7 Steps to Setting Up an In-Office Server Room

You’ve decided to get your own in-office server room, and have chosen a room for it. How do you prepare the room to become the new home for your servers and other equipment?

Here are 7 important steps to follow:

An ideal server room is one that does not have windows (or windows that can be sealed). This is an important safety precaution for your valuable equipment and will also protect it from rain and other weather conditions that can cause harm to them. What’s more, a sealed room will also ensure maximum cooling and minimum wastage of cooling power.

Seal the windows (if any)

Considering your room has adequate ceiling height, you can set up a false/drop ceiling through which you can direct your cool air and exhaust air through it. You can also set up hot or cold aisle containment for the inflow/outflow of cool and hot air.

Set up drop ceiling and/or aisle containment

A server room cannot function without a thorough electrical setup. This, therefore, will be the first crucial step towards setting up the server room. To ensure continued connectivity and minimum downtime, we also recommend making provision for backup power with an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). You will also need power distribution units to distribute power efficiently around the room.

Get a reliable power supply and back it up

The skeleton of the server room includes server racks, network cabinets, and other enclosures which will bring some structure to your server room. You will be building up the server room based on this skeleton, so it is extremely important to choose racks with the right height, depth, and strength. Now, arrange these racks in such a way that there is adequate space both in the front and back – for easy installation and troubleshooting of equipment.

Put the skeleton in place

Setting up an access control system to limit entry into the server room is an important security step. You can also go one step further and opt for server racks that come with in-built or add-on access control systems to prevent unauthorized use. Other security measures to take will include setting up CCTV cameras and manning the facility with reliable staff.

Take adequate security measures

Although not an absolute requirement, a server room that is located close to other rooms where people may need to work without disturbance, you can also consider sound-proofing it. This is because your servers and other equipment can create a lot of noise that might cause difficulty for those working close to your server room.

Sound-proof your server room

From servers to cables and other data center equipment – including your cooling systems – remember to purchase only those that you can genuinely consider as good, long-term investments. And don’t forget to entrust them to capable and skilled staff for day-to-day monitoring and maintenance.

Invest in high-quality equipment & staff

Need professional help with setting up your server room? Get in touch with us today!