Green

Data

PROJECT PARTNERS
Green
Data
Written by NELL WALKER
Produced by DANIELLE HARRIS

3
 We talk to NL-DC about its incredible
sustainability innovations, and the ways
in which its newfound independence
from KPN is being utilised

4
W
ith sustainability and
green credentials
an ever-present and
increasingly important issue across
all businesses sectors, some
companies stand out as champions of
innovation in this area. Dutch NL-DC
is known for its reliable and energy-
efficient data centres in Aalsmeer,
Almere, Eindhoven, Groningen,
Oude Meer, and Rotterdam, all of
which are cloud and carrier-neutral
and allow optimal access to the
world’s telco and data networks.
NL-DC may appear to have burst
into the industry as already the
leading provider of data centres in
the Netherlands, but it has in fact
been part of the KPN group for many
years, and at the start of this year
broke away as a daughter company.
NL-DC is now the name of KPN’s
colocation service, allowing it to
dominate the market with freedoms
not previously afforded to it. The
company’s offerings are now able to
be far more diverse and customer-
focussed, and NL-DC already
boasts an enviable reputation.
Building a brand
“It wasn’t easy to remove
ourselves from KPN and strike
out alone,” says Paul Driessen,
Commercial Product Manager.
“And it wasn’t done in a day either,”
adds Cees Greyn, VP Services.
“We knew we could do better. A
project team was created, which
both Paul and I were members of,
and we investigated how we could
do better. We needed more focus,
and because KPN is a telco, the
market didn’t see our data centres as
carrier-neutral. Customers demand
carrier neutrality as a major element
which should be supplied. We were
carrier neutral already, but our
name was attached to the provider
– KPN – so moving away from that
allowed us more opportunities.”
Asked if being a part of KPN
proved restrictive, Driessen replies:
“It’s fairer to say that we now have
more room to maneuver. It’s wasn’t
restrictive as such, we just have more
possibilities now and focus on data
centre business. We wanted to go
in a slightly different direction which
w w w. n l - d c . c o m 5
 Electrical system

Water mist system

Emergency generator

HVAC
 What we do
We build high quality electrical systems, HVAC,
emergency generators (incl. fuel supply) and
water mist systems for data centers. We provide
new installations and upgrade or expand your
present system.

How we work
We always make an all-out effort. We are flexible
with qualified and motivated employees. We are
your one-stop partner for all technical installations
and strong logistics. Our prefab components make
sure that your data center has no downtime.

What drives us
We have had a strong passion for technology for over
75 years. We are committed to supplying innovative
and sustainable technical products and solutions
that enhance the security of our customers.

Who we are
We are Hamer. We design, install and maintain
technical systems. We are located in the
Netherlands and Belgium and have over
350 employees.

For more information visit

www.hamer.net

Hamer is a NLDC key partner

the customers were demanding.”
Part of this freedom is the ability
“IF YOU’RE
to move further into international A COMPANY
markets. KPN is focussed on the THAT WANTS
Dutch market, but in Driessen’s
words, “the internet and cloud do not TO COME TO
stop at the borders of a country. It’s EUROPE, THEN
different for telcos because usually
the country defines the telecom
COME TO THE
company, but we knew that a lot of NETHERLANDS
what we try to do and will be doing
AND THE
is coming from abroad, giving us an
international perspective on things.” BIGGEST DUTCH
NL-DC is not, however, planning DATA CENTRE
to build new data centres in other
countries for the time being. For
PROVIDER
now it is more concerned with the THERE IS –
expansion of its brand, and the
continual improvement of the facilities
THAT’S US”
it already has: “What we’re doing is –P
 AUL DRIESSEN, Commercial
trying to bring focus to the company,” Product Manager
says Driessen. “If you’re a company
that wants to come to Europe, then
come to the Netherlands and the Security
biggest Dutch data centre provider While NL-DC does not offer digital
there is – that’s us. We have 50 or security, as part of its effort to be as
60 years’ experience in data centre expansive a resource as possible to
management, so we know what we the customer, it will provide options
do and we’re part of a healthy group. and point them in the right direction:
That’s the news we want to spread.” “It’s like we’re renting out apartments,”

