Data centers do an important job all throughout the United States. They provide storage of important – even crucial – information and have become widely utilized by the general population as well as by professionals. In fact, companies can even save money by moving their important information to the cloud – and more than eighty percent have to date. But there’s more that goes into the upkeep of a data center than many people realize. From the types of data racks to server rack sizes, it is important that each component down to the server rack sizes is carefully thought out.

Aside from consider the server rack sizes to be used in a data center, it is also important to seriously consider the types of server racks that will be put into use. It is in the best interests of the data center to use a server rack exposure that will reduce energy use in the data center – which can lead to both overheating (and therefore loss of information) as well as astronomical energy costs, certainly a negative for any data center. In fact, data shows that electricity prices could rise by as much as sixty seven percent in the next few years. However, if improvements to the air conditioning system in use as well as the types of server racks and server rack sizes chosen are made, this cost could drop by as much as thirty five percent in total. It is also important to note that improving both these aspects can have a positive impact on the environment, as a traditional air conditioning system in a data center emits as many as two hundred and forty three tonnes of green house gas in just one year (and accrues a cost of twenty three thousand pa).

A poorly functioning air conditioning system, caused by improperly chosen server rack sizes and malfunctions with an air conditioning system itself, can lead to problems such as overheating. Overheating has the potential to be catastrophic to the data stored in any given data center, as it can lead to the loss and erasing of crucial and important information – and liability for the data center itself. In fact, overheating of an air conditioning system is behind the biggest amount of data lost in all of the data centers throughout the United States. Nearly seventy percent (sixty five percent, to be exact) can be directly linked to an air conditioning system malfunctioning or otherwise overheating.

Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to prevent such problems from occurring in the first place. Choosing the right types of electronics racks is the first step. More and more data centers all throughout the country are making the switch to hot aisle containment options. For more than eighty percent of companies and data centers, a hot aisle containment system not only prevents overheating by keeping servers at the ideal temperature, but by reducing energy usage and total output as well (which can eventually even save a considerable amount of money).

From hot aisle containment systems to choosing the right server rack sizes to keeping your air conditioner well cared for and up to date on maintenance, there are a number of important steps that go into keeping a data center in as good a shape as is humanly possible. Data centers have begun to play a hugely crucial role in the way that we store information, and it is hugely important to protect that information and our ease of and security of storage.