Avoiding power & cooling system disasters at Telecom New Zealand through structured risk management

Engineering services infrastructure is critical to the operation of modern telecommunications buildings. These buildings have become ever more complex, the most complex house multiple networks and multiple supporting systems that have grown quickly in response to demand from network, this has led to a situation where individual systems have been considered separately without evaluation of impacts on other building uses. Previously regular changes in Network Technology ensured that systems were tidied up and any redundant capacity that had been consumed due to growth was reinstated. The current NEAX PSTN network has been operating for more than 20 years and the migration to the future NGN technology is not expected to be completed before 2012, therefore this long technology lifecycle adds to the quantum of risk at Telecom New Zealand (Telecom) sites. This paper outlines the results achieved from a structured risk management programme of Telecom´s major sites.