Global demand for data centre security and safety solutions is rapidly on the rise (Gartner, 2015 CIO Survey and Forrester, Sizing the cloud security market).Minkels also recognises this trend.
“Under the influence of the cloud, there is a growing focus on data centre security solutions,” says Bas Jacobs, Product Manager at Minkels. “Demand for data centre security and safety solutions is amplified by an increased focus on security topics within the European EN 50600 data centre standard.”
The initial customer demand which led to the introduction of the Drop Away Panels, originated in the United Kingdom. Some Minkels customers in the UK, where Minkels has one of its European sales offices located, need roof assemblies like the Drop Away Panels to meet 'FM Global' insurance requirements. According to Minkels, Drop Away Panels do significantly enhance fire safety within data centre environments while ensuring energy efficiency requirements.
Drop Away Panels are specifically designed roof panels for aisle containment solutions (
Free Standing Cold Corridor and
Next Generation Cold Corridor, also retrofit applicable). Drop Away Panels make it possible to use these corridors in combination with water fire extinguishing systems with sprinklers. When temperature gets above 65 degrees, the plastic frames of the Drop Away Panels automatically soften and the lightweight panels will drop down to make way for the water sprinklers or water mist systems. This solution is now available globally.