It is not everyday you have the opportunity of touring data centres due to the sensitivities of the environments.
Recently, I had the such opportunity to visit 21st Century Technologies Limited’s Lagos ‘DigitalHub Campus’ which houses the Tier IV certified Data Centre, Digital Expert Training Academy, Konet studios, America Corner, amongst others.
The chairman, Mr. Wale Ajisebutu, took me round the campus, which is a carefully designed centre– the type you see in places like Silicon Valley and Dubai Smart City.
This is a data centre with dedicated turbine, the first in Nigeria and arguably ranks high in Africa.
The DigitalHub Campus is also powered by a solar farm, also known as a photovoltaic power station, solar park, or solar power plant, which is a large-scale array of on-the-roof-mounted solar panels that use photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity.
In the last 25+ years of operations, Mr. Ajisebutu has led 21st Century Technologies to providing support to 1,000+ Businesses leading to 45 million+ Satisfied Customers along 100+ Mega Projects Completed.
The company recently installed a regional network gateway in Nigeria to support direct connectivity to major Data Centres around the globe in partnership with PCCW.
This even ensured that its customers like banks were running smoothly in the face of the recent undersea cable damages.
21st Century Technologies plans to launch three Hyperscalers Data Centres in Lagos and Five other Edge Data Centres.
In an era defined by digital transformation and unprecedented technological advancements, the role of data centres has become increasingly glaring, supporting a vast array of critical applications, services, and operations.
Among these, Tier IV data centres stand out as the epitome of reliability, resilience, and performance.
The recent launch of 21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre represents a monumental step towards redefining the standards of data infrastructure.
In this article, we shall delve into the innovative features and capabilities of this cutting-edge facility.
Tier IV Data Centres: Redefining Reliability and Performance
Let’s delve into the world of Tier IV data centres and explore their significance in today’s digital landscape.
Understanding Tier IV Classification
Tier IV data centres are characterized by their exceptional levels of redundancy, fault tolerance, and uptime. The Tier Classification System, developed by the Uptime Institute, categorizes data centers into four tiers based on their infrastructure design and operational capabilities.
Tier IV represents the highest tier, offering the most stringent standards for availability and reliability.
Key Features and Benefits of Tier IV Data Centres
1. Redundancy: Tier IV data centres feature N+2 (or greater) redundancy for all critical components, including power, cooling, networking, and storage.
This redundancy ensures that no single point of failure can disrupt operations, maximizing uptime and reliability.
2. Fault Tolerance: With dual-powered systems and multiple active distribution paths, these critical data infrastructures are designed to withstand equipment failures, maintenance activities, and unexpected events without impacting performance or availability.
3. High Availability: Tier IV data centres guarantee 99.995% uptime or higher, translating to minimal downtime and uninterrupted access to services and applications.
This high level of availability is crucial for mission-critical operations and businesses that demand continuous uptime.
4. Scalability: Tier IV data centres are scalable and flexible, allowing organizations to expand their infrastructure seamlessly as their needs evolve.
Whether it’s adding new servers, storage capacity, or networking resources, Tier IV facilities can accommodate growth without compromising performance or reliability.
5. Security and Compliance: Tier IV data centres adhere to strict security protocols, including physical security measures, access controls, surveillance systems, and compliance with industry regulations (such as GDPR, HIPAA, etc.). This ensures the protection of sensitive data and compliance with legal requirements.
21st Century Technologies Setting a New Standard in Reliability
21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre sets a new benchmark for reliability by incorporating redundant systems and fault-tolerant designs.
With N+2 redundancy (…refers to the next step up, and it consists of the resources needed for the system functionality plus two separate backups) across critical components such as power, cooling, networking, and storage, this data center ensures uninterrupted operations and minimal downtime.
By eliminating single points of failure, it guarantees unparalleled reliability, making it ideal for mission-critical applications and services.
21st Century Technologies Limited, a mission-critical digital infrastructure and technology platform, is positioned to become the biggest provider of data centre capacity in West Africa with a total capacity of 75.5 megawatts across Nigeria’s capital, Lagos.
From Techeconomy’s study of the company’s investment pursuit, Wale Ajisebutu, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and CEO of 21st Century Technologies, has taken steps to build three Hyperscalers Data Centres; and 1.5MW from five edge centres producing 300kW each.
These data centre operations span three key sites: Apapa with 12MW, Lekki with 12MW, and Ikeja with 50MW — a site that is still under construction.
![The Apapa data centre campus [in view]](https://techeconomy.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-Apapa-data-centre-campus-in-view.jpg)
“With young people and an abundance of resources, Nigeria is home to huge opportunities,” Ajisebutu explains. “We sleep on gold in this part of the world. That’s the way I see it. “In fact, one in every five people in Africa is from Nigeria, so the only enablement. We are already on this journey and no backing out.
