To effectively ensure your business has the best possible network, you are most likely going to look at installing a server room if you do not have one already. If you do, you may want to make sure your server room infrastructure is completely up to standard. Getting it right can be a little tricky and in some cases may require external assistance such cabling and data centre migration specialists.
What do you need in your server room?
When it comes to your server room, data room, telecommunications room or whatever you wish to call it, you need a well-planned space which should provide you with the following benefits:
- You will need dedicated space for all of the equipment going into your room
- Room for expansion, the last thing you want is a small room that does not allow for additional equipment in the future
- Temperature equipment – it means all of your equipment will last much longer
- Security is a key factor when it comes to your businesses equipment having it all in one room allows for monitoring and safety
- Space for troubleshooting or making any changes
The size of your server room will often depend on how big your business premises is, or how much equipment you are looking to put in this space. It usually is best to plan your server room around the functionality and space you have.
What do I need to consider when it comes to my server room?
There are five different considerations you should be thinking about when it comes to planning your server room. If you have a contractor on hand to help, they will typically discuss this with you and run through each aspect of your server room, so you fully understand what is happening and why you need it.
- Cabling and managment
- Cabinets and racks
- Power and lighting
- Temperature Controls
- Accessibility
Cabling and management
All of your server room will need to be laid out in a specific way for it to work most efficiently. Planning your server room out will enable your cabling contractor to understand your needs are met. Not only will they think about your current needs but they will also look at how they can make it easier for you to expand in the future if needs be. The reason this needs to be done is if you are looking to have a large amount of cabling installed, it is important that all of the cables are managed. It means all of the cabling can be compiled in not only an efficient manner but also clean and neat ensuring maximum safety.
We highly recommend a specialist contractor for this section of your project, as it can often be very complicated. There is an extensive number of cables which all need to be put in a specific place. Without the right knowledge, you may be in for hours and hours of work, but you can also use the wrong cabling for your electrical equipment. Using the incorrect cabling can have a detrimental effect on your electricals as some are more powerful than others and can burn or damage expensive equipment. Consulting a specialist means you can work together to get the most out of your server room, regarding efficiency and safety.
Cabinets and racks
If you are looking for a server room that is exceptionally neat and tidy, then you will need somewhere to house all of the equipment and cabling you are putting in. Data cabinets is a great solution for this, there are a couple of things you will need to consider when choosing your data cabinets including the following; the size of servers, airflow, power strips, switches and any other equipment that may support your server.
There are a wide range of solutions which you can choose to best suit your specific server room. There are also other things you may want to consider and discuss with your cabinet suppliers such as whether they have locks, shelving and cable managing equipment. All of these features will help in the management and control of your server rooms. BICSI have specific standards when it comes to installing your units which you will need to comply with.
Lighting and Temperature Controls
When choosing the right lighting for your server room, you need to ensure you have lighting which is commended by BICSI. Lighting needs to be safe, as you will most likely have it on for prolonged periods of time. It needs to be efficient and cost-effective.
Getting the temperature right in your server room can sometimes be a little tricky. You will need a significant amount of temperature controls within your server room. The last thing you want is for your machinery to overheat, as it can be very expensive to replace.
Cooling is essential in an area that has a large number of wiring and computer systems, designing your server room in a certain way will mean your server room will work in the best possible way. Server racks are a great way of arranging your server room; they can push hot air in a different direction to the cold air intake.
Depending on the size of your server room, there are a couple of options you can choose from when it comes to cooling systems. If you have a small to midsize server room then you can look at having portable spot coolers, which work alongside your HVAC systems which help to provide cool air directly to your racks.
Larger server rooms those that may be using both hot and cold aisle designs should look at things such as the containment of hot aisle as this will mean the cold air intake is not affected. The hot air can be trapped and then funnelled out directly into the AC unit which is then cooled before it is sent out.
Designing your server room
When it comes to your server room, there are a couple of standards you will need to meet before you go ahead and set it up. We always recommend consulting a specialist contractor if you can before going ahead. Their extensive knowledge will help you in getting it right the first time and relieving the stress of having to fix it in the future.
