Keysource, a datacentre and critical environment specialist, has been appointed by the University of Leicester to provide critical data centre facilities management services over a three-year term.

This latest contract award builds on an 11-year relationship which started in 2009 when Keysource designed and built the university’s award-winning data centre which they then expanded in 2011, almost doubling it in size.

Awarded through the North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC) Framework for the provision of Data Centre Management equipment and Infrastructure, Keysource will provide a seamless, responsive and proactive management of the maintenance services for the data centres in line with the University’s own strategic plan. This will include providing specialist auditing and monitoring of energy efficiency levels so that the University can both reduce operational costs and meet carbon footprint targets. The service will be based on a clear framework focusing on data centre best practice, leveraging the ITIL methodology and Keysource’s new CAFM system.

Additional support will be provided during August and September when the University is at its busiest with student applications. During this time Keysource will undertake critical window pre-health checks on the infrastructure to ensure the data centres are working at optimum standards and will provide critical facilities engineers within close proximity to the University to facilitate a rapid response in the event of any issues and minimise the risk of downtime.

Keysource will also provide a series of regular service and strategic reviews to ensure that energy efficiency certificates are achieved. The team will also be responsible for cleaning sensitive data centre alarms and conducting an upgrade to the University’s business management services systems so that data centre cooling can be managed centrally.

Stuart Poulton at Leicester University said: “Our data centres are becoming increasingly important with the growth of digital content and research led High Performance Computing (HPC). They not only underpin the services we provide to our students but also in support our commercial contracts. Therefore Keysource will be providing a crucial service helping us to not only keep our energy costs low but also our data services up and running at all times.”

Richard Clifford, Head of Solutions at Keysource added: “We have built a successful partnership with the University of Leicester over the last 11 years and we welcome the opportunity to continue to strengthen our relationship. We believe this will help to ensure excellence in delivery and this collaborative approach, where we proactively share knowledge, will help the University to deliver on its strategic plans.”