design & facilities management
in a densely packed space. It may be
hardware and wires, however their
smooth and efficient operation is critical
for day-to-day activities worldwide.
One of the key concerns for data
centre operators is providing consistent
service availability. There can be many
causes of downtime, including human
error, equipment failure or external
disruptions, such as changes in weather
or leaks. Any outages impact on the
overall performance of the data centre
and subsequently on the company it
provides services to. This can result
in significant financial losses for both
parties. If any data centre, processing
support or back up system is lost for
any period of time, operations of the
receiving company may be disrupted
or stopped. The average cost of data
centre outages has now risen from
over £475,000 in 2013 to around
£510,000 – a 24 per cent increase
over a three year period. Whereas
maximum downtime costs have risen
81 per cent since 2010 to a current
level of £1,665,000. Therefore, it is
essential for data centre operators to
ensure their infrastructure, buildings and
equipment are fully protected.
generators have been squeezed
into spaces that were not originally
designed for that purpose. Each
generator requires a day tank, fuel
pumps, valves, hose connections
and similar fittings. Often, there is a
supply and return piping connection to
a larger underground diesel storage
tank outside of the building footprint.
An undetected diesel leak presents a
major fire risk, and if ignited, can lead
to a rapidly growing fire beyond the
capacity of existing sprinkler systems.
The fact that most data centres and
server rooms have raised floors makes
the risk even greater as water and fuel
seek the lowest point, making raised
floor facilities even more vulnerable
because the leak is often concealed.
Any outages impact on the overall
performance of the data centre
and subsequently on the company
it provides services to.
Feeling the heat
and remains safe. It is estimated
that the industry will grow from
1.58 billion square feet in 2013 to
1.94 billion square feet in 2018. To
support this growth and efficiency of
continuous service, it is important for
data centre managers to also ensure
adequate safety systems to protect
vital equipment and prevent any
unnecessary downtime.
The impact of downtime
The complex infrastructures of data
centres contain thousands of optical
and electrical connections concentrated
Any hardware working at full capacity
can easily overheat, which will have
serious consequences on the overall
efficiency of the data centre. In tight
spaces, racked equipment generates
a large amount of heat. For many
facilities, HVAC equipment is the
primary heat extraction system,
requiring chilled water to be pumped
in and out as required. However,
running HVAC service pipes so close
to electrical equipment poses a
serious risk.
In addition, some server facilities
require diesel powered back up
generators. In many older buildings,
Cooling down
It is not just heat that poses a threat
to data centre safety. More an d more
operators are selecting cold locations
in an effort to cut cooling and power
costs. From Facebook’s new data
centre in Sweden to Google’s £350m
data centre in Finland, companies are
increasingly looking north for further
expansion. This trend is driven by
the fact that data centres are one
of the largest and fastest growing
consumers of electricity. In the US
alone, data centres use an estimated
91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
– enough to power New York City
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