While touring a data center in Marion, IA, in October 2016, BUILDINGS uncovered five considerations for data centers, including revamping contruction layouts and updating IT requirements, it's always important to keep tabs on new developments in the world of colocation.
It cannot be overstated how important it is to maintain data center systems properly. By having high quality, reliable asset information implementing standard and emergency operation procedures and assessing asset maintenance needs for condition, functional resilience and criticality, FMs can rest easier knowing that building occupants aren't in the middle of a security breach or an overheat.
"For efficient critical environment management — there’s the trusted mantra: Plan, Do, Check, Act, " says Jo Harris, BSRIA’s Sustainable Construction group manager. "You must have a management strategy in place that enables you to undertake the management and maintenance of the assets. Then the key is to check that what you had planned is actually giving you the results you wanted."
To add to our own collection of tips to deal with data center efficiency, BSRIA gave out its own list of key points for running them in efficient, critical environments.
BSRIA’s top 10 tips for running efficient data centers are as follows:
- Develop effective operational management strategies.
- Ensure there is a continuous improvement culture.
- Ensure you capture performance data.
- Benchmark and use the data to drive improvements.
- Embrace new technologies that provide performance improvements.
- Ensure engineers are suitably trained and competent.
- Test critical assets and operating procedures regularly.
- Non useful electrical power ends up as heat: match power input to load.
- Measure your static floor pressure to ensure ventilation is getting to the heat load: think of warm air as a pollutant.
- Review your maintenance tasks to ensure the activities address the likely causes of failure.
