The Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) through its Regional Field Technology Service (RFTS) is preparing a new Modular Technology Centre (MTC) that will work as a secondary data centre at the UN Campus Entebbe.
The MTC will play a critical role in ensuring the continuity, availability, and resilience of UN operations. It provides an alternative site for hosting and recovering essential & critical ICT services if the primary data centre becomes unavailable.
This transition marks a major milestone in strengthening the digital backbone that supports operations in the field.
The previous secondary data centre had reached the end of its operational life and was no longer reliable enough to meet the growing technology and operational requirements of the RSCE and its’ tenants. The main differences between the old and the new facility relate to efficiency, reliability, resilience, and long-term operational sustainability.
By moving to the MTC, the organization is reinforcing its commitment to modern, dependable, and mission‑ready digital services.
The old facility was considerably larger, consumed more power, and relied on ageing infrastructure and was less reliable and required more frequent maintenance. The new facility uses modern, highly efficient technologies that provide greater reliability, improved performance, and enhanced resilience. It also has a more compact footprint, significantly lower power consumption, and reduced cooling requirements.
With smaller, more powerful servers, the system delivers higher computing capacity, enabling faster processing and improving the ability to scale as demands grow.
Beyond performance, resilience and security are at the heart of the transformation. The system is designed so that automated failover mechanisms help maintain service continuity if a server or component fails, ensuring that critical services remain uninterrupted. Enhanced security controls further strengthen protection and accountability across operations.
The impact is also environmental and operational. The new setup is expected to reduce power consumption by approximately 83%, delivering both cost savings and a significantly lower environmental footprint. At the same time, the dramatically smaller footprint, around 90 percent less space, demonstrates how innovation can drive efficiency without compromising performance.
“Although the relocation presented challenges related to material availability, funding, and coordination, it also reinforced key lessons on early planning, timely procurement, and cross-team collaboration. Overall, the move supports RSCE’s digital transformation goals while enabling more reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective service delivery.” Said Michael Mwaura, Information Systems Officer at the Regional Field Technology Services (RFTS).
Ultimately, this move is more than an infrastructure upgrade, it is a forward‑looking investment, a strategic investment in modern, resilient and sustainable ICT infrastructure, positioning UN operations to be more reliable, efficient, and ready for the future.
