Data is becoming a driving factor behind the decisions and success of many modern businesses and in order to contain and safeguard all that data, servers are necessary. A lot of business owners will outsource their server management, but for the businesses that require it as part of their core services, it might be better to ensure that it’s close to home and manually manageable. However, servers require a server room, and setting one up might be more demanding than anticipated. Here are a few examples of what you’re going to require.
Ensure that the room is right
Digital equipment is fairly delicate, so you have to make sure that the room is set to fit all of your needs. This includes determining that it is the right size to fit all of the hardware that you have in mind. It’s not just the servers themselves that require space, but cables, wires, cabinets, and other equipment that go with it. Beyond that, you should look at installing cooling units for the server room, as you want to make sure that the equipment is never at a great risk of overheating. Whether you go with raised floors to distribute heating evenly or space out in-row cooling units, there are various options to do this.
Infrastructure and organization
The servers are the core of the room, so everything has to be built around allowing them to do their job safely and effectively. For instance, you should consider what kind of cabinets you are going to need to keep them isolated and secure. You don’t want your servers rowed right against each other, you want to give them airflow and space. Similarly, for your wires and cable management, features like The Ultimate Guide to Raised Access Flooring Systems Maintenance and Care can help you create a raised floor that allows you to tuck a lot of the necessary mess underfoot so that there’s much less risk of disorganization, not to mention accidents. Be sure to ensure that you can supply the power that the servers demand, too.
Care and maintenance
Aside from the environmental safety mentioned above, you have to ensure that you also have the processes and expertise on hand to be able to address any concerns that might arise with your server room in the future. For instance, you have to develop security procedures such as access control systems and allow for monitoring of the server room at any time. You have to also be ready to label and document anything so that, should anything change or require a repair, it’s easy to identify what parts and systems you are working with. Working with outsourced IT management teams can help you quickly get the maintenance and support you need up and running, but you will want to bring it in-house eventually
The above instances are not a comprehensive picture of what your server room requires, but a good example of how much work has to go into creating and maintaining them. Ensure that you’re ready to establish a complete and functional server room before you start planning.
