Last March, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued an El Niño Watch, warning the public about the possible repercussions of the dry season in the Philippines. Notifying the start of the summer season, Pagasa warns that heatwaves can worsen, especially with the changing weather conditions because of climate change. Last April 10, Pagasa computed the highest heat index in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, and Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, which went up to 47 degrees Celsius.

El Niño is a cyclical climate phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and can significantly impact weather patterns. In the Philippines, El Niño is often associated with prolonged periods of drought and high temperatures, which can pose significant challenges for data center operators.

“Dealing with the extreme spike of temperatures should not be taken lightly. This is when data center operators must be vigilant in monitoring their facilities. If not taken seriously, providers risk losing their reliability and connectivity,” said Pamela Albar, Associate Director for Channels & Enterprise Sales, Vertiv Philippines.

For data center operators to keep their cool, here’s how they can protect their operations from extreme temperature spikes during summer.

Run as many cooling units as possible. It’s better to double or triple the operation of your cooling units to keep the refrigerant pressures as low as possible so operators can prevent trips on high pressure. By running the cooling units simultaneously, they can minimize the load on each data hall. 

If cooling systems are not running at their total capacity, it can result in equipment overheating and potentially cause costly downtime. Cooling units are designed to remove heat from the data center environment. If they are not functioning correctly, the equipment can suffer from thermal stress, leading to premature failure or reduced performance.

Regular maintenance is a must. With the increased temperature, data center cooling units must double its usual work. This means the units must undergo frequent checking and maintenance, especially the condenser coils.

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Condenser coils are responsible for releasing heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporator coil. When it is blocked with dirt and dust or covered with rust, it reduces its heat-transfer capability and becomes ineffective when the ambient temperature climbs. Dirty coils can also cause a system shutdown due to uncontrolled high pressure. This endangers not only the facility but also the operations during a critical time.

Invest in high-quality cooling systems. It is expected for data centers to experience unpredictable temperature changes, which is why the facility needs to have the best cooling system. Operators must invest in high-quality equipment to increase its lifespan, maintain a stable temperature environment, and reduce the risk of thermal stress. 

It also enhances the facility’s performance, ensuring the data center’s reliability. Consequently, investing in high-quality cooling systems is more cost-efficient because they are energy-efficient, lowering operating costs.

Some types of cooling systems that data center facilities can invest in are immersion, water-free, and evaporative free cooling systems designed to deliver reliability and efficiency in high-temperature environments.

As architects of continuity, these solutions are offered by Vertiv, making them a reliable helper in upgrading thermal systems and creating a maintenance plan to keep the facility cool, particularly during the El Niño phenomenon. The company also provides cutting-edge, sustainable, and innovative solutions that improve the performance and scalability of data centers, communication networks, and other critical IT facilities.  

To learn more about how Vertiv supports the continuity of today’s vital business, visit Vertiv.com.   

Nowadays, businesses from the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector and beyond are rapidly penetrating the internet, specifically e-commerce, to gain profit and audience. 

According to a study by Modern Intelligence, the Philippines’ E-commerce market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.1 percent and is now seen as one of the main drivers for economic growth. 

However, it is crucial for retailers, even MSMEs, to be flexible and be adaptive to evolving business trends and consumer demands. One of the ways retailers can do this is through technology. 

“Technology has redefined today’s ecommerce market. From the supply chain all the way to customer experience, technology now plays a major role in ensuring that retailers are able to provide the best service to their customers across a variety of platforms, including web, mobile and in-store. Ensuring the flexibility, adaptability and agility of the IT backbone across all areas of the retail business is a must for businesses to have a competitive advantage,” said Pamela Albar, Associate Director for Channels & Enterprise Sales, Vertiv Philippines.

Here’s how retailers can harness technology to transform their businesses: 

Enable retailers to be more agile. The e-commerce industry is fast-moving, and retailers must be agile when they enter the market. The idea of agility is the ability of a business to quickly add new features and functionality that will allow them to support the consumer’s demands and enable a more streamlined process. 

When retailers embrace agility, they are giving their businesses a better chance in a competitive industry with speed, flexibility, and continuous improvement in mind. They can do this by embracing modern applications and innovation solutions or infrastructures like Vertiv’s point-of-sale (POS) and desktop solutions that ensure reliable and secure checkout connectivity or keep their security and emergency systems running. They can integrate technologies like desktop uninterruptible power supply (UPS), network closet or small room solutions, and UPS for emergency systems offered by Vertiv. 

Improves security to protect the customer experience. One of the biggest threats for retailers when entering the e-commerce scene is the massive risk of data leaks, malware, and fraud that can damage the brand’s reputation and processes. If things get out of hand, they can also experience massive business losses, such as lost revenue and customers.  

Securing the IT backbone, including the hardware, can mitigate these attacks and improve the security of a business. It can also help retailers manage their network and simultaneously avoid data breaches on their classified and non-classified projects. Vertiv’s IT management solutions like Cybex™ secure desktop KVM, Vertiv™ Avocent® ACS console server, and IT management software can adequately fulfill these tasks. 

Allow retailers to improve their performance. In the competitive environment of e-commerce, performance matters. If retailers do not improve their infrastructures, they risk experiencing network and customer data breaches and massive system downtime. 

To protect their operations, they must fortify their IT infrastructure using Vertiv’s power, cooling, and monitoring solutions. This includes installing efficient UPS, thermal management, and rack distribution units. All these should be monitored with comprehensive service and technical support.  

The growth retailers can experience when they enter the e-commerce scene is something they should take seriously. But as the industry continues to evolve, the pressure to keep up with it is there. That is why Vertiv is here to assist retailers, especially MSMEs, to expand and transform their digital solutions and help them be part of the change in the Philippine e-commerce industry. 

As architects of continuity, Vertiv offers solutions that cover pre-configuring, pre-testing and pre-validating it against its unique requirements. It also provides cutting-edge, sustainable, and innovative solutions that improve the performance and scalability of data centers, communication networks, and other critical IT facilities.  

To learn more about how Vertiv supports the continuity of today’s vital business, visit Vertiv.com.