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w w w. n l - d c . c o m 9
“FORTOP CRUCIAL FOR
OUR RELIABILITY”

Ronald van Veen

technical product manager NLDC

Harmen Sikkema
managing director fortop

NLDC/KPN has been using Janitza meters for twelve years

Fortop has been providing Dutch telecom company KPN

with Janitza meters/analysers for twelve years now, which
is crucial for the optimum availability customers expect from
the company. “Thanks to the good connections fortop has
with Janitza, the meters are fully adjusted to our specific
requirements. This means we can optimize the reliability of
our data centres,” says Ronald van Veen from NLDC.

text: Erik Driessen photo: Ben Vulkers | Vulkers Fotografie

NLDC is the new name for the company in which KPN
has placed its colocation services since this year.
In this way, the telecom company is better able to
respond to market developments. NLDC manages
six data centres and uses over twenty buildings.
“These are all equipped with fortop meters. The
same applies to the 1,400 KPN buildings,” Van Veen
says, emphasizing the close relationship between his
company and fortop/Janitza.
Availability is essential
Van Veen is technical product manager at NLDC. He
designs data centres and sets them up, including the
associated installations. He also checks if current
data centres still meet the latest requirements.
“The availability of ICT services is essential for our
customers. These services have to be available at all
times: 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Therefore,
we have to provide a sufficient supply of energy and
prevent overload. To this end, it’s essential that we
have continuous and clear insight into our complex
installations. Meters have been fitted in all consumers,
feeds and intersections. By intensive measuring we
attain high service reliability. Fortop is a vital link in the
chain.”
“IT IS ESSENTIAL WE HAVE
CONTINIOUS AND CLEAR
INSIGHT INTO OUR COMPLEX
INSTALLATIONS”
Van Veen is not only enthusiastic about the quality
products of Janitza but also about the added value
of fortop. Both companies closely collaborate to their
mutual benefit. “Fortop understands very well the
importance of availability for us and our customers.
The direct connection fortop has with Janitza comes
in very handy for us. Together we have been able to
explain clearly what we are looking for, and so the
standard products from Janitza are tailored to our
needs. Fortop has gained much knowledge, which it
can put to good use in other sectors.”
Providing the best possible solution
Van Veen likes the idea that fortop intends to be in it
for the long haul. “They don’t aim at selling as many
products as possible but rather at providing a client
with the best possible solution. They do this with a
keen eye for detail. It’s the very reason why we’ve been
each other’s key partners for twelve years.”

However, the Janitza meters do a lot more for NLDC.

