Public School System Relies on CPI to Meet High Demands of Technology-Driven Generation

Chatsworth Products (CPI) provides solutions for every type of business and industry, including school systems. Many public schools across the US use our IT infrastructure support products to store and protect equipment essential to the everyday tasks of both staff and students.

Tennessee’s Oak Ridge City Schools are pushing the technology envelope not only by providing computer resources expected by today’s technology-driven generation, but also by providing every student a Microsoft Surface tablet.

This endeavor compelled the district’s technology department to create an infrastructure capable of handling all of the critical systems used to operate not only these devices, but other forms of communications and data storage. Various telecommunications closets that were scattered in several sites were consolidated into one new, dedicated and reliable data center that is planned to serve well until 2022.

CPI worked with the district to determine the right solution to fit their needs. The school district was very conscious of high heat generated by computer equipment and the strain it can put on the school’s budget, so the F-Series TeraFrame Cabinet System with Vertical Exhaust Ducts was selected to take advantage of CPI’s Passive Cooling^® Solutions.

Additionally, to withstand the heat loads of this high-density environment, which included high-tech fiber cabling throughout, Oak Ridge Schools needed a reliable power distribution unit (PDU) with remote monitoring capabilities.

The district selected CPI’s Monitored eConnect^® PDUs, to monitor and measure voltage, current, power and power factor in each cabinet. eConnect PDUs were designed to withstand high heat loads of any hot aisle environment, with an ambient temperature rating of 149°F (65°C). This way, if power requirements for equipment go up, the eConnect PDUs will be able to withstand the high temperatures within the cabinets.

Many CPI customers, such as Oak Ridge, enjoy the complete solution CPI offers. “It’s nice to have a single-vendor solution, so we don’t have to worry about someone else’s PDU fitting and the compatibility with the cabinet. It’s a good package to go along with the cabinet,” stated Robert Carneim, PhD, Supervisor of Instructional Technology at Oak Ridge Schools.

Now with a solid and redundant data center in place, Oak Ridge Schools are technologically prepared to attempt becoming top in the nation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

To learn more about Oak Ridge Schools and this successful project, read the full case study.

Kim Ream, Marketing Project Manager