Cannon T4 to Lease Prefab Modular Data Centers

Offering customers a temporary solution to immediate data center capacity needs, Cannon T4 announced a leasing service for its modular data centers.

The UK company is offering its 6-meter and 12-meter Globe Trotter data center containers for lease without upfront capital commitment. It is bringing a pay-as-you-go model to using data center capacity that can be placed anywhere it is needed. The minimum commitment is one year. Globe Trotter is the transportable option in Cannon's portfolio of modular data centers.

The service is fairly unique. There are colocation service providers that offer space in modular data centers – IO is the most prominent example – but those modules are housed inside big facilities operated by the providers. Numerous vendors, including HP, Schneider Electric, and Cannon T4, also sell modular data centers.

Cannon T4’s new offering is aimed at companies with “medium-term capacity challenges,” the company said in a statement. It can be a way to expand capacity temporarily, while a more traditional brick-and-mortar data center is being built. It can also be used as a failover facility while the main data center is being worked on.

The company is offering custom configuration options. The modules come with power, cooling, cable infrastructure, and standard 19-inch cabinets. If needed, Cannon T4 will pre-install servers and switches as well. Typical density is 4kW to 6kW per rack, but it can go up to 20kW, the company said.

The box can withstand harsh environments, and its cooling system can work in temperatures from -46C to +58C. Users can choose between direct expansion cooling and direct or indirect free cooling options.

Here are the full Cannon T4 Globe Trotter specs.