Data centers are mission critical facilities that require 100% uptime and cannot afford any interruptions to operations. Data center downtime can be extremely consequential to businesses, governments, and individuals who rely on their data storage and processing. The average cost of data center downtime for larger businesses can be up to $9,000 a minute. Because of their significance, it’s important that data center service managers are aware of potential issues that can lead to downtime and take proactive steps to mitigate them.
5 Risks That Cause Downtime in Data Centers
1. HVAC Redundancy Failures
Redundancy in data centers is implementing backup systems or components to ensure continuous operation. There are typically 2 strategies used for HVAC redundancy: N+1 redundancy, which utilizes one additional unit, and 2N, which utilizes a fully duplicated backup system. Redundancy is not only important for uptime but for maintenance, as it allows for service or replacement on a single component without disrupting the entire HVAC operation. Poor airflow, failure to maintain precision temperature control systems, and inefficient backup cooling units mean that if the HVAC system experiences failures, the entire data center will be impacted. When cooling fails, server shutdowns can occur in under 5 minutes. To avoid redundancy issues, an efficient redundancy strategy should be adopted that suits the needs of the data center, and quarterly inspections of the HVAC equipment should be conducted, including the replacement of essential parts like belts and filters.
2. UPS System Weaknesses
UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply, is another device that is crucial to the uptime of a data center. In the event the pain power source fails, the UPS is used to provide continuous power to the data center while also protecting vital equipment from damage during power surges or fluctuations. Weaknesses in the UPS can come from aging batteries or overlooked firmware updates. This is one of the most common causes of downtime in data centers. In fact, 25% of UPS maintenance visits will result in corrective actions, so it’s certainly not something that should be neglected. If the UPS fails, the data center could experience full power loss during outages, which can lead to data corruption or hardware damage. The best way to prevent UPS system failures is through regular preventative maintenance, including battery testing and replacement, verifying and measuring input/output voltage, inspecting terminals, and performing firmware updates when available.
3. Environmental Monitoring Failures
Data centers require precise environments, so controlling aspects like temperature, airflow, and humidity is crucial to the efficiency and longevity of its equipment. Outdated sensors, software bugs, lack of integration with building automation systems, and forgotten firmware updates or software patches can lead to incorrect monitoring of the environment. Overtime, this causes equipment damage and increased risk of failure. To prevent this, utilizing environmental monitoring accessories like humidity sensors is a good way to ensure optimal environments. It’s also important to regularly inspect and test these devices for accuracy and replace perishable parts like filters that impact air quality.
4. Multi-Tenant Infrastructure Complexity
Multi-tenant Data Centers (MTDCs) are data centers that house IT infrastructure for multiple different organizations. While this is a useful way for “tenants” to keep costs down by sharing power, cooling, and servers, it also does come with other challenges. Differing tenant requirements can lead to inconsistent architecture and maintenance practices. Outages in these data centers have a greater scope of impact, as one single failure can affect numerous organizations simultaneously. The best way to mitigate the challenges that come with MTDCs is to instill standardized maintenance protocols across the data center, and to establish clear coordination between facility and IT teams. With consistent communication and the same shared maintenance goals, the risks posed by diverse tenant needs can be reduced.
5. Seasonal Stress and Edge Data Center Challenges
Seasonal extremes can lead to overcooling in winter or peak demand in the summer, increasing the strain in HVAC systems and leading to failures. Developing and conducting seasonal maintenance checklists is the best way to ensure your facility is prepared for any type of weather. Seasonal stress can especially impact edge data centers. Edge data centers are smaller, decentralized facilities. Unlike regional or cloud data centers, which are large, centralized, and located far from end users, edge data centers are located closer to where data is generated and consumed, such as near cell towers or telecom offices. These benefit from low latency, as a reduced physical distance has quicker network response times, and also from freed up bandwidth that can be used for other functions. However, due to their decentralized nature and the fact they often lack on-site technicians, they have operational risks. In the event of a failure, they may experience delayed response times and limited service, taking longer to get online and increasing losses. To overcome these unique risks, edge data centers should develop robust plans to improve response time in the event of an emergency.
Understanding the risks that lead to downtime in data centers is the first step toward avoiding them. Once you know what to be prepared for, preventative maintenance is key to ensuring continuous and efficient operation. It’s also smart to keep a supply of backup parts so you’re ready for any and all repairs when they arise. Shop batteries, belts, filters, and sensors from LONG PartsPros, and achieve 100% uptime for your data center!