Australian IT Services: Small data centres may become edge infrastructure

With general manager Tim Gentle.

What data centre infrastructure services do you specialise in? 

Australian IT Services is the market leader in providing professional technical cleaning and static control solutions to data centres, communication rooms and data storage facilities Australia-wide.

When did your company first get involved in this area? 

Australian IT Services was established in 1996.

What credentials do you have that apply to data centres? 

Our greatest endorsement is our long-standing relationships with clients large and small, including companies such as Cisco, Fujitsu Australia and Macquarie Telecom not to mention Australian icons such as Woolworths and David Jones.

Do you use a distributor to procure the products you supply? 

One of our unique selling points is that, unlike some of our competitors, we don’t use any sub-contractors in mission-critical environments – only Australian IT Services-trained staff.

Have you heard about any cool developments in the data centre space recently? 

One interesting trend is the use by some clients of shipping containers. These were not uncommon in some remote areas a few years back but seem to be making a comeback. While this overcomes the problem of not having enough space in some buildings we have seen some popping up at the base of mobile phone towers signalling that they may become part of edge infrastructure.  

Can you tell us about a recent project?

We have just commenced providing services to the new Perth Children’s Hospital – it’s an amazing place that’s all about the kids. Some of it’s catering and waste services are run AGVs (automated guided vehicles) who politely ask you to get out of the way if you are in their path.

What is driving customers’ data centre projects? 

Cloud services, the internet of things, enterprise mobility technologies and moving towards edge models. Data sovereignty and all security issues continue to be vitally important.

Data centre infrastructure is…?

Like having teenage kids. They seemed like a good idea at the time but they grew out of control way too fast.