Data Centre Construction Tips for Facility Managers
When a new construction or renovation project is in the pipeline, data centres are too important to an organisation’s day to day running for Facility Managers not to choose an experienced Data Centre Solutions Provider. At INFINITI, we specialise in data centre design, build, construction and maintenance services. Here are our top tips to help you plan for the smooth construction of your company’s most critical asset.
Data Centre Site Selection
Data Centre Site Selection
If you’re building a new data centre from the ground up, finding the right location is key to ensuring reliable operations and profitability. Some of the basic things to look for are potential for natural disasters - climate and other potential environmental hazards, good power supply and infrastructure. A site with the potential for expansion is also a good investment.
Part of your assessment of the infrastructure should include planning for backup power generation in the event of a power failure. That includes the types of generators that will meet your needs and designing the data centre’s footprint to include space for additional backup generators.
Data centres also include lots of wiring and cabling, which are essential for data transmission. It’s wise to begin a data centre construction project by designing around this. Often, raised floors or false ceilings are incorporated into designs because it allows for efficient routing for wires without disrupting day to day operations.
Form Follows Function
The shape of a building or object should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose. Server Rooms, whether they’re just a couple cubicles or a full data centre big enough to cover several football fields, protect both infrastructure and equipment that plays a vital role in everything your company does.
The best approach for your server room construction project will depend upon a number of factors; the requirements of IT equipment, your room size and of course budget and time constraints, but making it visually appealing should never be the main focus.
Data Centre Construction or Refurbishment?
It’s just as common for facility managers to choose a data centre refurbishment as it is to choose an entirely new construction. As data storage equipment gets smaller over time, we can often take advantage of existing spaces to consolidate a company’s data storage needs because newer, smaller equipment makes it the more cost effective choice.
Data Centre Cooling
The equipment used in data centres is very sensitive to temperature and moisture. These spaces simply cannot be too hot. Commonly referred to as Computer Room Air-Conditioning units or CRAC units, the ventilation systems in server rooms are always robust, some even have ducting designed especially to cool individual racks of servers.
Data Centre Fire Protection
The decision to install data centre fire suppression systems is generally driven to protect sensitive data contained on hardware and to satisfy insurance requirements.
We can advise you on the best fire suppression systems for your facility, as well as a fully certified design & installation service, room integrity testing, and commissioning of both conventional and analogue addressable fire panels.
Last But Not Least, Get Advice From Your End Users!
A really important factor of data centre construction is getting input from the people who will use the site on a day to day basis. These individuals have on the ground knowledge of data centre spaces that can be overlooked by both facility managers and construction companies alike. At INFINITI, our approach to data centre construction relies heavily on getting the full picture of how a site will be used and that often includes hearing from all employees.
As a data centre provider offering both consultancy and construction services, Infiniti can help offer
guidance and support on the best options for your business.
Have any questions or comments, or would like to know more about the
article and how we can help please contact us on 01993 774444 or email us enquiries@infiniti-it.co.uk
