Environmental Monitoring Can Help Prolong Your Data Center’s Lifespan
Data centers are delicate structures that perform important functions within a larger frame. Just like other fragile objects, we need to take great care of them to ensure their longevity. Nevertheless, one cannot simply guess when something goes wrong or make assumptions about overall operational functionality. Diagnostic components, like environmental monitoring, are required to monitor the system and produce accurate results. These are important to keep the system in good condition and to catch small issues before they grow and cause more problems.
Environmental monitoring is one kind of diagnostic process that is commonly used to check on the operational condition of data centers. It can produce different kinds of data on the environment inside your data center, from airflow and security to more delicate factors like humidity and temperature. When even one of these aspects of data center management is neglected, it can leave the entire system vulnerable. In the article below we explain some of the elements that are tracked by environmental monitoring, why it is important to keep track of them, and why regular maintenance is crucial.
The Elements That Are Tracked by Environmental Monitoring
The elements in the list below represent some of the most common issues in data center management. They are all equally important, but data center owners may opt to focus on a few of them in particular in accordance with their needs and the specifications of the data center in question.
- Humidity. This is the concentration of water vapour in the air and is an essential part of environmental monitoring due to the risk of condensation (water forming into droplets that can collect on surfaces). Any kind of water exposure is bad for electronics and can cause delicate equipment to short-circuit and lead to corrosion if the exposure occurred for an extended period.
- Temperature. High temperatures are bad for electrical equipment. Most electronics have an optimal range at which they function, which means that any extreme deviations on either side of the temperature spectrum could cause the equipment to malfunction. The most pressing issue in this regard in data centers is overheating, which can damage components and decrease their efficiency.
- Moisture. Distinct from humidity, moisture refers to the presence of water and other kinds of liquids in a network environment. This can be anything from a leaking pipe to rain damage, or the condensation that occurs naturally in a humid environment. This element is important to track for the same reason as humidity – water can wreak havoc on electronics and can quickly create an additional financial burden.
- Airflow. This system is often used in the cooling of data centers. It needs to be kept clean of dust and debris, which tend to collect in vents over time. Cleaner fans mean better airflow, which means more effective cooling overall.
- Security. Environmental monitoring is not just for literal environmental factors. It also refers to security and can include access monitoring and CCTV installations.
- Power Usage. Outages can cause some systems such as climate control to malfunction, which could cause heat and humidity to rise rapidly. These systems are not often covered by a UPS or small-scale generator, which means tracking power usage and outages is needed for situations where the system needs to be shut down to be preserved.
Why Consistent Maintenance Is Important for Data Centers
Even if you diligently monitor the elements mentioned above, you will still need to conduct regular maintenance to maintain optimum performance, reduce downtime, and prolong the lifespan of your data center.
It is more cost-efficient to keep a regular maintenance schedule and to keep your data center spotless than it is to replace the entire system every few years. This also highlights how crucial it is to have environmental monitoring installed, as it will make overall maintenance of the system more hassle-free.
Contact us if you have any further questions regarding data center maintenance.
