BEING ABLE TO FLEXIBLY EXPAND AND MEET SPIKES IN DEMAND WITHOUT COMPROMISING PERFORMANCE OR RELIABILITY MEANS MONITORING SYSTEMS ARE INVALUABLE .
E D I T O R ' S Q U E S T I O N
SHANE KILFOIL ,
PRESIDENT MISSION CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTS , SUBZERO ENGINEERING
Today ’ s data centres are the backbone of numerous industries , supporting critical applications and services . To ensure uninterrupted operations , particularly in the face of unexpected disruptions , organisations must adopt strategic measures focusing on monitoring , redundancy and failover capabilities , in addition to implementing Disaster Recovery plans and operational continuity procedures .
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BEING ABLE TO FLEXIBLY EXPAND AND MEET SPIKES IN DEMAND WITHOUT COMPROMISING PERFORMANCE OR RELIABILITY MEANS MONITORING SYSTEMS ARE INVALUABLE .
Of course , it ’ s relatively easy to design an efficient and reliable data centre if you ’ re building one from scratch . With potential future uses , scalable capacities , data centre densities and specific cooling needs considered when in the design phase , redundancy measures can be implemented from the outset with the knowledge that power surges and cooling requirements have been allowed for .
Separation and zoning of missioncritical and high-density servers that require different cooling technologies , and backup generators and monitoring infrastructure can also be built into the data centre space at the construction stage . But while these strategies can also be retrofitted into an existing data centre setting , additional considerations may be needed to maximise the utilization of existing infrastructure and resources .
Being able to flexibly expand and meet spikes in demand without compromising performance or reliability means monitoring systems are invaluable .
These can proactively identify and address potential issues before unplanned incidences occur . Having monitoring software that can produce compliance-ready ESG reporting to track sustainability efforts and make data-based decisions , helps to prioritise energy efficiency measures and optimise resource utilisation .
Monitoring also aids in identifying right-size computing requirements and working out when to retire older or more inefficient hardware to optimise energy consumption .
It ’ s all very well having systems and components such as backup generators in place to prevent single points of failure , but the data centre also needs to conduct regular drills and tests to prepare for unexpected disruptions . Maintaining a cross-trained workforce that can quickly respond and resolve issues across different systems is vital to ensure unforeseen outages can be assessed and resolved as swiftly as possible .
A robust supply chain should also be developed to ensure reliable access to necessary materials and parts . As we have seen in the recent past , the pandemic rapidly identified vulnerable supply chains , causing untold misery across many industries and markets .
It ’ s important to harden the supply chain to ensure reliable access to necessary materials and parts to withstand unplanned incidents such as natural disasters , cyberattacks or unexpected interruptions of operation .
By implementing these strategies , organisations can ensure sustained operations in their data centres , in addition to optimising resource utilisation , enhancing sustainability and building resilient infrastructures capable of adapting to future challenges in the dynamic digital landscape .
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