Ascendi, an entity dedicated to the provision of toll collection services and the operation and maintenance of road infrastructure, renewed its technological infrastructure with the implementation of two new ModSecur data centers engineered by Maxiglobal.
Ascendi is a benchmark entity in the market in which it operates, holding majority stakes in 6 Portuguese concessions and promoting integrated action in the services it provides. With more than 20 years of consolidated experience, it is recognized for its capacity for innovation and operational efficiency. With a view to constant improvement of processes and services provided, it recently renovated its infrastructure in two strategic locations of its operation: at the COM (Operation and Maintenance Center) in Aveiro and at its most recent facilities in Boavista, in Porto. This new space, with a gross area of 4,122 m2, aims to allow “the circulation of information to cross the entire space, without barriers and with transparency”.
The Challenge
“Some of Ascendi’s data centers have been operating continuously for over 15 years without any failures. Ascendi’s management has decided that it is the right time to start a preventative overhaul of the data centers in order to maintain this absence of serious failures following two of Ascendi’s pillars: innovation and sustainability,” says Nuno Belgas, Project Manager at Ascendi.
As a result, the company has decided to renovate its interior data center at the COM in Aveiro. High availability, scalability, and high levels of security were the main requirements for this new infrastructure.
Regarding the data center at the Boavista facility, Ascendi wanted to improve the existing infrastructure, which presented “inefficiency problems in air conditioning, as well as space optimization,” says Nuno Belgas, Project Manager at Ascendi.
The Solution
At the COM in Aveiro, a data center infrastructure was implemented consisting of a ModSecur IT Room with fire protection of 90 minutes, water, dust, humidity, vandalism, separated into two perfectly distinct zones, complying with the maximum TIER4 reliability classification.
The implemented data center has mechanical and electrical redundancy in 2N, such as emergency power systems (modular UPS), air conditioning, and electric power supply generator.
Both rooms have a video surveillance and access control system in place to detect and prevent intrusion attempts. “Physical security is a concern for Ascendi, so it was mandatory to have rooms equipped with the best possible tools,” adds Nuno Belgas.
Efficient cooling
The Boavista data center was redesigned to correct previously identified issues. It was necessary to demolish the walls between the two previously existing spaces and redesign the entrance to the data center, creating a cold container island, using InRow air conditioning units. This structural change significantly improved the air conditioning of the space, creating redundancy and availability, and reducing energy costs. “The energy crisis we are experiencing makes us look for more efficient and optimized alternatives. We are very satisfied with the energy consumption levels of the two data centers because the savings in this area are already noticeable. We are not oblivious to the environmental issue, so having sustainable data centers is an added value at all levels,” says Nuno Belgas.
Real-Time Monitoring
Both data centers are equipped with ModSecur MMS, a software that allows for the management of several infrastructures simultaneously. This monitoring platform integrates numerous installed systems, such as video surveillance, intrusion detection, fire detection and extinguishing, environmental sensors, among others. “Our data centers store valuable data for our activity, so knowing what is happening in real-time in each of the installations allows us to mitigate any potential risks that could jeopardize our normal operation,” says Nuno Belgas.
Trust in the ModSecur brand
Having worked previously with Maxiglobal, the choice of ModSecur solutions was obvious for Ascendi. “The implementation projects of the two data centers went as planned, and all the objectives of this restructuring were achieved. With the renovation of the data centers, we created redundancy in some systems that previously had no redundancy in case of failure. We also obtained a significant reduction in energy consumption by using more recent equipment with better energy performance and by containerizing the cooled space,” concludes Nuno Belgas.
