Italy has moved to a policy of widespread quarantines, as one of the countries suffering most from the Coronavirus. These widespread quarantines are affecting many sectors, and data centers in Italy are also affected negatively. Work in Italy has taken on another form. In the data center world, this causes a small increase in consumption and bandwidth.
Only going from home to work
One of the country’s largest data center operators is SuperNAP Italia in Milan. The €300 million ($314m) data center that has some around 42,000 sq m (452,000 sq ft) of white space in four data halls is run by SuperNAP International.
Alison Gutman, communication manager at SuperNAP Italia, talked about their fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. She said that the data centers have to operate during the crisis because they are providing business continuity and keeping cities online. SuperNAP Italia’s employees don’t need to be at the data center are working remotely since the end of February.
Alison Gutman said:
“With our essential operations staff still being on-site to continue guarenteeing 100% uptime. For the few staff that must travel to work, several steps have been taken, including ample access to antibacterial gel, and a daily deep clean of surfaces and all of the equipment. The staff is maintaining the safety distance between them while they’re working. They’re only going from home to work.”
The staff who has to come to the office has a supporting letter explaining that they need to go to the data centers because they are providing a public utility. These supporting letters were confirmed by the Minister of Economic Development and AGCOM (agency for the communication).
A power system composed of three independents
In case of a total loss of power, the company has a power system composed of three independent, color-coded power sources. In addition to this, the company has contracts with diesel suppliers to arrive within 6 hours to top up fuel and continue to do so if necessary.
Helpful Links about Coronavirus (COVID-19):
WHO Coronavirus Disease
WHO Advice for Public
Coronavirus Tips (Do the Five)
Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (Map)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Map
Discord Global Channel