VODAFONE
for different Vodafone programmes. My job is to ensure we can handle these demands, cool them properly, and avoid building outside.
“ We’ re essentially transforming a legacy data centre into a new data centre from the inside.”
A new type of data centre transformation Having been in the data centre industry for more than 40 years, Paul is no stranger to the unique requirements of a modern data centre world.
“ I’ ve got vast experience in both operations and facilities, which is quite unique in the industry – you’ re typically either in data centre operations doing the cabling and server racking, that type of role, or facility management with generators and UPSs,” he explains.“ I spent 20 years in Canada, where I was also a member of the Association for Computer Operations Management( AFCOM) board – you have to be invited to join, and I was on the board for seven years. We would consult with industry peers about what’ s coming up, what next-generation data centres look like and what future cooling looks like.”
“ It comes down to price and delivery and reliability”
PAUL GREENLEY, SENIOR PRINCIPAL MANAGER DC INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITIES, VODAFONE GROUP DATA CENTRES
One of the largest changes that Vodafone is undergoing in its data centre transformation is related to high-kilowatt demand and the associated cooling challenges. Increased data demand from customers creates more power and therefore heat – consequently requiring more technology to effectively cool essential systems while keeping emissions down. To mitigate this influx in heat, the company has partnered with suppliers on innovative solutions.
“ We’ ve partnered with vendors to extract the hot air inside the aisle containment into the data centre when it’ s cold, so the heat doesn’ t affect the rest of the room,” Paul explains.
“ If you put a pod in a data centre of 20 racks at 15 kilowatts a rack, that produces a lot of heat that’ s going out into the rest of the facility. Our transformation has come from these demands, which are being driven by on-prem solutions. My job is to make sure we can handle those demands and cool them properly without having to build outside. We’ re really transforming within a legacy data centre, making it a new data centre inside.”
Keeping solutions on-site As the data centre continually evolves to suit customer demand, increasing rack densities are causing operators to be faced with a difficult task – do they abandon these facilities and build more capable data centres from the ground up, or do they spend more money retrofitting new projects amongst legacy equipment?
84 April 2025