Blog

Who deserves the title of Top Data Center Manager of 2018? Santa Claus. After all, he did a fantastic job making sure little boys and girls all around the world received their gifts – and we know that wasn’t easy, especially when you take into account all that data he had to store! While we’ll never know for sure just how expansive his operation is, here’s what we believe Santa’s Data Center looks like – and how he’s able to handle one of the world’s most challenging (and important) data storage facilities. So, what exactly does Santa need?

Great Lakes Case & Cabinet’s new president, Jonathan Markley, joined the company last month after an impressive career that showcases his expertise in both engineering and leadership. A Penn State Behrend and Milwaukee School of Engineering alum, Jon spent more than 10 years with General Electric. In 2013, he left GE to become President of SECO/WARWICK, a manufacturer of industrial heat treatment equipment. Jon resides in Erie, PA with his wife Paula and their three boys, Benjamin and twins Robert and Samuel. Get to know him in today’s Q&A.

Colocation data centers are popping up all over the country. In fact, it’s estimated that the global colocation market will be worth $54.8 billion by 2020. But with the rapid increase in colocation data centers comes added concern for the protection of the data within them. Answering the call, Great Lakes Case & Cabinet expanded their SEAL® portfolio of security solutions to include the Data Center Privacy Panel System (PPS), a cost-effective way to provide clients with their own secure areas within a colocation facility. Like a vault within a vault.

It’s no secret that temperature-controlled air flow is crucial to the design and everyday workings of a data center. It’s a pretty simple concept: The harder your server equipment is working, the more heat it exhausts – and at a certain temperature, it will cost more money in the long run if your machines are working too hot…and too hard. And worst-case scenario: running your equipment too hot for too long will shorten its life span and cost you real money, not just a higher electric bill. That’s where cold aisle containment and hot aisle containment come in. But is the term “hot aisle containment” an oxymoron? We believe it is – here’s why.

Remember the power company that had limited space inside of its substation? Here's another cabinet-rack solution developed to accommodate the specific equipment of the customer. 

It can be difficult to find one product that works in multiple applications—many products often fall short of meeting exact needs. A national food corporation turned to Great Lakes to avoid this dilemma. This enclosure is able to withstand outdoor and indoor installations with temperatures ranging from freezing to sweltering.

Intense heat, strong winds, harsh rains, and on occasion, snow, are the natural elements that this NEMA 4X type, stainless steel enclosure is exposed to along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico. The enclosure is securely planted to the ground, but it's monitoring activity in the sky!

Data centers are complicated and no two are alike. So why do so many cabinet and rack companies only offer one-size-fits all solutions? While there are some instances where standard solutions may be what you need, why settle for something if it’s not a 100% fit?

Floor space is always at a premium when it comes to installing enclosures for IT equipment, and that is certainly the truth for one power company that Great Lakes recently worked with. Enclosure deployment along a wall was the only option for this customer--that's right, no rear door access! This unique product consists of a rack inside of a cabinet that utilizes available floor space while providing equipment access. 

We truly believe that our people are what puts the “Great” in Great Lakes Case & Cabinet. They’re the ones who answer the phone every time a customer calls (we don’t believe in automated messages), they make our company culture fun and people-focused, and they’re the face of the company as a whole. That’s why we created a series to feature our employees called the Faces of Great Lakes. Next up? Bryan Lowther.