ServerLIFT® recently partnered with the University of Alaska to improve safety and efficiency in the data center by donating a brand new ServerLIFT® [SL-500C] server handling lift.
ServerLIFT®‘s Director of Sales, Steve Bashkin says, “The donation will enable this small team to make significant progress. While serving major clients, the University of Alaska is run by a professional staff. Up until now, they’ve been forced to complete projects with the help of an inadequate, warped data center lift. This team will now complete their assignments on time and move their heaviest equipment quickly, without additional problems.”
“For the first time, we will be agile enough to complete installs with just one operator on shift,” says University of Alaska’s Derek Ward, Manager, Office of IT – Data Center Operations. “We have faced a reduction in resources, specifically staffing. We are very grateful for this assistance from ServerLIFT® and their donation.”
Ward first got in touch with Bashkin and the ServerLIFT® team at the Data Center World Conference in Texas. “I didn’t even know that a lift existed until that first conversation,” notes Ward. “This reliable, pristine data center lift will allow us to execute installs across all shifts and meet important delivery goals.”
The largest data center in Alaska is a 12-thousand-square-foot facility located on the University of Alaska campus. Built in 1993, it houses 110+ racks and serves clients across the state, including the Alaska Satellite Facility, Alaska Earthquake Center, and Alaska Volcano Observatory along with multiple University of Alaska affiliates.
Up until recently, transportation, positioning, installation, and removal of servers has been difficult for this small data center team. A combination of few staff numbers, insufficient lifting equipment, and manual lifting created a data center environment where projects were delayed and operators and servers were at risk for injury. Use of an old manual-assisted lifting device that maxed out at 400 pounds meant that multiple operators and dangerous physical exertion was needed for every move. In addition, the lift platform they were using was no longer stable.
(Original press release can be found on PRWeb.)