“In the unlikely event that a problem is detected, we
will analyse in detail what may have caused it. In this
way, we want to prevent the problem from recurring.
This information, too, is extracted from the meters
of fortop,” Van Veen explains. The meters also yield
important business economic information. “Data
centres consume enormous amounts of energy, and
we want to handle these as efficiently as possible. In
THIS IS FORTOP
this process, the meters are indispensable. Another
important aspect is the fact that they give us the
information we need to be able to send our invoices at Complete insight into your energy quality,
the end of the month.” and the greatest safety and reliability of your
machines and installations. Aspects that are
critical for your business processes.
Van Veen is very happy about the reliability of Janitza.
Fortop is data centre specialist.
He points out that the first meters were installed
twelve years ago. “Technology will always have its www.fortop.nl | www.janitza.com
flaws: the question is not if something breaks down
but when. We are very satisfied with the life of the
meters, though. Many meters are older than ten years
and are still working smoothly – an absolute necessity
in this sector: they can’t keep breaking all the time.
Luckily, the Janitza failure rate is really very low.”
12
Driessen explains, “and we say ‘here’s
the key’ and strongly advise you to
use a good alarm system – but if
you don’t, it’s up to you. KPN offers
security measures, but if the customer
wants to work with another company,
they can implement whatever they
want into the environment.”
NL-DC does, however, cover
the necessary physical security
elements, including fences around
data centre premises, high walls,
cameras, guards on-site at all
hours of the day, and state-of-
the-art locks so that the customer
can be assured that there is no
physical threat to their data.
“NL-DC MAY
BE THE MOST
SUSTAINABLE
DATA CENTRE
PROVIDER IN
THE WORLD”
– CEES GREYN, VP Services
Partnerships
Invaluable to NL-DC’s success is,
of course, the company’s partners.
SPIE-ICS is a long-term contracting
partner, and is responsible for
building the company’s award-
winning tier IV data centre in
Eindhoven in just six months.
“That project was very successful
from a commercial point of view,
on top of winning several awards,”
Greyn explains. “People talk about
partnerships, but it’s about more
than just doing good business
together. With SPIE we have a
true partnership conducted in an
open and constructive way.”
For engineering contracting
services, NL-DC relies upon
Royal Haskoning DHV, which
expands upon the company’s
own work in a priceless way.
“We have our own technical
team which is responsible for the
infrastructure design of our data
centres, but when we need to
upgrade and build something new,
Royal Haskoning brings it to the next
level,” Greyn explains. “It’s important
ENGINEERING WORLD
CLASS DATACENTERS
Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent, international engineering consultancy
providing services for the entire living environment. Our work contributes to
the sustainable development of the communities we work in all over the world.
We believe meaningful solutions cannot be created without collaboration with
our partners, clients and other stakeholders. We enhance society together.

Proud Engineering Partner of

Contact: Martien Arts, Director - Mission Critical Facilities

T: +31 88 348 6550, M: +31 6 51846333, E: martien.arts@rhdhv.com

royalhaskoningdhv.com/datacenters
to have partners which add value
to the ideas you already have.
“Hamer is a mechanical contractor
which worked together with SPIE on
the Eindhoven project – specifically
for the mechanical part – and they
also work on other data centres in
NL-DC,” he continues, “and ForTop
Automation & Energy Control supplies
us with a measurement system for the
electricity used in the data centres.
We measure all the variables and
see where we can adjust settings,
and can see our customers’ energy
usage, meaning they only pay for
the energy they actually use. This
is a really detailed and efficient
system that ForTop supplies.”
Being green
Now to the most impressive element of
NL-DC – its sustainability credentials,
the innovation for which has all
been developed in-house by the
company’s technical team. In 2015,
the company was honoured with
two awards for its tier IV data centre,
which boasts the unique function of
using all of its generated heat rather
than wasting it. It is used locally to
50+
The current number
of NL-DC employees
heat offices in Eindhoven (on the
High Tech Campus), and while this
is already remarkable, the company
is planning to expand on this idea.
Jeroen Vollmuller, VP Operations, is
working with the Aalsmeer community
towards using this same technology
in the heating of the mayor’s office,
a local swimming pool, a school,
and several commercial buildings.
As with the offices which are
benefitting from NL-DC’s waste heat,
this involves NL-DC building a system
in an existing environment, which
simplifies the process. “It’s a very
interesting project and gets attention
from other municipalities,” Driessen
says. “This is a data centre creating –
together with all the mentioned parties
– a system in which a heat exchange
is placed in an existing environment.”
“As far as we know, it’s the first
w w w. n l - d c . c o m 15
 ‘People talk about partnerships’
– SPIE is your partner.

The ambition of SPIE is to be the European multi

technical service provider for data center owners with
regard to design, construction and maintenance.

OUR VALUE ADDING SERVICES:

• Industrial approach for designs, construction & smart maintenance. Using a
standardized and smart method so we can serve the national and international
companies uniformly.
• CSR – HSE Q as part of our daily work we embrace the care of the environment,
the safety of your and our people. Therefore we are known with the latest and
most efficient techniques which we use to achieve these goals.
• Support provider role we are able to offer our smart hands & eyes on the largest
internet hub’s in Europe. With this service we have a focus on data center owners,
cloud providers, managed hosting providers, system integrators, enterprise,
broadcast and telecom companies with a need for “On-site Support”.

