ZI Mannheim

The Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) relies on the Data Center and network expertise of PFALZKOM to operate its corporate IT in a fail-safe manner in the highly available Data Centers in Mutterstadt – Initial situation

In order to meet future demand for computing power and to push ahead with the strategic development of its own IT infrastructure, ZI acquired a high-performance HCI-Nutanix cluster back in 2023. Originally, the company’s own systems were to be operated in the existing Data Centers on the ZI campus. In order to meet the increasingly stringent availability requirements, extensive and cost-intensive investments in air conditioning and power supply units would be necessary. At the same time, a move of the company’s IT to an external Data Center was examined and the significant advantages in terms of operational security and cost structure were determined.

The project was announced via a public procurement procedure, to which PFALZKOM applied in April 2023 and was awarded the contract in January 2024.

Cost savings in the medium term

At the beginning of the project, the focus lay on the cost presentation of the in-house Data Center compared to an external solution for a period of ten years. PFALZKOM’s Data Centers were particularly convincing in terms of operational reliability and availability of the air conditioning and power supply of almost 100%. This is difficult for customers to achieve themselves.

In addition, PFALZKOM’s two Data Centers use the required energy extremely efficiently (PUE < 1.3) thanks to state-of-the-art cooling technologies. It is precisely these measured values that are decisive when comparing electricity costs.

Wolfgang Haag, Head of IT Infrastructure: “According to the calculation, these savings will already be realized after 5 years, so that the outsourcing of our IT resources will also lead to positive effects in medium term.”

Customers also have access to a well-coordinated team at the Data Center locations to carry out remote hands services. This significantly reduces the resources required on the customer side. In addition, the redundant and highly fail-safe network connection between Mutterstadt and the ZI site in Mannheim is guaranteed thanks to PFALZKOM.

“Without fast fiber optic connections with required latencies of less than 1 ms, relocating the IT from the campus in Mannheim to Mutterstadt would not have been feasible. PFALZKOM already has such connections thanks to many years of cooperation, so that a highly fail-safe network with bandwidths of up to several 100 Gbit could be provided,” explains Wolfgang Haag.

Tailor-made implementation

After being awarded, PFALZKOM was able to start implementing the project quickly and professionally. The project management was coordinated by experienced personnel. Regular exchange and close scheduling in coordination with the ZI led to targeted implementation. The necessary requirements were always observed:

• Two high-availability Data Centers with two fire compartments each
• Proven, multi-certified and tested infrastructure
• Space for 16 racks with electrical power supply of 12KW each (incl. option for additional racks)
• Fiber optic connection between the ZI campus and the Data Centers

During the integration phase, the customer was temporarily supplied with additional bandwith to ensure ongoing operations and facilitate the relocation of infrastructure to PFALZKOM’s Data Centers. Thanks to a fast and flexible implementation phase (already available space and racks were used systematically) and the highly fail-safe fiber optic network, the connection was also made in the shortest possible time.

The advantages of this solution

Immediately after successfully implementing the project, ZI decided to outsource the tape changing process to PFALZKOM as well. This means that another service is already in the hands of PFALZKOM in order to reduce resource and personnel costs. Furthermore, the customer can access a wide range of connection options at any time, such as to Frankfurt, Amsterdam and the Internet (DE-CIX Premium Enabled Site).

In the future, more research-intensive computing power (e.g. AI systems) can be added quickly and reliably within the Data Centers. Dedicated solutions in the AI environment with water cooling and container systems are being planned for this purpose.

Legal requirements for the security of company data (especially personal data) are ensured by established processes at PFALZKOM and by ongoing certifications and audits. Of course, this also applies to sustainability requirements, whereby PFALZKOM’s Data Centers are already very well equipped thanks to the use of 100% green electricity and maximum efficiency.

Wolfgang Haag, Head of IT Infrastructure, sums up: “Outsourcing our central IT infrastructure to PFALZKOM gives us the necessary freedom to continue to focus on issues such as availability and security in our work. The knowledge of the technical reliability of the PFALZKOM infrastructures and the trusting cooperation confirms our decision every day.”

PFALZKOM is committed to providing and ensuring access to high-availability IT resources for other customers in the healthcare sector in order to make a sustainable contribution to the future of digitalization in the healthcare sector.