Datacentre builder Evolution has designed, project-managed and installed a £6m datacentre for VAR Netstore.

The 550m2 datacentre will double Netstore’s data storage capacity and support the predicted growth of its managed services division and co-location facilities.

Hosting about 250 racks, the new datacentre features a centralised building management system to monitor and report on power, cooling, security and fire protection.

Ian Cross, chief information officer of Netstore, said the deployment was the company’s second datacentre and co-location facility.

“It reflects a significant increase in business [for us] within London, where demand for capacity and power is outstripping availability.”

Cross said rising energy prices meant Netstore customers increasingly sought more robust and cost-effective managed services and storage solutions.

“With this in mind, operational sustainability was at the forefront during the design and build.”

The datacentre uses in-rack cooling with chilled water, maintaining temperatures at around 23°Celsius.

Simon Osman, managing director of Evolution, admitted that most datacentres were kept cooler, as recommended by storage and UPS vendors.

“However, a datacentre will perform equally well at a higher temperature and in doing so, datacentre owners will see a significant reduction in their energy bill,” Osman claimed. “It is the simplest steps that make the biggest difference.”

Netstore’s Cross said a lower energy bill should help the company keep prices down for its fixed-rate customers or invest in further facility improvements.

“Also, we can demonstrate our support for environmental sustainability,” Cross added.