NGN Group: At the forefront of sustainability and security
Sustainability and security are just some issues that are driving today’s data centres towards change and innovation. NGN Group is meeting these challenges face on; setting new standards for the industry with the Star of Bosphorus - one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Turkey.
“Our team has built many data centres but none of them has been so ambitious,” says Ufuk Yasibeyli, VP, Technology - and it’s clear to see why.
The facility aims to be NGN group’s most pioneering project yet, offering clients access to a Tier III certified, energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly, and seismically protected data centre near Istanbul, just in sight of the Bosphorus narrows in Turkey.
“This data centre is our dream on the shore of Bosphorus,” says Yasibeyli. “We conceived it as the world’s best data centre of unparalleled reliability, ease of operation, and beauty.
“Therefore, it is deeply symbolic that it is called The Star of Bosphorus, with two blocks, Vega and Sirius. It is a pioneer in engineering solutions, including seismic protection, and, as we believe, a future leading commercial data center in Turkey. In addition to being a pioneer in engineering solutions, it will also be a pioneer in cloud and managed services. As a leading system integrator in Turkey and Middle East, NGN’s expertise in managed services will be the most important value add for cloud and data center customers.”
With a size of about 24,000sqm and a total power of 16MW, Star of Bosphorus operates over 2,000 standard racks and is secured with two external power feeds and 24/7 maintenance.
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However, perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of the facility is that it is seismically protected, meaning that each building nearly floats over the possible earthquake thanks to a single monolithic slab serving as a foundation resting on seismic isolators known as friction pendula from EarthQuake Protection Systems (USA). Yasibeyli says: “We consulted local specialists and professors of seismology, and ARUP (USA) was involved into peer review of structural design and seismic isolator design. Today, we are sure that Star of Bosphorus is one of the best seismically-protected data centers in the world.”
“Our constant challenge is to ensure we comply with the highest quality, safety, and reliability standards at all construction phases - from design to equipment selection and installation,” adds Yasibeyli. “Yes, it takes time and resources, but when standards are high, there is no place for trade-offs.”
Professor and NGN’s consultant as seismic expert, Dr Barış Erkuş, was also highly excited by the facility’s structural and seismic design.
“What makes Star of Bosphorus Data Centre genuinely unique is the seismic design of the facility,” says Erkuş. “We implemented the best seismic protection system which ensures keeping the data center operational during earthquakes with a probability of one-in-every 2,000 years, which also established a new standard for future projects in the region.”
The facility was awarded a LEED Gold certification, the most popular green building certification, thanks to its innovative equipment and systems which ensure environmental safety. By using free cooling technology when available, the data centre has achieved a Power Usage Effectiveness rating of 1.3, making it the most energy efficient facility in the region.
The Star of Bosphorus is also leading the way as the first ‘carrier neutral’ commercial data centre in Turkey, with Tier III design and facility certificates.
NGN’s Marketing and Communications Director Secil Kocoglu emphasizes: “Turkey's data centre market is one of the fastest growing markets worldwide, and our group is poised to be a leading pioneer in the industry. Situated in Istanbul, Star of Bosphorus data centre is able to tie together markets from across Asia, the Middle East and Europe which should attract a lot of global businesses to the facility.”
NGN Group has big ambitions for the Star of Bosphorus, but in an industry that is constantly evolving how does NGN stay ahead of the curve? “The answer is simple,” notes Kocoglu. “We are learning.
“We are experts in system integration business, which means dealing with new technologies and solutions is our daily life. We are learning on each and every project, be it constructing data centres for customers, deploying clouds, or creating engineering infrastructures for various facilities.”
Named after the stars, the Star of Bosphorus Data Centre is an ambitious endeavour for NGN Group. However, the pioneering efforts of the company have not gone unnoticed. By creating an environmentally-friendly, seismically protected, and carrier neutral facility, it seems that the future is bright for the company.
