The Planet's Jeff Lowenberg Named Data Center Manager of the Year

HOUSTON, May 27, 2008 – The Planet, the world’s largest privately held dedicated hosting company, today announced that Jeff Lowenberg, vice president of facilities, has won the first-ever “Data Center Manager of the Year” award from SearchDataCenter.com.  Based on his implementation of new “green” data center efficiencies, Lowenberg was recognized for his work that will save the company more than $1 million on energy costs in 2008 alone.  The award recognizes excellence in data center project management, according to senior site editor Matt Stansberry.

In announcing the award, SearchDataCenter.com also included a tour of The Planet’s data centers, where Lowenberg provides a guided tour that outlines the efficiencies the company has implemented:

http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid80_gci1314256,00.html

“From our own research and through discussions with customers, they choose The Planet based on the quality of our world-class data centers and network, as well as our reputation for customer service,” said The Planet’s Chairman and CEO Douglas J. Erwin.  “With more than 50,000 servers across our data centers, energy is our fourth-largest expense. Jeff Lowenberg’s work contributes significantly to customer satisfaction, as well as to our bottom line.  Jeff’s award is a resounding commentary on the quality of our data centers, which our customers will appreciate.”

Lowenberg conducted a six-month trial to reduce power consumption and increase data center operating efficiency.  Initial results demonstrate that while critical server loads increased by 5 percent, power used for cooling decreased by 31 percent.  Overall, the company experienced power reductions of up to 13.5 percent through a broad range of improvements. The new “green” initiatives were conducted across its six world-class data centers. 

Armin Heinlein with Panalpina Group was a runner-up, followed by finalists Ben Stewart with Terremark and William Stewart with Sempra Energy.

Overview of Improvements

The Planet operates more than 150 30-ton computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units across its six data centers.  In one data center alone, the company was able to turn off four of the units.  The cooling requirement on two of the units was reduced to 50 percent of capacity, while another nine now operate at 25 percent of capacity.  The company also extended the return air plenums on all of its down-flow CRAC units to optimize efficiency.  In some cases, The Planet team was able to increase CRAC unit temperature settings by as much as 10 degrees while still meeting the thermal guidelines for data processing environments set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

            Across the board, the company evaluated both its data center footprint and recommended guidelines from the Site Uptime Network, an invitation-only consortium of companies that operate data centers around the globe.  The Planet also evaluated standards for air conditioning efficiency from ASHRAE to optimize operating performance.  Among these improvements are the following: 

• Rearranged floor tiles to better manage cold airflow
• Installed seals and grommets in the ceilings, walls and floors to reduce bypass airflow
• Installed blanking plates in server cabinets to direct airflow more efficiently
• Sealed power distribution units to reduce bypass airflow

About The Planet

            The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 6.7 million Web sites worldwide.  By offering the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched network connectivity, The Planet helps turn information technology into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to successfully grow their businesses.  For additional information, visit www.theplanet.com

# # #