Rittal and ABB ensure IT efficiency at expanded Croatian airport

Croatia has become a popular destination and passenger traffic at Dubrovnik Airport is constantly increasing. In the context of the airport’s expansion, in 2016 Rittal took on the task of general contractor to build a new data centre that has been fully operational since 2018. This means that the airport operator continues to be able to offer passengers the greatest possible comfort in and around the check-in, using rapid IT systems. Croatia’s largest airport terminal is to be completed at Dubrovnik as early as 2019 and with an annual capacity of around 3.5 million passengers.

“More and more people are visiting Croatia and entering the country through our airport,” says Tomislav Macan, Maintenance and Development Manager at Dubrovnik Airport. “That's why we have expanded the airport and have installed a new data centre. This was achieved very efficiently and professionally with the aid of the services provided by Rittal and partners,” Macan continued.

High availability for the IT systems was a top priority when designing the new data centre. After all, a breakdown can bring the airport operations to a standstill. Consequently, the central components of the IT infrastructure designed as redundant, so that if there is a defect, the replacement systems can take over immediately. Project partner ABB protects the power supply with a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system.

“Within a critical infrastructure, the energy supply is a sensitive issue, and a failure of the IT would make operation in the terminal difficult straight away. The solution from Rittal and ABB ensures that the airport operator has security; the IT systems can operate even in the event of power fluctuations or brief power outages,” says Kevin Bickerstaffe, Global Sales Manager, ABB.

“With the current project in Croatia, we have proven once again that we have an international and efficient organisation. Along with global partners such as ABB and regional service providers, we are thus in a position to implement challenging IT projects ranging from planning to operation,” says Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President Business Unit IT, Rittal.

Extensive monitoring ensures ongoing operation

The Rittal CMC III monitoring solution oversees the infrastructure in the data centre, enabling IT experts to quickly recognise any deviations from regular operation and so respond before the system comes to a complete halt. The monitoring solution is connected to the building's central monitoring system, so that the operators of the IT can see the status of the entire system at a glance.

Besides this, Rittal TS IT racks are used in the data centre; this supports the fast and efficient set-up of the IT infrastructure as all the components are standardised. The IT racks are installed in a security room specially developed by Rittal, which offers maximum physical protection against external access or fire. Access control ensures that only authorised persons can enter, while an early fire detection system issues a prompt warning in the event of a dangerous fire developing.