Interview: LuLu Shiraz, Vertiv

How will new government policies affect the rollout of AI in organisations?

As sustainability becomes an increasing regulatory focus, companies adopting AI will need to optimise their energy-intensive data operations. Vertiv’s energy-efficient cooling, power and management solutions are well aligned with this shift, helping organisations select technologies that not only support AI workloads but also minimise their environmental impact. We assist businesses in developing efficient infrastructure strategies to comply with emerging green AI mandates while reducing operational costs.

Our infrastructure solutions are specifically engineered with sustainability in mind, enabling clients to reduce energy consumption and align with government sustainability targets. For instance, Vertiv’s heat management and liquid cooling technologies offer advanced options to manage both energy and water use more efficiently, ensuring that organisations can meet their operational and environmental goals.

What can public sector organisations and their suppliers do to manage the risks of increasing complexity?

One of the most significant risks associated with the increasing complexity of modern technology is underestimating the critical role that power and cooling infrastructure plays in supporting IT systems. As organisations integrate more advanced technologies — from AI and edge computing to data centres and cloud services — the demand on these systems intensifies. Without robust and scalable power and cooling solutions, even the most sophisticated IT infrastructure can be compromised by unexpected downtime, overheating or inefficiencies. Properly designed power and cooling systems are not just a necessity; they are fundamental to ensuring the reliability, performance and longevity of increasingly complex technological environments.

Therefore, AI and high-performance computing (HPC) require enhanced infrastructure resilience. As systems become more intricate, the demand for reliable infrastructure to prevent downtime grows. Vertiv’s UPS systems and energy-efficient cooling solutions provide the foundational reliability needed to support public sector workloads, from day-to-day operations to emergency scenarios.

On the other hand, complexity often arises from managing on-premises, cloud and hybrid infrastructures. Vertiv’s solutions seamlessly integrate with cloud environments, enabling public sector organisations to create hybrid setups that maintain efficiency and control over critical data. At the same time, Vertiv’s edge computing solutions ensure that critical applications remain functional and secure in remote or distributed environments, enabling real-time data processing and minimising latency.

Moreover, as public sector needs evolve, scalable infrastructure becomes essential. Vertiv’s modular data centre solutions allow organisations to adapt quickly, increasing or decreasing capacity without major disruptions, and offer a highly flexible, scalable and efficient approach to meeting the growing demands of modern IT infrastructure. These pre-engineered, factory-tested systems enable faster deployment, reducing build times and operational delays. Organisations can scale their data centre capacity incrementally, ensuring they only invest in what they need at any given time, making it ideal for dynamic environments. Designed with energy efficiency in mind, Vertiv’s modular solutions help reduce operational costs while meeting sustainability goals through advanced power and cooling technologies. The modular design also enhances reliability, with each unit rigorously tested to minimise the risk of downtime and ensure optimal performance. These solutions are particularly suited for edge and hybrid cloud environments, providing low-latency access to data and seamless integration with existing infrastructures. Vertiv’s modular data centres enable organisations to futureproof their operations, adapt to evolving technology, and support critical workloads in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

An equally important aspect to mitigate risk is real-time remote monitoring across complex systems, enabling proactive maintenance and rapid response to potential issues. By using data-driven insights, organisations can make informed decisions, prevent disruptions and reduce downtime. Similarly, using predictive analytics and AI-driven tools to anticipate equipment failures can help mitigate risks. Vertiv’s integrated monitoring tools and predictive maintenance solutions can greatly assist the public sector in these areas, extending equipment life and enhancing operational continuity.

By implementing these strategies, Vertiv empowers public sector organisations and their suppliers to manage the risks associated with increasing complexity while ensuring infrastructure resilience, flexibility and sustainability.

LuLu Shiraz is sales director for product and service Australia and New Zealand, responsible for building Vertiv’s local presence across its enterprise, colocation, service and telco divisions.

She is a veteran of the local information technology and telecommunications industry with more than 20 years’ experience, much of which has been spent building and leading high-performance sales teams with a customer-centric ethos.