Are you properly maintaining your data center? Proper data center cooling practices should be a key item on your maintenance list, but there are other steps to follow as well. Here are 5 key steps to maximize your data center performance and longevity.

1. Visual Inspection

While many issues or problems should be noticed and addressed during day-to-day work, things can go unnoticed if visual inspections are not conducted regularly. Make sure to schedule time for a thorough inspection, including both obvious areas and typically neglected areas.

2. Proper Cleaning

Even if a routine cleaning of your facility is managed by a janitorial service, you must still take it upon yourself to routinely clean areas or equipment that receive less attention. Make sure to take note of any equipment that needs to be cleaned with specific cleaning materials or using special cleaning methods.

3. Thorough Testing

It is vital that you test all equipment, as well as inspect all cabling and connections. Test batteries, UPS systems, power generators, switchers, routers, and any other data center supplies or data center software. You will want to inspect and test all data center cooling equipment as well. This will allow you to identify potential issues before they cause major problems.

4. Preventative Maintenance

Creating and updating reports is crucial to monitoring your equipment. You can also ensure the data center’s safety by checking your cybersecurity measures and conducting physical perimeter checks around the facility. Furthermore, you can invest in certain maintenance tools like data center cooling options. According to Energy Star, 80% of data centers use or are exploring hot or cold aisle containment systems to maintain server temperatures and reduce energy use.

5. Possible Repairs

Another important step is performing any needed repairs. It can be easy for certain issues to go unresolved due to lack of time, lack of resources, or lack of priority. Even if a repair may not seem as important as other pressing concerns, allowing an issue to remain unresolved will likely cause more issues down the line.

Every organization has different data center needs, but the steps above are crucial to any maintenance plan. Contact LDP Associates today for any guidance or data center services that you may require.