University of Pisa leans on PANDUIT for

High Density Data Centre Solution

University of Pisa
Background:
Officially founded in 1343, the University of Pisa’s roots date back to the 11th
www.serra.unipi.it century, making it one of the oldest teaching establishments in the world.
Today the University comprises 11 faculties such as medicine, engineering
and physics and is ranked as one of the leading and most prestigious
educational institutions in Italy.

The University data centre is run by a division of the University, Ser.R.A. who
Location: manage and maintain the entire network infrastructure and all network
Pisa, Italy services within the campus. The same data centre also services the
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) for all local government bodies such as
security and operational services. Additionally the data centre is one of the
Vertical Market: main points of GARR, the Network for Italian Academic and Research, to
which all Universities are interconnected at 10Gbit/sec.
Education
When instructed to relocate and rebuild their entire data centre and fibre
distribution frame in another building, Ser.R.A. called upon PANDUIT ’s
Application: expertise in network cabling infrastructure to ensure a seamless migration.

Data Centre Criteria for Selection:

Today’s top academic institutions all require proven network reliability for their
students to minimise service interruptions and ensure long-term performance
stability. For Ser.R.A. high performance is critical. Each building is linked via
fibre and voice applications are run over IP to support the bandwidth
intensive applications utilised by the University, MAN and GARR.

The principal challenge that Ser.R.A. faced however was relocating the data
centre to the confined narrow spaces of a 17th century building. To overcome
the space constraints, Ser.R.A. sought a compact and high density solution
that also offered easy access to racks and enclosures to keep future
downtime to a minimum.

As the University installs all connections themselves, they requested modular

components that would be simple and easy to install for a faster deployment.
Why PANDUIT?:
It was their unique high density solution that made PANDUIT Ser.R.A.’s
World Leading Technology
preferred provider for their network connectivity infrastructure. With World-Class Service
PANDUIT, Ser.R.A were able to install more ports and connections into
a limited space, than with any other manufacturer. According to Paolo
Caturegli at Ser.R.A.; “the creation of the new data centre, designed to
deliver multifunctional services, allowed the University of Pisa to simplify
storage of their network equipment and make significant cost savings. The
decision to work with PANDUIT was based on the following factors:
quality and broad range of products, integration between copper and fibre
optic drawers, easy mounting and assembling procedures, fewer number of

Enterprise – Commercial
copper and fibre connectors needed and the complete pre- and post-sale 
Enterprise – Institutional
support from local and European technical support teams.”

Service Provider
The PANDUIT Solution: 
Original Equipment
The end solution comprised of 3000 fibre and 1500 CAT 6 copper
Manufacturer
connections, PATCHRUNNER™ Vertical Cable Management Rack System, angled
patch panels and fibre drawers, all of which were linked with FIBERRUNNER™ 
Electrical Construction &
routing channels. Maintenance
Reliability, performance, compaction and ease of
installation were key considerations for SER.R.A when
building their new data centre. PANDUIT focused on these WORLDWIDE SUBSIDIARIES AND SALES OFFICES
critical factors to deliver a leading-edge and high density
PANDUIT CANADA
cabling infrastructure. Markham, Ontario
Phone: 800.777.3300
-Reliability & Performance: PANDUIT products are
engineered to deliver maximum performance: the angled PANDUIT EUROPE LTD.
London, UK
patch panels used in the installation promote optimal bend Phone: +44 (0)20 8601 7200
radius of each cable as they are routed directly into
PANDUIT ASIA PACIFIC PTE. LTD.
PATCHRUNNER. Furthermore, the FIBERRUNNER System, which Republic of Singapore
segregates, routes and protects overhead fibre optic and Phone: 65.6379.6700
copper cabling, features integral 2” bend radius control at
PANDUIT JAPAN
every junction, to prevent excessive bends and resulting Tokyo, Japan
signal degradation. Phone: 81.3.3767.7011

PANDUIT LATIN AMERICA

-Compaction: High density products enable more Jalisco, Mexico
connections to be placed into a smaller area for greater Phone: 52.333.666.2501
space savings. PATCHRUNNER was installed at the University
PANDUIT AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD.
as it manages high-density network applications in up to Victoria, Australia
36% less width and 23% less floor space than conventional Phone: 61.3.9794.9020

cable management systems, by eliminating the need for

horizontal cable managers and employing angled patch
panels and vertical managers. For a copy of PANDUIT product warranties,
log on to www.panduit.com/warranty
Installing in such a historic building called on PANDUIT’s
creative design skills. Without raised floors and surface For more information contact PANDUIT :
raceway to conceal cable at their disposal, PANDUIT +44 (0)20 8601 7200
recommended FIBERRUNNER, an innovative overhead fibre cs-emea@panduit.com
cabling routing system with an aesthetically pleasing www.panduit.com/emea
finish, to make optimum use of space.

-Ease of installation: PATCHRUNNER reduces the number of

system components that need to be ordered, unpacked To contact SER.R.A:
and installed by up to 46% and reduces the time taken to web: www.serra.unipi.it
configure switch ports to facilitate installation. This was e-mail: info@serra.unipi.it
key to Ser.R.A., as a fast deployment was an essential
requirement of the project. Innovative QUIKLOCK™
couplers and brackets make FIBERRUNNER fast and easy to
install: a mechanically secure connection is completed in Copyright ©PANDUIT ® Corp.
under 5 seconds and without the need for tools. Both All rights reserved.
solutions also enable easy access to modules and cable
for future moves, adds and changes which will serve to
reduce system downtime for the University.