Data center maintenance: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

Equipment failure can strike at any time, whether it's from a lightning surge, power sag or electric line noise. To head off any potential downtime and keep your data center operating smoothly, it's best to take a multi-tiered approach to your data center preparation.

Predictive and preventative
Predictive and preventive maintenance are two ways of managing your data center. Predictive maintenance is recommended for mission-critical operations. It involves monitoring real-time data to oversee the condition of the equipment. This can help discover and solve any problems that come up in between calendar-based maintenance. 

Preventative maintenance, on the other hand, is based on the calendar. This method involves scheduling regular sessions. These sessions can be weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually depending on the function. This method can be perfectly effective for equipment that's not mission-critical. 

Inspect your equipment
Don't just take a look at your equipment when it stops working. Check it out regularly, starting with the manufacturer guidelines. Keep detailed records of every inspection, and ensure that each inspection follows the same standards and protocols. Assess the wear and tear on each unit to see if it's still functioning properly. Also pay attention to your cooling systems, surge protection and UPS systems. 

Measure compliance and effectiveness
Efficacy is important because you need to have a way of measuring performance in order to determine success or failure.

Analyze your IT efficiency
The power experts at Custom Networks can give your data center an Energy STEP1 Audit to make sure your equipment is operating at its best. Our factory-trained and certified field service engineers come to your workspace and analyze your IT efficiency, consulting you on any maintenance or upgrades you'll need to make.