In summary

Brief

Relocate a communications room and so free up valuable floor space for sub-letting.

Solution

Identified the location to establish a main communications room based on the ICT systems to be supported, taking into account the organisation’s strategy and business objectives.

Result

Frame achieved the right mix of value between property, technology and data centre facility infrastructure by moving the communications room to an area of low property value with low social amenity.

In detail

The organisation’s data centre, which occupied an entire floor, had become redundant after enterprise ICT services had been outsourced. As the ICT assets were relocated, the organisation was able to move ICT systems to a smaller communications room on the same floor.

With the introduction of activity-based working, the organisation was freeing up several floors for sub-letting. Rather than keep the communications room on an otherwise empty floor — expensive property space which commands desirable harbour views — the organisation chose to relocate the room, and so include the floor in its plans for sub-letting.

The requirement was to identify a suitable area in the organisation’s office tower to site a new main communications room for the building.

Frame was sought for this role because of its understanding of the relationship between property, technology and data centre facility infrastructure.

With extensive experience assessing the locations for data centres and communications rooms, and provisioning them, Frame’s services proved invaluable to the organisation. The site chosen for the communications room was of low property value with low social amenity.

As well as freeing up the desired floor space, the organisation was able to establish a main communications room for the building, using current best practices, that will satisfy the building’s ICT services requirements for the next 10 years.

Frame analysed the technical issues of establishing a main communications room from the point of view of the ICT systems to be supported, taking into account the organisation’s strategy and business objectives.

First, Frame identified suitable locations within the building. Because property spaces have varying levels of investment value, we chose areas of low property value with low social amenity.

Next, we assessed the operational and technical risks associated with each location and identified risk mitigation required. It was important that the location could be used without impeding other services; without compromising security, access, work health and safety, and maintenance; and without risks from the environment such as flooding or airborne contaminants.

Then, for each location, we conducted a commercial analysis of the infrastructure solution as well as a detailed technical assessment of the facility infrastructure required to support a main communications room. The location had to be free of technical difficulties which would make building it problematic, and had to be commercially viable without the need of building expensive supporting infrastructure.

Following the risk and cost analyses, Frame recommended the preferred location.

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