstop production to continue throughout all normal operating conditions defined by the tier certification itself. The award requires consistency in operational practices and the discipline needed to drive continuous improvement. TCOS recognizes production sites that have invested the time and energy to exceed the minimum — making enhancements above the basic requirements. It relies heavily on the human element — in the form of policies and procedures — and is a points-based assessment. At minimum, when a data center group meets the basic requirements to keep their site operational across the defined ranges, they are awarded a Bronze TCOS. Sites that have anticipated a wider range of conditions or production possibilities and have planned to accommodate those situations when they occur can achieve either Silver or Gold based on how much above the minimum they score.
Dataprev is a state-owned enterprise (SOE) that provides IT solutions to leverage the social policies of the government of Brazil.
Photos courtesy of Uptime Institute
Timeline
The modernization of the Dataprev facilities began in 2011 with the renovation of the Brasilia data center (finished in 2012). Later, renovations were concluded in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 2013 and 2014.
By 2016, the facilities teams were fully trained to manage and operate the environmental infrastructure, which comprises 50 employees working 24/7 to manage contracts with third-party customers. The team continues to achieve its objectives and good results.
The facilities team was created to provide dedicated and qualified treatment for the data center infrastructure management to guarantee the availability of the digital services offered by the enterprise. The main goal is to coordinate and operate the technical services of engineering and maintenance of the mission critical environments to guarantee operational availability for each data center.
To reduce operational costs and qualify the professionals needed to operate the new high-performance environment, Dataprev invested in training. The most experienced team members were identified and trained to handle a complex group of activities, like equipment and systems maintenance and physical capacity management. Dataprev also continues to invest in ongoing professional certification for employees.
By 2016, the facilities teams were fully trained to manage and operate the environmental infrastructure, which comprises 50 employees working 24/7 to manage contracts with third-party customers.
Solutions
Long-term availability is not guaranteed for data centers just based on the topology of physical infrastructure, as maintenance and operational performance impacts the ability of facilities to accomplish their objectives. Availability becomes a balance between infrastructure topology and team performance. Due to the complexity of modern data centers, it is important maintain a team of qualified and trained professionals in maintenance and operations, striving to guarantee availability with operational sustainability.
Dataprev is the first government enterprise in Brazil to achieve Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability. By 2019, Dataprev completed the tier certification for all its data centers, showing that not only its physical infrastructure is compliant with the high-availability requirements, but the team also adopts best practices learned by the Uptime Institute certification processes.
In 2018, Dataprev became the first SOE in Brazil to achieve the Certified Energy Efficient Datacenter Award (CEEDA).
In November 2020, Dataprev renewed the Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability remotely due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. The process of renewing a certification brings with it an expectation of improvement — scores are analyzed in comparison to previous audits
Impact
Dataprev has shown that, despite crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, training is the key to operating safely and ensuring essential services are delivered.
