Case Studies > Islington Council Protects Pension Data with Behind-the-Scenes Technology

Those alerts are issued via email, pager, or phone. Sensors are available to monitor temperature, humidity, water on the floor, doors and video cameras, as well as motion, smoke and fire detectors. An interface is also available to allow users to connect to and monitor any dry contact device or any 4-20mA device.

Islington Borough Council in London is spread out across several different buildings. Within those buildings, staff and equipment work to support and back up sensitive works and pension data. Not surprisingly, the space and the technology are expensive to run and maintain, and even more expensive to replace. These facilities include a fully equipped datacenter comprising numerous storage and back up systems. The datacenter is supported by switches, environmental monitoring tools, tape back up and archiving systems.

It is critical that the temperature in each gear room remains cool and free from flooding. 2 years ago the floors above the datacenter experienced some incidents of flooding. Staff members scrambled to address the problem before any equipment was damaged from prolonged exposure to water. With that experience fresh in his mind, Jonathon Beacham, Network Engineer at Islington Borough Council, researched a range of solutions. He learned that a remote environmental monitoring system with autodialing capabilities would be an uncomplicated but significant step toward safeguarding the equipment.

Jonathon contacted DSI and learned about the IMS-4000 Infrastructure Monitoring System. The IMS-4000 has built-in monitoring for power failure and the sound of smoke detectors, plus the ability to detect eight additional conditions from external sensors. The input interface is designed to work with Sensaphone's specific external sensors, which allows for automatic sensor detection and supervision. When potentially dangerous conditions are detected, the IMS-4000 alerts engineers who can take the necessary steps to prevent lost network functionality.

The system also comes with an internal data logging function that accumulates timebased snap shots as well as event driven data. The data history can be viewed using the built-in web interface, or through the Windows™-based PC software delivered with the product. The system works with a dial-up line, and comes with built-in voice, data, and modem with a standard RJ-11 phone connection, in addition to the 10/100 Ethernet interface. It is also supplied with an internal UPS battery backup robust enough to continue its monitoring functions for several hours after the power is lost.

The decision to install the IMS-4000 has paid dividends for Islington Borough Council. In one significant incident, the system sounded an alarm at 2 a.m. It automatically contacted the technical staff and dispatched the appropriate engineer to respond. The system had detected water in the Datacenter housing complex and expensive back up and archiving equipment considered vital to the Councils day-to-day business. Had that situation gone undetected, Islington said, it would have likely resulted in several hundred thousands of pounds in repair and replacement costs. The implementation of the IMS-4000 system has been so successful that Islington is considering expanding its use to other areas of the Council.