Most data centers guard heavily against intrusion and network data loss. It is for good reason. Cyber attacks and cyber crimes remain the top causes of data centers outages. They are not, however, the only causes. Environmental factors account for an astounding 30% of unexpected downtime, and that downtime can be costly, and in some cases dangerous. In August of 2016, Delta Airlines experienced electrical problems in their data center that resulted in nationwide flight cancellations.
Data center, no matter the size, need environmental monitoring. Here’s why:
The Cost of Downtime is Escalating
With more and more businesses and systems depending on computer systems for nearly every aspect of their processes, any downtime means lost revenue.
Servers Must Be Kept Cool
Servers generate high levels of heat and the warmer the environment gets, the more likely they are to fail. In fact, an increase from 68℉ to 86℉ can reduce the long-term reliability of electronic equipment by as much as 50%. Something as simple as a failure in the air conditioning system can spell disaster.
Data Centers Fires
Data centers are hot, enclosed environments and not surprisingly, susceptible to fire. Fire accounts for about 6% of data centers downtime and is usually caused by things like shorts due to contaminants, heavy power loads, or defective components.
Moisture is Never Good for Data Centers
Moisture is also a common problem in data centers. The humidity in the air can cause condensation in the warm room. This causes corrosion and component failure.
Overly Low Humidity Can Lead to Static Electricity
Static electricity may seem like a harmless nuisance, but it is one of the biggest threats in the data centers or server room environment. The sensitive components that are common in IT equipment can be damaged or even fried by less than 25 volts of discharge.
How Does Environmental monitoring Help?
Environmental monitoring has evolved quickly and can help protect server rooms and data centers by monitoring and tracking environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, battery life, contaminates, power failure and more.
Monitoring your data centers for environmental factors can do more than save you a headache. It can prevent the loss of costly IT equipment and the additional losses created by its failure. It is a small step in protection that can prevent catastrophic loss.
SSP offers a premier environmental monitoring solution: Swift sensors. Swift sensors offer users the most advanced, flexible, and powerful solutions on the market today.
For more information about environmental monitoring, call SSP today at 1-888-540-0175 Headquartered near Atlanta, Georgia, we offer design, installation and service to local, regional and national clients.
