One in every of 4 authorities information facilities within the Netherlands, Overheidsdatacenter Noord (ODC-Noord), the northernmost facility of its sort in The Netherlands, is situated within the picturesque metropolis of Groningen. With almost 140 workers, the high-performance information middle offers authorities businesses with mission-critical compute, storage, and networking options wanted to offer essential companies to residents.

Providing Housing-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service that includes ODC-Noord presently serves round 40 clients. These embrace quite a few authorities ministries and businesses that serve residents of the Netherlands. One of many offered companies is the excessive availability and efficiency of the VMware based mostly vCloud platform.

“We offer scalable ICT companies in accordance with the Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) cloud computing reference structure for enterprise functions,” says Jaap Jansma, supervisor at ODC-Noord. “This consists of not solely HaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, but in addition the supporting services for improvement of customized software program, in addition to options for DevOps groups—amongst them Kubernetes check and manufacturing environments and functions for particular use instances, together with information science and deep analytics.”

ODC-Noord’s agile groups are comprised of expert personnel. These specialists not solely develop, but in addition handle and keep all the group’s companies.

“Our groups are pushed, enterprising and a bit headstrong,” provides Jansma. “These are qualities that serve us properly in our devoted work to offer high-quality and progressive companies to our clients.”

These companies additionally replicate ODC-Noord’s dedication to cut back its carbon emissions to internet zero by 2030 and to function a accomplice who may also help authorities businesses additional their very own sustainability targets. Jansma notes that’s why the choice to embrace the VMware Zero Carbon Dedicated initiative was a pure one.

“As a public-sector group, we’re included within the Dutch authorities’s diligent efforts to create a carbon-free vitality system, however at ODC-Noord, we additionally really feel strongly that it’s our duty as a service supplier to do every little thing we are able to to cut back the impression of ICT on the setting,” says Jansma. “The migration to software-defined information facilities was an essential step in the best path, but it surely’s just the start. The VMware Zero Carbon Dedicated initiative builds on that momentum and is a pure subsequent step.”

Notably, ODC-Noord already runs on 100% renewable vitality sources, amongst them hydro, wind and solar energy. Servers are additionally managed with superior energy administration options to maximise their effectivity. There are additionally plans to make use of residual warmth to warmth 10,000 properties and buildings in Groningen.

Outdoors air can be used to chill the information middle—radically lowering the necessity for conventional air con programs. Even the fundamental design of the ability makes use of pure airflows wherein colder air sinks and hotter air rises to attenuate the usage of heating and cooling programs. In 2022, the common Vitality Utilization Effectiveness, or EUE, of ODC-Noord was a formidable 1.25.

Different steps, together with ODC-Noord’s purpose to transition to hydrogen are far reaching and bold, however Jansma notes that each step, giant and small, is essential.

“We’ve already stitched to a hydrogen-powered backup utility supplied by one in every of our suppliers, NorthC, which is huge step ahead, and our improvements in energy administration enabled us to cut back the ability utilization of 40% of our property, together with servers, by 90%,” he says. “We’re additionally working with our suppliers to institute sustainability score certifications and to cut back the quantity of packaging—for instance we not too long ago eradicated the packaging of particular person objects with one in every of our cable distributors—and we’re recycling {hardware} in-house to make sure it’s finished proper. And naturally, there are myriad small steps we take every day, from recycling in our workplaces to selling public transportation. It’s all essential.”

Jansma believes the VMware Zero Carbon Dedicated initiative is a strong means not solely to assist these efforts, however to make them a part of the dialog with clients. It’s a dialog he believes should happen.

“We live in a world the place evidently the sky is the restrict, however we’re realizing that we’ve got to watch out with every little thing our planet offers us,” he says. “For a sustainable future, and for the way forward for our kids, it’s our responsibility to spend money on a zero carbon footprint.”

Study extra about ODC-Noord and its partnership with VMware right here.