Rich Kenny | June 2, 2025

At Interact, we believe in empowering organisations to achieve peak IT performance while championing sustainability. Our partnership with ODC-Noord, a national data center hosting the Dutch Government, exemplifies this commitment. ODC-Noord, with its incredible reputation for reliability and innovation, sought to further optimise its platforms through data-led decision-making, aiming for improved efficiency, lowered risk, and enhanced platform performance.

The Challenge: Strategic Alignment and demonstable business case for change

ODC-Noord operates with efficient and well-utilised platforms, but they required strategically aligned metrics and concrete evidence to demonstrate the benefits of any proposed changes. This encompassed developing business cases that addressed optimised space, reduced costs, and decreased energy and carbon usage per operation. Crucially, they needed a way to enable their platform and engineering teams to make informed decisions on IT hardware that would yield the best outcomes for both ODC-N and its customers. Given that even component-level changes can have significant impacts on efficiency and effectiveness, specific datasets and benchmarks were essential.

Interact's Resolution: Data-Driven Insights and Optimisation

Interact provides a comprehensive solution. We meticulously analysed ODC-Noord's existing server estate, delivering crucial metrics, detailed reporting, and insightful simulations. This enabled ODC-N to truly understand the potential impact of change.

Working closely with their engineering team, we conducted in-depth analyses of replacement models, evaluating both maximum capacity and energy efficiency per operation. Our suggested projects outlined hardware configurations designed to deliver a remarkable 21% energy and carbon reduction for the platform, all while simultaneously increasing capacity.

Tangible Results: A Greener, More Efficient Future

The impact of this collaboration has been significant. Our work not only facilitated a substantial energy and carbon reduction but also led to a reduced physical footprint for ODC-Noord's operations. Furthermore, our comprehensive reporting capabilities ensured that ODC-N was fully equipped to meet data center regulations, including the Energy Efficiency Directive, CSRD, and the European Union Data Centre Code of Conduct.

As Jaap Jansma, Director at ODC-N, attests, "Interact helps us improve our decision-making process in IT procurement by providing highly accurate north star measurements that enables our teams to deliver better value for our customers."

This partnership underscores Interact's dedication to driving IT performance through intelligent, data-led strategies, helping organisations like ODC-Noord achieve their operational and sustainability goals.