![21st Century technologies Ikeja Data Centre [under construction]](https://techeconomy.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/21st-Century-technologies-Ikeja-Data-Centre-under-contruction.jpg)
Capitoline Certified
21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre has already been certified by Capitoline. The Capitoline Certificate of Conformance for Constructed Facilities is a certification program developed by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) to assess and recognize excellence in facility management practices.
The certification focuses on ensuring that constructed facilities meet industry standards and adhere to best practices in facility management.
Why Capitoline Certificate of Conformance Matters:
The certification evaluates whether a constructed facility complies with relevant industry standards, regulations, and codes.
This includes building codes, safety standards, environmental regulations, and accessibility requirements.
It assesses the quality management systems in place for facility operations and maintenance.
This includes processes for maintenance scheduling, equipment inspections, emergency response procedures, and quality assurance measures.
The Capitoline Certificate of Conformance considers the facility’s sustainability practices, energy efficiency initiatives, waste management strategies, and environmental impact mitigation efforts.
This includes assessing green building certifications like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
The program evaluates health and safety protocols within the facility, including risk assessments, safety training programs, emergency preparedness plans, and occupational health practices to ensure a safe working environment.
The Capitoline Certificate of Conformance looks at how well assets within the facility are managed, including inventory management, asset tracking systems, lifecycle management of equipment and infrastructure, and maintenance optimization strategies.
The certification may involve performance measurement and benchmarking to assess key performance indicators (KPIs) related to facility management, such as uptime, maintenance costs, occupant satisfaction, and overall operational efficiency.
Overall, the Capitoline Certificate of Conformance for Constructed Facilities is designed to validate that a facility meets established standards of excellence in facility management across various domains, promoting sustainability, safety, efficiency, and overall quality of operations.
And as at the time of writing this report, 21st Century Technologies is the only Tier IV data centre facility in Nigeria with the Capitoline certification.
Working with the Best Infrastructure Providers
Ajisebutu has a taste for quality. The soft-spoken entrepreneur is working with the world renewed infrastructure providers like Siemens Energy and Schneider Electric.
For instance, Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world.
With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire 21st Century Technologies energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage.
The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers.
On the other hand, 21st Century is backed Schneider Electric data centre solutions. Through its EcoStuxure IT Data Center Expert, Schneider Electric providers the Nigerian infrastructure powerhouse with a comprehensive centralized monitoring solution, cooling, security, and environment.
It offers reports, graphs, instant fault notification, and escalation to swiftly resolve events and ensure the availability of critical infrastructure.
Resilience and Uptime
The Tier IV classification mandates 99.995% uptime or higher, and 21st Century Technologies’ Data Centre exceeds these standards with its robust infrastructure and proactive maintenance protocols.
With a dedicated turbine (the only data centre in Nigeria to boast of this power output) dual-powered systems, multiple active distribution paths, and advanced monitoring tools ensure continuous availability, even during maintenance activities or unforeseen events.
This level of resilience ensures business continuity and operational excellence for enterprises across industries.
Scalability and Flexibility for Future Growth
As businesses evolve and expand their digital footprint, scalability and flexibility become paramount.
21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre is designed to scale seamlessly, accommodating growing demands without compromising performance or reliability.
Modular designs, virtualization technologies, and cloud integration options enable organizations to optimize resource utilization and adapt to changing business needs effectively.
Enhanced Security and Compliance Measures
Security is a top priority in today’s interconnected world, and the Tier IV Data Centre prioritizes robust security measures to protect sensitive data and mitigate risks.
Physical security controls, access restrictions, surveillance systems, and compliance with industry regulations ensure a secure environment for data storage and processing.
This focus on security and compliance instills trust and confidence among customers and stakeholders.
Supporting Next-Generation Technologies
21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre serves as a platform for innovation, enabling the adoption of next-generation technologies such as edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain.
By providing low-latency connectivity, high-performance computing capabilities, and secure infrastructure, the data centre empowers businesses to leverage emerging technologies and drive digital transformation initiatives.
Commitment to Sustainability and Green Practices
In alignment with global sustainability goals, 21st Century Technologies’ Tier IV Data Centre embraces green practices and energy-efficient solutions.
From optimized cooling systems to renewable energy sources and eco-friendly infrastructure designs, the data centre minimizes its environmental footprint while delivering superior performance and reliability.
Shaping the Future of Data Infrastructure
The 21st Century Technologies’ Data Centre represents a paradigm shift in African data infrastructure, combining reliability, resilience, scalability, and security to meet the evolving needs of the digital age.
By providing a robust foundation for innovation, growth, and sustainability, this state-of-the-art facility is poised to shape the future of data management, empower businesses to thrive in a competitive landscape, and drive technological advancements that benefit society as a whole.
The 21st Century Technologies Digital Hub is a model you can see in places like the Silicon Valley and Dubai Digital Park. We shall tell you more about the hub in our subsequent editions.
EXTRA:
I Decided to go Into Telecoms by Chance – Wale Ajisebutu, 21st Century Technologies CEO
