Eastern Europe
Shielded Modular Data Center (EMP/IEMI Protection)
Fully shielded modular enclosure with verified Faraday-grade protection, EMP-rated SPDs, and concurrent-maintainable power/cooling for sensitive workloads.
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Context
In 2017, an international security mission operating in Ukraine needed a reliable IT backbone to support time‑boxed operations. Leadership required high availability and concurrent maintainability but expected to remain in‑country only 3–5 years – making building renovations or permanent plant economically unsound.
At a glance
Customer
Government organization (anonymized), Eastern Europe
Time‑to‑deploy
Factory build plus site commissioning within months
IT capacity
Not disclosed (confidential); architecture supports high-density edge inference where needed (≥40 kW/rack)
Use case
Privacy-critical on-prem compute protected against electromagnetic interference and intentional high-power pulses
Outcome
Fully shielded modular data center (Faraday-grade enclosure), verified shielding effectiveness; high availability designed to meet Tier III principles; integrated SPDs, fire suppression, and monitored access
Transport & siting
Factory-assembled, instrument-verified shielding; outdoor installation; relocatable
Challenges
— Temporary footprint
Infrastructure had to be non‑permanent and redeployable.
— Regulatory constraints
Transport had to comply with road regulations.
— Urban deployment
Installation site was adjacent to rented office space in a dense city environment.
— Business continuity
Mission‑critical IT workloads demanded concurrent‑maintainable power/cooling, fire suppression, and access control.
Solution
ModulEdge delivered a Type S modular data center as a cluster of ISO‑standard modules. Each unit stayed within 2,438 mm (8‑ft) ISO width, enabling standard road transport.
The cluster was placed beside the rented office to minimize latency, integrate with the existing security perimeter, and simplify facilities access.
Key features
— IT capacity
Up to 40 kW across four racks (3× 42U 600 mm server + 1× 42U 800 mm telecom rack).
— Power
Modular UPS with ~10‑minute battery autonomy; 2N power distribution for concurrent maintainability.
— Operations & monitoring
Integrated alarms and environmental monitoring for remote oversight by the mission IT team.
— Safety & security
Automatic clean‑agent fire suppression; CCTV and role‑based access control integrated with the mission’s security stack.
— Deployability
Modules designed and documented for disassembly, road transport, and re‑installation in a new host country at mission end.
— Options
EMP shielding available on request; alternative cooling configurations (e.g., indirect free cooling) for suitable climates and PUE targets.
— Site flexibility
Can be installed on unprepared sites; compatible with protective measures (e.g., Hesco barriers, below‑grade placements) where security policy requires.
— Cooling (deployed)
In‑row DX air conditioning with humidity control; hot/cold aisle separation; detachable corridor module preserves ergonomic clearance (≥1.2 m front, ≥0.9 m rear).
Custom engineering
Dock‑on corridor module
The cold‑aisle walkway ships detached to keep each unit within the ISO road‑legal 2,438 mm width. On site, it docks to the IT module to provide full hot/cold containment and ergonomic clearances, while preserving standard‑cargo logistics during transport.
MEP quick‑connects
Pre‑engineered mechanical/electrical couplers enable safe, fast mating/demating of the corridor without field fabrication.
Urban logistics ready
The split design and custom sizes reduces permit/escort requirements and allows navigation through dense city streets and under standard overpasses – supporting low‑visibility redeployments.
IP/know‑how
The docking‑corridor approach is patented, reflecting long‑running local engineering for constrained‑route transport.
Results
Lifecycle flexibility
At mission close, MDCs were dismantled and redeployed, preserving donor investment.
Capital efficiency
Avoided sunk CAPEX in leased building infrastructure; MDC remains a reusable asset.
Operational assurance
Resilience designed to meet Tier 3 principles for security, communications, and logistics workloads.
Specs snapshot
Form factor
ISO‑standard modular cluster (Type S)
Racks
3× 42U 600 mm + 1× 42U 800 mm
up to 120 kW IT
IT load
up to 40 kW total (this project)
Cooling
in‑row DX with containment; humidity control
Power path
2N distribution; UPS autonomy ~10 minutes
Safety
clean‑agent fire suppression;
monitoring & alarms
Security
CCTV, access control, audit logging
Business value and fit
Value
Reusable asset that avoids stranded CAPEX; option sets for energy efficiency (where climate permits) to improve PUE while meeting resilience targets.
Ideal for
Leased or short‑term sites; urban deployments with road‑permit sensitivity; missions needing concurrent‑maintainable capacity and a clear exit plan.
Partner lens
ISO width simplifies staging/warehousing/last‑mile; documentation and clean handover artifacts enable fast enablement and first‑line support; scope is bundle‑ready with upstream IT and security stacks.
Not ideal for
Long‑term campuses planning high‑density AI training clusters (120–150 kW/rack) or very large estates where traditional data halls are more economical.