Why Data Centre Maintenance is so important
Data centre maintenance is imperative to keep the information stored there, secure and safe. Any downtown can cause a business significant losses in both reputation and money. This makes it essential to make sure your data centre is properly maintained to ensure constant uptime.
A key part of any facilities processes should be data centre maintenance, as poor maintenance is the second most likely cause of downtime. Poor capacity management is the most likely cause of downtime, which can be mitigated by good data centre design. This can’t make up for proper maintenance and upkeep.
The requirements of a data centre are often pushed back due to daily demands that seem more urgent. This is easy to do while everything is working well because as they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But, what if it was your car? Would you ignore a warning light until something went wrong? Or would you get it looked at straight away? The longer your ignore you data centres maintenance needs, the more it will affect its performance and the more likely it is that downtime will occur.
It is estimated that up t
o 40% of system failures could have been prevented by data centre preventative maintenance.
To keep your data centre running it is important to follow the four P’s:
Prevention
Make sure that there is not only a maintenance plan is in place, but make sure it is followed completely. For instance, alarms and CCTV should be done every year. The UPS system should be serviced annually along with impedance testing on the batteries, and any generator needs to be looked at at least once a year. Your fire suppression system needs to be serviced twice a year, including an integrity test once a year. Finally, your air conditioning should be maintained four times a year with consumable refreshed as specified by suppliers.
Protection
Security is critical for data centres and is equally important for the maintenance. Make sure all staff are aware of the procedures and that the health and safety documentation is always up to date. To avoid dirt in the data centre, clean the cables and don’t leave them on the floor as they can be a trip hazard. Cordon off any damages floor titles to avoid injuries. It is preferable to use data centre specialised qualified electricians for any work or maintenance.
Procedures
A data centre maintenance plan lets you know when and what your data centre requires. Following it will get the right work done at the right time to the same standard each time.
Purity
Studies have shown that 75% hardware failure is caused by dirt. Dust and dirt are almost unnoticeable but can cause untold damage and disruption to data centre equipment. You must keep your data centre clean!
