Data center operations cover a wide range of tasks, and include handling visitor sign-in/out, attending to server racks, unlocking server racks, performing equipment inspection rounds, and visually checking LEDs on customer equipment and powering it on/off. And as the scale of data centers expands, the scope and volume of such tasks is increasing. It is also becoming difficult to find operators to staff these facilities, partly owing to the decline in Japan's working population. As such, we are working on operational automation to ensure continuity of operations and high-quality service even under these conditions.
Looking at the operational tasks traditionally performed by human operators, our approach going forward will be to assign systems to the tasks that systems are capable of performing so that human operators can focus on the tasks that only humans can perform and on tasks for which there is value in having a human touch. Accordingly, we have implemented a range of systems, including automated reception systems.
Automated reception system
The automated reception system automates the following entry/exit procedures.
Building admission
Visitors use the reception terminal to confirm identity via facial recognition* and register any items being brought in. An IC card (smartcard), needed for unlocking server room doors and server racks, is issued on the spot.
Unlocking of doors and server racks
Visitors can unlock doors leading to the server rack they have applied to work on, as well as the server rack itself, by holding the IC card issued at the reception over the card readers.
Building exit
Visitors use the reception terminal to confirm identity via facial recognition and register any items being taken out. Visitors insert the IC card into the card collection device installed at the security gate. (The gate opens when the card is collected.)
*Information required for facial recognition is recorded in advance via eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) technology. Visitors use an online interface to submit a photo of their face and an ID bearing a facial photo. Identity is confirmed once an operator checks those photos.
OCP
IIJ's data centers are equipped with servers (racks) meeting the OCP (Open Compute Project) specifications that we have adopted on a portion of our services infrastructure. The OCP specification-compliant servers are designed to be oriented toward large-scale computing, such as cloud computing.
OCP specification-compliant server racks use a centralized power supply, and power is distributed within the rack via bus bars, which reduces the man-hours and space required for cabling, and server parts can also easily be replaced without the use of tools.