When Joseph Daniels took on a new role as Chief Information Officer of the Illinois State Treasurer’s office, he quickly realized a series of improvements needed to be made. Recognizing that the office was dramatically overprovisioned with IT systems scattered throughout a variety of buildings across the state capital of Springfield the new CIO sought innovative ways to revamp the data center’s hybrid model.
“The goal was to transform how our office works and maximize efficiency in every way possible,” said Daniels. “We also wanted our decisions to be verified and backed up by real data demonstrating the monetary savings and efficiency gains.”
To improve the efficiency of its IT infrastructure, the treasurer consolidated equipment where practical and decommissioned where needed. Part of this shift included replacing dozens of smaller uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) with a single, centralized solution. When considering UPS options, the treasurer’s office required a robust unit capable of handling the workload while delivering the highest level of reliability.
“If the system goes down, making payments and paying bills for the state stops,” Daniels reveals. “This is mission-critical operations, 24/7.”
The Treasurer’s office found a solution by partnering with solution in partnership with Eaton. Eaton specializes in efficient, sustainable power management solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of organization. With the scalability and flexible of their design the Treasurer’s office was able to retain 80 percent of its IT workload on-premise, a large improvement over the roughly 50 percent of equipment that was previously stored off-site.
Deploying a backup power solution not only helped the office boost efficiency, but also drastically reduced its carbon footprint. Eaton’s UPS solution, coupled with its Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) software to remotely monitor and manage power devices, helped cut the office’s annual carbon emissions by more than 14,000 pounds per year. Using an Excel-based tool, Eaton validated the reductions by entering several key data points, such as the unit’s kilowatt usage and regional utility details. Additionally, the backup solution helped reduce annual sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by 26 and 29 kilograms, respectively.
“We’re trying to leave the office better than how we found it, and any time we can reduce our carbon footprint, we give back to the state, to our kids and to our grandchildren,” Daniels said.
Beyond the impressive greenhouse gas savings and attractive total-cost-of-ownership, the 93PM has afforded exceptional reliability—which was a primary concern with the treasurer’s previous solution. “When you have so many units and no real plan, you’re inevitably going to miss a battery that needs to be replaced and risk losing a switch in a closet or something,” Daniels explains. “The way we were set up before compared to now is like night and day. Before, I was always crossing my fingers that our closets would stay up and running.”
By reimagining the office’s approach to backup power, Daniels was able to accomplish objectives beyond operating infrastructure more efficiently. The environmental impact of implementing an effective power management solution will be felt for years to come as the Treasurer’s office embraces its strategic vision and sets the precedent for efficient, eco-friendly operations.
The author, Tom Boucher, is a Business Development Executive for Critical Power & Digital Infrastructure, at Eaton.
