Iron Mountain – John Negus – 2016

Goals 

Iron Mountain Incorporated, the global leader in storage and information management services, operates a network of colocation and wholesale data centers in the U.S. Iron Mountain enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow John Negus to help its efforts to reduce non-IT related energy use by 20 percent over the next 10 years. Having committed to this goal back in 2015 as a member of the Better Buildings Challenge, the company’s next step is to prepare each facility by improving the practice of data collection and analysis.

Solutions

After analyzing data from each facility in the Iron Mountain Data Center (IMDC) portfolio, with input from multiple groups included, John determined that Power Distribution Unit (PDU) equipment in each of the four data centers should be monitored. The Better Buildings Challenge requires electric consumption to be reported in KWH and measuring at the PDU level provides more accurate data, without requiring additional metering to be installed. Working with Iron Mountain’s Director of Sustainability, John identified the need for a specific individual, or team, to be appointed to oversee data submission and represent the company within the Better Buildings organization.

Potential Impact

John’s projects helped to establish a system for tracking energy use more accurately. The improved quality of data will allow for the identification of additional power reduction opportunities with less risk and greater visibility among the IMDC team. With the process improvements in place, it is expected that IMDC will be able to meet its Better Buildings goal within the required time.