Photo Credit: Michael Radowitz

Although having to set you a server room does not fall under the category of fun things to do, is is important to pay very close attention the finer details this process involves. Here are a few tips and pointers to help you along the way:

Understand the Basics

The appropriate foundation is very critical and important to understand. There are three aspects that this will usually come down to and those are size, location and growth. How big will the room have to be? As far and accessibility and security are concerned, where should it be located? What do you expect to be the future growth of your company? To properly answer these questions will generally take longer then a quick thirty minute meeting, this why being well prepared in advance is important.

It is very important that the air flow strategy in a data center enclosure be determined by not only the cold air that is entering, but also the hot air which is exiting. In order for it to be effective, they have to work together. To determine what the best airflow strategy is for you, there should be input vents as well as return ducts available in the enclosure. Generally a data center enclosure layout will be modified to function with the duct work that already exists.

Temperature is Important

Industrial servers like those offered by Chassis-plans.com, in a data center can be destroyed by improper airflow management. Not only will you have to invest in as air conditioning unit as well as return vents to ensure proper airflow management, you will also have to take into consideration what type of enclosure will work best for your setup. There are a series of panel systems which are used to create enclosures, there are options to have them created with rigid or soft wall designs, Airflow is controlled with panels and doors, they also work to partition and seal air containment areas like data center aisles.

Server Cabinets and Rack Mounting Must Be Invested In

It is easy to justify making decisions that are not the best, to save money when on a tight budget. That being said, there are areas where shortcuts cannot be afforded. You should not place your server hardware on desks, tables or anything you have lying around, it is best to invest in racks that are specially designed so that you equipment can be mounted and kept safe, clean and organized.

Label Things Clearly

It is important to clearly label and identify every section of your server room. It may seem overly cautious, however when it comes to your businesses security and safety, you can never be too careful. By having each server and system clearly identified, you will be able to better decide what is the best position to place the equipment along the server aisles? Not only will this organization improve power efficiency, it also makes maintaining the equipment much easier. A server layout strategy that is properly planned will help to control and contain cooled air providing a dust free, clean data center enclosure.

Expect the Unexpected and Be Prepared

Not only do data center enclosures create energy efficiencies, they also help to keep the temperatures which are needed for the cooling servers to prevent overheating under control.  A Lanyard drop fire will offer protection against fires. Not only will you have peace of mind by having a well thought out protection plan for equipment as well as employees in place, you can also save your business downtime as well as potential data loss which can jeopardize a company. Here are some good tips.

An Effective and Efficient Layout Must Be Created

Before you begin, have a good aisle containment strategy which will not only end up saving you money, if the data center needs to grow, it will allow for expansion. A layout that is properly designed and is based on equipment that is well informed as well as having maintenance managers which will provide you with the needed server performance as well as create a cost efficient work area, this is what can really make or break a business nowadays.