Full Data Center Visibility, 125 Feet Under The Kansas Prairie

Located deep below a layer of shale, Cavern Technologies' colocation data center relies on Schneider Electric’s solution platform to serve clients.

Content Sponsored By:

Schneider Electric data centers

In the late 1800s, many Kansas settlers who were farming lost their crops to the harsh climate of the prairie. The weather hasn’t changed, so how’s it possible to safely operate a data center in the same area? Cavern Technologies’ Kansas City colocation facility is located 125 feet underground, in a three million-square-foot limestone bunker — solid protection from natural disasters.

data center
Located in a three million-square-foot limestone bunker, 125 feet under the Kansas prairie, with 18-20 foot high ceilings beneath a layer of shale, Cavern Technologies colocation data center is unlike other subterranean facilities.

Cavern Technologies develops, leases, and operates enterprise-class data centers in a secure, environmentally-friendly facility, and focuses on not only operational excellence, but also transparency.

The company’s customers — in the financial, healthcare, insurance, and technology industries — say they get as much, if not more, visibility in their walled, private suites, than they would running their own on-premises data centers. Cavern Technologies is responsible for clean power and cooling up into the rack, and enables its customers to have full transparency into what’s happening in the facility.

Data Center Visibility Underground

data center
“We develop, lease, and operate enterprise-class data centers, 125 feet below ground in a secure, environmentally-friendly facility,” explains John Clune, CEO, Cavern Technologies (left). “With our private, dedicated suites, we customize to our customers’ needs, and we’ve really focused on not only operational excellence, but also transparency.”

This visibility is made possible through Schneider Electric’s open, interoperable, IoT-enabled EcoStruxure™ system architecture and platform. Cavern Technologies has deployed EcoStruxure’s on-premise Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Solution, StruxureWare for Data Centers, to provide visibility and insights to proactively handle incidents and improve planning and efficiency across the data center. The company utilizes Schneider’s Service Bureau’s 24×7 remote monitoring service, leveraging the cloud-enabled DCIM solution to provide data driven service for business continuity, vendor neutral asset risk management via sensors, and cloud-based monitoring tools. Instant anytime, anywhere access to the service team is provided through the EcoStruxure IT app, which also enables Cavern Technologies to monitor the site and on-duty staffing.

EcoStruxure IT App in Colocation Data Center

Cavern Technologies runs more than 50 individual UPS and so needed an integrated system with a single view, as well as resources to streamline management and troubleshoot such a large amount of equipment and to service any issues around the clock.

data center
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT allows the Cavern Technologies team to monitor the real-time status of all of the UPS in the facility through the mobile app.

Through EcoStruxure IT, the health of all of the UPS in the facility is easily ascertained, and real-time status can be gained at a glance through the mobile app. Without these tools, engineers would have to log into each individual UPS to check status.

Should there be any issues, immediate notification from EcoStruxure IT App goes to both Cavern Technologies personnel and the Schneider Electric Service Bureau that helps fix the problems. These techs are available 24 hours, seven days a week, which provides a redundancy factor.

Cavern Technologies identifies incident trends through reporting, and the data gives the company predictive insight. There’s also a side benefit of knowing which assets are approaching end of life — annual capital planning.

Operational Excellence with Remote Monitoring Service

The platform has enabled Cavern Technologies to provide another level of information to its customers, and the analytics helps to provide better operational excellence every day.

data center
“…whenever engineers see a power module fault, they pull up that UPS on the app and text pertinent information such as the model and serial numbers, load and firmware date to Schneider Electric technicians who are dispatched for repair or replacement,” says Mike McDaniel VP of Facilities Engineering Cavern Technologies (right).

Cavern Technologies’ relationship with Schneider Electric has fully developed over the last 10 years — initially starting with the rack and cabinet portfolio and expanding to a true partnership. Schneider Electric provides the company’s UPS, PDUs, containment, as well as software and services. Cavern Technologies relies on Schneider Electric’s solutions to better service its colocation customers.

For more detail on how Cavern Technologies and Schneider Electric work together, read the case study or watch the testimonial video, “Getting Power Peace of Mind with Remote Data Center Monitoring and Management.”