It could be said that your company’s data center is the most important room that you need to take care of. Data centers may be occasionally refreshed with new products replacing the old ones, but what you need in your data center will generally fall into one of the ten categories below.
The goal of a data center is to create an environment where your servers and ultimately your data are secured and stored safely. Companies have laws to comply with in many data storage and protection scenarios, but small data rooms may have less consistency. If you are just starting out, consider this a list of essentials.
1. Physical Security and Controlled Access
One of the fundamental elements of a data center is to restrict access to your servers and their contents. It will always be necessary to have a closed door with controlled access to your data center. It is not recommended for your computing data center to share space with an administrative office. In addition to being a risk for data access, humans and their contaminants can pose problems for the equipment. Keeping your data center physically secure is essential and sometimes required by law.
Note: If you are concerned about access during an emergency, create a procedure for emergency access outside of business hours or when keyholders are not present and train anyone using that building.
2. Monitoring and Environmental Controls
Environmental monitoring is essential to keep your equipment safe from damage or destruction. Natural hazards can ruin equipment, which can be costly, so keeping your data center monitored can notify or prevent an environmental problem from causing an issue. Monitoring may include:
– Temperature control and air conditioning exclusive to that room.
– Humidity monitors.
– Moisture detectors for water leaks, pipe breaks, and floods.
– Oxygen depletion alarm or low oxygen safety monitor.
– Cameras to confirm the room’s status remotely before entering.
3. HVAC Air Conditioning
The cooling of your data center requires proper ventilation and airflow to prevent your equipment from overheating and maintain expected performance. A data center with a temperature that is too high can cause equipment to fail due to something as simple as epoxy melting in heat above its rated limit, so keeping the air moving can keep your equipment running.
Plan to keep the room between 15 degrees C and 32 degrees C, with the lower end of the recommended range being preferred. Humidity should also be kept to a minimum. Airflow planning can also keep dust and debris away from your equipment and oxygen in an enclosed space where someone may be working.
4. Secure Fire Suppression Systems
Traditional sprinkler systems and water-based fire suppression systems can destroy your servers and electronic equipment. Having fire extinguishers rated for electronics can save your data. Smoke detectors and fire alarm systems are essential for protecting your data center, but ensuring they are reliable is crucial or false positives could lead to additional work.
5. Cable Management System
Cable management systems don’t have to be complicated, just organized. Labeling cables at both ends with a label maker can save you time and money when work is needed and help maintain an orderly data center. Cable management products, like ladder racks, exist to help control cables in your data center that do not host a raised or false floor, but even data centers with raised floors need to manage their lines.
6. Equipment Storage and Server Racks
Whether you use a technology rack or a utility rack from the garage, the frame should be bolted to the floor or secured in place to prevent tipping. Aside from the fact that falling furniture can cause injury and death, any data center, especially a small server room, will benefit from maximizing space. If you need to screw to the floor, remove any rug underneath and around the server rack to prevent fires and ensure secure mounting. Anti-tip furniture devices should be secured to solid structures and not just drywall; they will not support the weight.
7. Proper Flooring
Your data center floor should not contain carpets to reduce fire risk and maintain a suitable environment for servers. The only exception should be anti-static carpets, as the data center should not have floors that promote the accumulation of static electricity. Professional data centers often contain raised floors with space under server racks for laying cables and creating additional airflow. Proper raised floors for server racks can be a costly upgrade, depending on the size of your room, but are generally an excellent way to increase circulation and hide wiring.
8. Redundant Power Supplies and Backup Power
Power grids are subject to power surges, outages, and interruptions, and it is up to the home or business to plan for those times. An automatic transfer switch (ATS) can ensure continuous power supply from one of two power sources. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides servers with enough time to save data and shut down safely to prevent corruption and loss of work. If your facility also has a generator, a UPS can also operate until the generator kicks in. Even if your power continues, the odds of your telecommunications provider and access points being without power are high, so plan to immediately back up your data with the loss of power.
9. Demarcation Point or DMARC
A demarcation point or DMARC is where the responsibility of the telecommunications company ends. Having the company’s responsibility point defined will help quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues or upgrades.
10. Emergency Preparedness and Data Backup Plans
You never know when an emergency might occur, and having response and recovery plans for your home or business is what will help you recover when something happens. Part of this process is training the people involved and ensuring they can follow the coordinator during a stressful situation.
Maintaining an efficient and secure data center requires meticulous planning and implementation of essential elements that ensure continuous operation and data protection. By following these recommendations, businesses can ensure that their operations stay up and running and their data remains protected.