The data center health check and risk assessment service aims to determine the current state of the data center’s implementation and the criteria that may impact performance and availability. Customers acquire assessment services to:
- Investigate the risk factors that can affect the Data Center's availability or cause systems degradation to the potential point of a complete breakdown.
- Pro-actively prevent possible risks for unplanned downtime.
- Evaluate the current power layout
- Evaluate the current cooling infrastructure effectiveness
- Evaluate general fire suppression and safety measures
- Evaluate EMF risks for humans and ICT infrastructure
- Pro-actively bring possible enhancements and improvements to their attention
- Get the necessary information that allows them to plan for improvements that have the most significant benefits
Room Layout
Positioning of racks and equipment is a significant factor in creating a well-balanced data center environment in terms of cooling and power. This part of the survey aimed at reviewing the physical infrastructure built up in terms of location/positioning of racks and main systems, including the location of systems within the allocated racks. Areas to be examined include, but are not limited to:
- Evaluation of equipment positioning for non-rack systems
- Evaluation of rack positioning
- Evaluation of in-rack equipment positioning
- Evaluation of raised floor (i.e., perforated tiles, cable entries, etc.)
- Evaluation of void heights (i.e., raised floor, room void, and suspended ceiling void)
- Evaluation of light positioning effectiveness and strength
Power Layout
The power layout evaluation aims to evaluate the current and future power requirements and their actual implementation.
Areas to be examined include, but are not limited to:
- Evaluation of the power layout for redundancy capabilities and options for improvement
- Assessment of the power layout within the data center and racks, including redundancy capabilities assessment and opportunities for improvement
- Evaluation of redundant power capabilities of equipment and recommendations for redundancy improvements
- Evaluation of power consumption, load, and phase imbalance
- Evaluation of grounding system
- Cabling structure/layout
Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF)
Electromagnetic fields pose a potential health hazard for humans. Still, it could disturb the performance of networks and ICT systems to the point of total breakdown. The evaluation of actual EMF in the full frequency spectrum carried out using specialized test equipment. During the assessment, low-frequency EMF (up to 2000Hz) in 3-D vector readings are taken in areas of concern and compared to international norms and standards for both human health and safety and ICT equipment.
Measurements are taken on low-frequency EMF within the data center, especially in areas where power distribution is present such as PDU, high ampere power cables, isolation transformers, etc., that might pose an EMF risk. General scanning and measurements are taken to identify potential areas of concern.
Cooling
Under this section, we evaluate the data center conditions in terms of cooling infrastructure and setup. We also review the general safety measures and assess whether adequate measures are taken to monitor the private suite. Areas for examination include, but are not limited to:
- HVAC (Air Conditioning) dimensioning
- Cooling infrastructure and principles evaluation for adequacy and effectiveness
- Floorboard placement
Measurements are taken in various parts of the data center for temperature and humidity. We also review the airflow/pressure out of the raised floor to determine its effectiveness.
Efficiency and Optimization
Data centers can use 100 to 200 times the energy as typical office spaces. These are prime targets for energy-efficient design initiatives that can save money and reduce electricity usage due to their high-power consumption. The vital existence of data center loads, on the other hand, elevates specific design requirements.
The most important factors are reliability and high-power density capability, which are much more important than performance. Short design cycles often leave little time to thoroughly evaluate efficient design opportunities or consider the first cost versus life cycle cost issues. It can result in designs that are simply scaled-up versions of traditional office space approaches or designs that reuse techniques and requirements that have previously performed “well enough” without regard for energy efficiency. Customers are advised of practical and realistic alternatives to data center design and operating procedures and energy efficiency retrofit opportunities based on standards and best practices.
Maintenance & Monitoring
This section evaluates the data center monitoring infrastructure as well as maintenance procedures. Areas for examination include:
- Evaluation of data center monitoring capabilities
- Evaluation of data center reporting
- Evaluation of notification system and procedures
- Evaluation of maintenance procedures and contracts