The server room is an essential hub for every business. Used to store, power and operate the computer servers that keep integral hardware and software in working order, the server room forms part of the wider data centre. Just like data centres, server rooms need to be a certain temperature to ensure optimum performance.
It’s recommended that a server room should be between 10 and 27°C, which makes climate control an important area of investment for every company with an in-house server room. Cooling your server room to an ideal temperature needs more than just the right technology however. Cooling even a small to medium sized system comes at a cost. In most cases, the total life cost of cooling a server room far exceeds the initial cost of the installed equipment, which means without the right upkeep your servers were losing money from the day they were installed. Reducing energy costs is a great step towards looking after the planet and keeping a handle on budgets.
Here, we take a closer look at how businesses of all sizes can cut the cost of server room cooling whilst maximising the performance of their IT equipment.
Change the layout
The layout of your server room can influence just how energy and cost efficient your cooling efforts are. Many organisations opt for tiny server rooms jam-packed full of equipment. Contrary to popular belief, larger server rooms don’t garner higher costs. Larger server rooms facilitate greater airflow, giving the heat generated by the equipment within a greater chance to dissipate.
Rethink your cooling
Although the office cooling solutions we provide create work environments that increase employee productivity, our computer cooling systems are just as important. Like your employees, your servers need the right environment, and temperature to thrive. In the server room, climate control is achieved through cooling. We are proud installers of Airedale and Emerson close-control computer room air conditioners. The specialist products we install ensure you have the cooling capabilities you need to successfully maintain and safeguard your servers.
Source a reliable power supply
Ensuring that downtime becomes a thing of the past as well as high energy bills is essential and every server room, regardless of its size, needs a reliable power supply. ServerMania offers some great advice on keeping on top of costs whilst preventing the power supply problems many face:
“For reliability, an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is required. A UPS provides emergency power for short periods in the event of a mains power failure. Servers need a consistent supply of power and mains power is prone to occasional brownouts or blackouts. Without a UPS, servers are at risk of data corruption, equipment damage, and availability issues. The UPS typically provides power to a power distribution unit (PDU) mounted within the server rack that houses the servers they power.”
Find a maintenance partner
Server room maintenance is integral to keeping costs low and performance high. Your facilities maintenance partner will develop a tailor-made programme to suit your server room requirements and wider organisational needs to ensure all your systems are inspected, reviewed and maintained to the highest standards. As well as recommending installations that could strengthen your server room or aid cooling, your maintenance partner will work closely with you to keep server room cooling costs to a minimum.
Looking for a server room maintenance partner? You’re in the right place. We deliver a full range of data centre and server room cooling solutions. Get in touch today to find out more.
