What’s the most high-powered tool in a data center? Inventory management!

When it comes to data centers it is important to look at the whole picture and now in silos because if one thing goes wrong, it’s likely to have a cascading effect.

Take, for example, a breakdown in the cooling control system. It can send you hurtling toward an outage. Also, in most data centers, water usage is not a low priority but today, with the focus on sustainability this is an area that cannot afford to be overlooked.

Another example? The age of your equipment. Older equipment is likely to be your Achilles heel as it is more sensitive to higher temperatures, while newer equipment may be able to withstand it. As a result, you are going to end up having short circuits and equipment failure.

Inventory management may help you stay a step or two ahead of the crisis. Taking stock of equipment age, power supply, etc periodically will help keep a data center running in the most efficient and resilient manner.

You need to constantly monitor that there is sufficient power supply in a data center and must have a contingency plan in place in case of a breakdown from the primary source of electrical power. In the case of power, having a reliable power distribution unit can help monitor power distribution and usage to prevent outages (Hardy Racks can help you in this regard; our PDUs are among the best in the market).

Power

A data center must have measures in place to manage cooling whatever the environmental conditions outside. Whether there is a heatwave coming up or a hailstorm, your data center needs to be running in tip-top condition. Servers tend to heat up when under a significant load. You need to keep taking stock that you are providing a temperate environment for your servers to run at peak performance.

Cooling

Are you prepared in the case of a disaster? If not, get your protocols and procedures in place now. Not having a contingency plan in the event of an emergency can result in additional risks to security as well as cause economic losses to the company. Take fire suppression, for example. Are your systems in place? Fire suppression systems ensure that a small spark does not become a raging fire and that there is minimal collateral damage in case of a fire.

Disaster Management

Hardy Racks has what it calls the “secure data center”, which are racks equipped with a fire suppression system that can prove handy in emergencies.

Are you constantly checking up on the maintenance of equipment such as power generators and cooling systems? Regular maintenance of equipment can help to lower operation costs and increase profits (it’s easier to maintain and troubleshoot hardware issues than constantly having to replace them). The truth is that while backup power generators may not be needed for years, the last thing you want is to find out they don’t work just when you need them.

Daily Operations

Inventory management will help your data center run like a well-oiled machine. Hardy Racks is a leader in providing data center solutions, so if you would like to know more, speak with our experienced professionals.