Park Place Technologies is leading the way in sustainable data centre operations by embracing circular economy principles. Xavier Surentherathas, Senior Director, Partner Sales, Park Place Technologies shares insights on how the company’s innovative programs in hardware maintenance, refurbishment, and responsible e-waste disposal are setting new standards for environmental responsibility in the IT sector.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: Can you elaborate on why sustainability and the circular economy are crucial for the data centre ecosystem and how they contribute to reducing environmental impact?
Xavier: Sustainability is a necessity for data centres. The circular economy offers an approach that prioritises resource efficiency and waste reduction. Data centres can extend equipment lifespan through maintenance and energy-efficient systems. Additionally, re-using and refurbishing equipment, coupled with responsible e-waste management, minimises waste. Ideally, data centres would create a closed-loop system – designing for modularity, partnering for e-waste recycling, and utilising renewables. By embracing the circular economy, data centres can operate more sustainably, leaving a smaller footprint on the planet.
Park Place Technologies implements the circular economy principles, especially regarding manufacturing and disposal. The foundation of our approach is the ‘Re-use, Reduce, and Recycle’ strategy, which we are fully committed to. When executed properly, these methods offer various benefits:
- Lower carbon emissions by ensuring that hardware is well-maintained and in perfect working order.
- Smaller carbon footprint by reducing emissions and energy consumption, which also results in cost savings.
- Less generation of electronic waste, which in turn reduces environmental impact.
TimesTech: Could you provide specific examples of initiatives and programs that Park Place Technologies has implemented to support circular economy principles, such as hardware maintenance, refurbishment, and responsible disposal practices?
Xavier: Park Place Technologies’ programs are designed to provide all-encompassing support to our partners. We accomplish this by offering end-to-end services that extend beyond the original manufacturers’ support period. Some of our initiatives that have yielded successful results by embracing circular economy principles are:
- Our End of Service Life (EOSL) and post warranty support services aim to extend the life of IT equipment such as networking, server, and storage hardware. This noticeably reduces the need for new equipment and allows organisations to obtain maximum value from their existing equipment for the longest possible time.
- Our Curvature Hardware division enables organisations to refresh their storage, server and networking systems with minimal effort and expenditure by re-using carefully maintained, pre-owned IT hardware. This not only helps reduce electronic waste but also provides cost savings and immediate availability, mitigating the impacts of global supply chain disruptions.
- Our comprehensive IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) service guarantees safe and responsible disposal of electronic waste, complete with secure data erasure and careful recycling wherever possible. It includes secure data erasure and compliance with Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) standards. Moreover, Park Place recycles unwanted equipment by integrating it into maintenance, hardware brokerage, pre-owned hardware supply, and scrap/refining markets. These initiatives collectively help minimise environmental impact, promote the reuse of IT resources, and uphold sustainable practices in the technology sector.
TimesTech: How is Park Place Technologies leveraging technology to enhance sustainability within the IT sector, and what innovative approaches are being adopted?
Xavier: Apart from increased operational efficiency, data centres can also harness technological advancements to reduce their environmental impact. Park Place Technologies strives to empower its partners with the latest innovative hardware and network capabilities. Our approaches include:
- Entuity Software™: Our enterprise network performance, monitoring and management software enables organisations to monitor, visualize and manage their network to ensure maximum efficiency of their IT.
- Liquid Cooling: This modern temperature control system is a viable alternative to traditional air cooling and offers long-term savings on power consumption. In the past, temperature maintenance at data centres was a continuous process that consumed considerable resources. Park Place’s liquid cooling technology reduces this dependency, allowing operators to do more with less space, fewer resources, and minimised costs.
- ParkView Hardware Maintenance™: Our Post-Warranty and End of Service Life (EOSL) support services help companies use their hardware for a longer period rather than having to undergo a full refresh. Replacing hardware, especially IT servers and storage, is an expensive procedure that generates a sizeable amount of e-waste. Our maintenance services include ParkView Hardware Maintenance™, constantly monitors hardware for faults through automated monitoring before they occur, and is underpinned by the industry’s only First-Time Fix™ Guarantee, reducing the need for multiple engineering call-outs and travel.
TimesTech: How are legacy data centres in India transitioning towards sustainability, and what role does Park Place Technologies play in assisting these centers with retrofits to enhance efficiency and capacity?
Xavier: India is firmly on the path towards becoming a strong global data centre hub. The country’s current policies have facilitated growth by providing an opportunity-laden environment for data centre operators to establish operation with ease. While new data centres are constructed, the responsibility of legacy data centres increases since they must bear the ever-increasing workload. The Indian data centre industry takes sustainability very seriously and it is important for operators to be aligned with the nation-wide approach towards environmental responsibility.
Legacy data centres are transitioning towards sustainability by adopting a circular economy strategy that focuses on:
- Deriving maximum value out of non-renewable resources such as coal and fossil fuels while reducing the dependence on them.
- Cutting down their environmental footprint by lowering carbon emissions and waste generation.
- Extending the lifespan of their current equipment, thereby reducing costs arising from frequent replacement of new parts.
- Re-using spare parts when upgrades are required, and recycling by-products as often as possible.
Additionally, they need to implement energy storage solutions to efficiently store excess renewable energy to cope with peaks and climatic conditions. Each facility should aim to reduce the ratio of total energy consumption compared to that consumed by computing equipment, with organisations regularly monitoring their Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio. It’s essential for every data centre to meticulously analyze and take accountability for its facility metrics, integrating them into corporate sustainability reports and staying abreast of the latest innovations and advancements in renewable technology.
TimesTech: What are Park Place Technologies’ future goals and aspirations regarding sustainability, and can you discuss any upcoming partnerships or expansion plans aimed at furthering environmental responsibility?
Xavier: At Park Place Technologies, we are dedicated to advancing sustainability in IT by integrating environmental considerations into our operations. We strive to streamline the entire process, from leveraging renewable energy and promoting energy efficiency to using our training programmes to address talent gaps. We are focused on attaining this balance at a global level, helped by innovation and a customer-centric focus.
TimesTech: How do you see the Indian data centre industry evolving in terms of sustainability and circular economy principles, and what strategic collaborations or design approaches are most promising in this region?
Xavier: India is poised to consolidate its position as a data centre industry hub that is well-placed for growth in the near future. The key is that sustainability is already emerging as a key focus in the nation’s data centre landscape. At Park Place Technologies, we are fully committed to integrating environment-friendly practices into our everyday operations. From harnessing renewable energy to leveraging efficient energy use, and addressing talent gaps through our training programmes, we are always looking to streamline the process. Our approach balances the needs of our significant customer base in India with the country’s overall sustainability targets. This method, which revolves around innovation and prioritisation of customers, is helping us cultivate environmental sustainability not only in India, but across the world.
