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Industrial Controls in Data Centers

Industrial Controls Are the Hidden Backbone of Modern Data Centers. This video features insights from Rockwell Automation’s Keith Blanding. As global demand for computing power accelerates, the data center industry is expanding at a pace unlike anything we’ve seen before. Hyperscalers and enterprise operators alike are racing to deploy capacity to support AI, cloud computing, and digital services that people rely on every day. To help shed light on the role industrial controls play in this rapid growth, Dan Stutterheim, CEO of Kasa Companies, sat down with Keith Blanding, OEM Sales Manager at Rockwell Automation and a longtime partner of Kasa Controls and Automation. Their conversation dug into what industrial controls actually do in a data center—and why they are absolutely mission-critical. What Are We Really Controlling in a Data Center? When people think of data centers, they often think of rows of servers and blinking lights. But behind the scenes, the real challenge lies in managing the immense energy those servers consume and the heat they generate. Keith summarized it simply: “Mostly it’s the power and the cooling backbone of the facility.” Modern data centers are incredibly power-hungry. Tens of thousands of servers produce enormous heat loads. Without precise industrial controls managing the power distribution, cooling systems, and facility infrastructure, these environments become unstable fast. Here’s why controls matter so much: • Energy optimization directly impacts operating costs and sustainability. • Cooling reliability protects equipment from thermal failures. • Continuous uptime is essential—any interruption can damage a company’s reputation and revenue. Even a “brief amount of downtime,” Keith noted, can have outsized consequences in today’s digital-first world. The Biggest Mistake Data Center Owners Make With the pressure to build fast, many owners make a critical oversight: Treating industrial controls as an afterthought. Keith explained that while most organizations heavily focus on electrical, mechanical, and physical redundancy, they often neglect redundancy and robustness within the automation layer itself. This creates serious risks: • Underinvestment in controls leaves facilities vulnerable to failures. • Poorly designed networks and automation architectures can undermine otherwise resilient systems. • Lack of early planning makes it harder to implement predictive maintenance or energy optimization later. Keith put it bluntly: “If your control system isn’t adequate… none of those other things are going to matter.” The automation infrastructure isn’t optional—it’s a mission-critical component of the data center. So When Should Automation Planning Begin? The answer: at the very beginning. Controls architecture must be developed in parallel with: • Electrical one-line designs • Mechanical load calculations • Network and cybersecurity planning Waiting until late in the project adds unnecessary complexity—and often limits what’s possible. Keith emphasized: “The facility needs to be designed for data and with cybersecurity in mind from day one.” When automation strategy is integrated early, operators can easily layer on technologies like: • Predictive maintenance • Energy optimization and reporting • Real-time analytics • Advanced cybersecurity frameworks Trying to add those capabilities later is far more expensive and disruptive. The Takeaway As data centers scale at unprecedented rates, the pressure for speed must be balanced with a commitment to long-term reliability. Industrial controls aren’t a support system—they’re the backbone that keeps power stable, cooling efficient, and uptime continuous. At Kasa Controls and Automation, we partner with industry leaders like Rockwell Automation to ensure every data center we support is designed with the right control architecture from the start. Because in a world that depends on digital infrastructure, the automation layer simply cannot be an afterthought.