SPIE, sharing a vision for the future

Address: Huifakkerstraat 15, NL-4815 PN Breda, Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)76 544 54 44
www.spie-nl.com/ (Netherlands only)
www.spie.com/en (SPIE Group)
 28,000M2 / 22.5MW
NL-DC current capacity of 28,000 m2
and 22.5 MW offers customers attractive
options for rapid deployment
time it’s ever been done,” adds
Vollmuller. “Everybody talks about
it, but nobody has done it. We are
preparing it at the moment and
we hope we can start delivering it
at the beginning of next year.”
More amazing still is the work
NL-DC has done to achieve the
prestigious DatacenterDynamics
Sustainable Data Centre Award in
2016. An award that was offered last
year for the first time ever, NL-DC
was honoured to receive it, and it
stands as a physical representation
of the incredible innovation required
to achieve the technology it won for.
“What did we do?” Driessen begins:
“Data centres have to be very reliable
sources of energy for computer
systems. If the power grid fails,
diesel engines take over to ensure
the customer experience has no
downtime – something that we offer
as a guarantee. The diesel engines
have to go from zero to full power in a
couple of seconds to ensure that, but
you can’t do that with a cold engine.
If you tried to do that with your car
w w w. n l - d c . c o m 17
 NL-DC has also
been 100 percent
CO2 neutral since
2011, because it only
uses a combination
of wind energy from
the North Sea, and
biomass energy
from the Golden
Raand powerplant
in the north of the
Netherlands

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w w w. n l - d c . c o m 19
99.999999%
NL-DC innovations in data center
design help to maintain an uptime
track record of 99.99999%

every time, you wouldn’t get more than 10,000km out

of your engine, so what you have to do is pre-heat them
– like what happens with fire engines and ambulances
– meaning you can go full throttle immediately.
“The heating of those engines is typically done by
electrical systems which use nine kilowatts each. In
Aalsmeer, we have 14 of those machines in a row, all
needing to be pre-heated. That takes a lot of power,
so our invention came from the knowledge that we

20
need to heat the engines and that we
create heat as a waste product. So we
created a heat exchange, and figured
out we could set the temperature as
low as 45 degrees Celsius, which
is 15 degrees cooler than the norm.
That’s why we won the DCD award.
Again, it’s something that had been
talked about but nobody had done
it. How did it feel to win? Brilliant!
Because our peers recognise what
we do as being quite special, and
something that might have a big
impact on data centres worldwide.”
“Heating the machines uses
the same amount of energy as
approximately 300 households,”
Greyn adds, “which is a huge amount,
but it can be prevented. It’s good for
the environment, good for our children,
and for the preservation of the future.”
“Plus the lifespan of this technology
is between 16 and 20 years,”
says Vollmuller. “The return on
investment is around 24 months, so
the finance guys are also happy.”
NL-DC has also been 100 percent
CO2 neutral since 2011, because
it only uses a combination of wind
energy from the North Sea, and
biomass energy from the Golden
Raand powerplant in the north of
the Netherlands. They are both local
powerplants, so the energy does not
have to travel far, and this is what
is called ‘dark green energy’. Of
course, none of these achievements
are enough for NL-DC, and the
company is still striving to be better.
“We want to take everything a step
further,” says Driessen, “because
a maximum of 10 percent of the
total energy available used in the
Netherlands is green. Our aim is to
try and cut back on the use of energy
as much as possible and have as
little impact on the limited available
green energy as possible all the while
maintaining the high quality service
we supply our customers with.”
While the company still considers
itself to have a lot of work to do,
Greyn proudly concludes: “NL-DC
may be the most sustainable data
centre provider in the world.”
w w w. n l - d c . c o m 21
Fokkerweg 300, gebouw 59
Oude Meer, Netherlands
1438 AN Oude Meer
+31-20-6058888
info@nl-dc.com
www.nl-dc.com