The adage “knowledge is power” could not be more applicable when it comes to the collection and utilisation of data. And at the heart of it all lies the data centre.

Today most businesses and users depend on data centres in some capacity, with critical services like healthcare relying on them even more heavily. For example, many hospitals have vital electronic health records running in the background – information that resides in data centres.

However, there are also several considerations when designing data centres in healthcare. For one thing, hospitals operate within stringent legislation when it comes to the protection of patient information.

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To add an extra layer of complexity, in South Africa data centres should feature built-in continuous uptime and energy backup due to the country’s unstable power supply. Hospitals must therefore be designed to be autonomous from the grid, especially when they provide emergency and critical care.

Design considerations

Typically, data centres are classified in tiers, with the Uptime Institute stating that a tier-4 data centre should provide 99.995% availability, annual downtime of 0.4 hours, full redundancy and power outage protection of 96 hours at a time.

In healthcare, when one considers human lives, downtime is simply not an option. And while certain healthcare systems and their resultant availability are comparable to a typical tier-3 or tier-4 scenario, critical systems in hospitals carry a higher design consideration and must run 24/7, with immediate availability.

As part of critical hospital infrastructure, data centres must incorporate backup energy solutions such as generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and renewables. This is where Schneider Electric’s new Galaxy VXL UPS plays a crucial role.

The Galaxy VXL is a compact, modular 500-1 250kW (400V), three-phase UPS, designed to maximise uptime, efficiency and scalability in mission-critical environments such as healthcare.

Its high-density design and lithium-ion compatibility provide hospitals with greater energy flexibility, reducing dependence on traditional capital-heavy investments. Additionally, its modular architecture ensures seamless scalability, allowing healthcare facilities to adapt power needs in real time while supporting emergency operations without disruption.

Smart infrastructure for smarter hospitals

Hospital data centres must also integrate building management systems to maintain temperature control, air quality and humidity, all crucial for patient comfort and safety.

Paired with Schneider Electric’s UPS solutions, hospitals can enhance their operational efficiency, ensuring the seamless operation of IT systems, life-saving equipment and emergency response infrastructure.

Additionally, like most organisations, storage volume (and type) and cloud systems will also vary from hospital to hospital. To this end, data centre design for hospitals is anything but cookie-cutter in approach; teams need to work closely with the hospital while meeting industry standards for healthcare.

When designing healthcare facilities system infrastructure, the following should also be considered:

Software like a building management system (BMS) is not just about building efficiency but also offer benefits such as monitoring and adjusting indoor conditions like temperature control, humidity and air quality. The BMS contributes to health and safety and critical operations in hospitals whilst also enabling patient comfort.
Both building and systems maintenance transcend operational necessity and become a matter of life or death.
Generators are essential when delivering continuous power, which means enough fuel must be stored to run it. Here hospitals must store fuel safely and in compliance with stringent regulations. In South Africa, proactively managing the refuelling timelines is also critical. The response times of refuelling fuel bunkers can be severely hindered by issues such as traffic congestion as a result of outages and lights not working.

Selecting the right equipment for hospitals is therefore a delicate balance between technological advancement and safety. For instance, while lithium batteries offer many benefits, when used in hospitals it is paramount that it is also stored in a dry, cool and safe location.

Here, implementing an extinguishing system is a must to alleviate any potential damage from fire or explosions. That said, lithium batteries are generally considered safe to use – but it’s important to be aware of its potential safety hazards.

Ultimately, hospitals carry the added weight of looking after human lives, which means the design of critical systems requires meticulously planning and execution.

Unlock resilient digital health. Read the expert analysis from Schneider Electric.

The author, Ben Selier, is vice president: Secure Power, Anglophone Africa, Schneider Electric
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