For managed service providers (MSPs) whose businesses run global data centers, building and maintaining a robust and secure IT infrastructure is crucial. This is especially true for MSPs seeking to lead the way in IT modernization to provide their clients with cost-effective cloud-based solutions.  

This is why the team at Service Express, an innovative data center and infrastructure solutions provider, decided to transform its IT estate by leveraging IBM’s IT Infrastructure. Relying on IBM Power10 technology, Service Express is making great progress in reducing its energy consumption while continuing to drive its sustainability goals.  

As an IBM Platinum Business Partner, Service Express works closely with IBM to provide clients with data center and managed infrastructure solutions. For this modernization journey, it is focused on an internal engagement to modernize infrastructure that is hosting customer workloads.  

Consolidating the server estate 

With two main data center sites in the United Kingdom filled with many servers running different functions, Service Express sought to reduce its server space capacity and create a more unified hosting environment. The team chose to replace some of the older servers with next-generation systems designed specifically for hybrid cloud environments. Working with IBM, Service Express decided to deploy the IBM Power E1080 system, part of the IBM Power10 portfolio.

Since the Power E1080 system delivers at least 1.5X greater computing performance per watt than previous generations[1], Service Express intends to consolidate applications, services and data used on over 50 physical servers down to five Power10 enterprise-class servers. The replacement will allow it to reduce the server footprint by freeing up much-needed physical space in its busy UK data centers. 

The Power10 servers also give Service Express the ability to co-host Linux with either IBM i or IBM AIX workloads so its clients have the flexibility to move and scale data and workloads securely across environments to stay agile.  

As companies have embraced distributed environments to host all their data as the new normal, there is a critical need for layered security across the IT stack. To address this need, the Power10 family of servers brings a layer of defense with transparent memory encryption so that all stored data remains encrypted when in transit between the memory storage and processor. Power10 servers also include 4x more crypto engines in every core (compared to the previous generation of Power servers) to help accelerate encryption performance across the stack.

Progressing to address sustainability goals 

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers consume 1% of the world’s electricity usage[2]. Upgrading to the Power10 server line is helping, as the sustainability benefits are already built into the overall solution. With IBM Power10 at the heart of the system, the IBM Power E1080 server can deliver up to 30% more performance per core and over 50% better total capacity at the socket and system level as compared to the previous generation IBM Power E980 server[3]. This translates to 33% lower energy consumption for the same workload on the IBM Power E1080 as compared to the IBM Power E980[4].

Service Express is committed to addressing its carbon emissions and overall environmental impact. Currently, its European data centers have a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.14. NREL reports that studies show a wide range of PUE values for data centers, but the overall average tends to be around 1.8. Data centers focusing on efficiency typically achieve PUE values of 1.2 or less.  

The project and overall engagement is proving to be a huge success not only for Service Express but for its customers as well, whose applications they are host. It is reducing the overall data center footprint, unifying environments and improving resiliency in a joint collaboration with IBM.

 Learn how IBM Ecosystem Partners benefit from collaboration with IBM and Power10 technology.

[1] Performance based on published rPerf data. Power8 is 3679 rPerf @ 16,600 Watts (0.22 rPerf/Watt), Power10 is 7998 rPerf @ 17,320 Watts (0.46 rPerf/Watt) 0.46 / 0.22 = 2.06 More rPerf/Watt delivering 2X energy efficiency. Power9 is 5081 rPerf @ 16,520 Watts (0.31 rPerf/Watt), Power10 is 7998 rPerf @ 17,320 Watts (0.46 rPerf/Watt) 0.46 / 0.31 = 1.48 More rPerf/Watt. Energy consumption is based on maximum input power: IBM Power E1080 with maximum power of 18,000W

[2] https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks

[3] Based on published rPerf results for Power E980/12 core compared to IBM Internal rPerf measurements (using the same methodology) for Power E1080/15 core

[4] Power9 (12c) is 5081 rPerf @ 16,520 Watts (0.31 rPerf/Watt), Power10 (15c) is 7998 rPerf @ 17,320 Watts (0.46 rPerf/Watt)