The Importance of Supporting Data Center Customers Sustainably

Data centers have become a critical part of the global economy as more and more business, commerce, and communications move online. Increasingly, operators are being challenged to increase densities and uptime to meet growing customer demands. But, given the global efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, IT leaders are also being asked to meet these needs sustainably.

While these two goals can sometimes be contradictory, Bob Benvignati, Senior Sales Engineer for Digital Realty, says data center industry leaders have a responsibility support their expanding global customer base with sustainable solutions.

Benvignati, a certified data center sustainability professional, works at Digital Realty’s 1 Century Place, one of three data centers the company operates in Toronto, Canada.

In a new video released by Digital Realty, Benvignati says “it's important for data centers to be sustainable because data centers are some of the largest consumers of energy and, at the same time, people and companies are relying on data more and more.”

Benvignati asserts that the data center industry needs to prioritize sustainability by driving innovation that will decarbonize the industry.

Many data center operators, including Digital Realty, have committed to achieving science-based carbon reduction targets by 2030. The industry is working to achieve these targets by rethinking both its construction and data center management practices.

In the video, Benvignati explains how sustainability was top of mind for Digital Realty when it transformed 1 Century Place into a sustainable data center. The 711,000 square foot building used to be the printing press for the Toronto Star.

From cooling systems that reduce energy and increase power usage effectiveness to diverting construction waste from landfills, Benvignati says the facility is LEED silver certified for both design and construction.

Benvignati says, “sustainability is important because I believe it future proofs the world for generations to follow.”

View the video from Digital Realty here.