Security is one of the most important things to consider when setting up a data center. Are you able to protect your data from hackers, break-ins, and other disasters, natural or otherwise? A properly prepared data center should be able to stand up to all of these things and more, providing a safe and secure location for people to store their precious data.
Unfortunately, one of the most dangerous things in a data center is also the most often overlooked danger. What is this hazard that all data centers should be wary of?
Its the same thing that keeps the lights on and the servers running electricity.
The Dangers of Electricity
Everyone knows that when youre setting up your electronics in your home, you should plug them into a surge protector before plugging them into the wall socket. This is designed to shield your expensive electronics from power surges caused by lightning strikes or other problems.
In your home, its not just your computers and cell phones that you need to worry about. Refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, dryers, light switches, and ground fault circuit interrupter sockets can all be damaged or destroyed.
Even if it only lasts for a couple millionths of a second, a power surge can cause thousands of dollars in damage to an unprotected home.
For a data center, those millionths of a second can be devastating, for both the storage equipment and stored data. Even a small spark can cause thousands or millions of dollars worth of damage, not to mention the potential loss of valuable data. Even if there is no data loss caused by a spark or power surge, the time the data center is offline while undergoing repairs could represent millions of dollars in lost revenue for both the center and the companies whose store data there.
Surges and Sparks
The biggest danger in data centers is known as an arc flash hazard. An arc flash is a spark of electricity that forms and can potentially damage or destroy equipment. Circuit breakers installed in the system can prevent these flashes from occurring, as long as theyre maintained and updated to keep up with the data centers systemic demands.
Determining whether or not the circuit breakers are sufficient to prevent arc flashes in a system is known as an arc flash study.
An arc flash study enables data centers to have their entire electrical network analyzed. The power usage of everything from the storage servers to the coffee pot in the break room is studied. Once the power usage of the office is determined, a specialized program can crunch the numbers to determine whether or not the circuit breakers currently installed will sufficiently prevent an arc flash from forming.
Time for a Study
Having a regular arc flash study conducted is the best and simplest way to prevent costly downtime and expensive equipment damage. There are multiple different ways a data center can do this.
The first step is finding a firm that offers arc flash studies in your area. Many companies offer a variety of tests and studies designed to create the most comprehensive collection of information, perfect for keeping arc flashes and other electrical issues from occurring in the first place.
Additionally, integrated hardware and software that do not require the constant attention of an arc flash study technician can help monitor electrical systems at every level of use. This is a twofold style of protection first, it can contribute to finding potential problems before they cause damage, and second, it can collect information in the event of an arc flash or power surge to determine where the point of failure was and how to prevent it in the future.
Finally, the best step that data centers can take toward keeping their equipment safe and protected is to maintain the data storage hardware up to date. Older and obsolete equipment has a higher chance of breaking down and causing arc flashes.
Global data storage is one of the biggest and most useful tools in international business have in their arsenal, but it can all disappear in the blink of an eye or the flash of a spark. Arc flashes happen quickly, so the only way to keep them from knocking the cornerstone out of your data center is to prevent them. Studies and up-to-date hardware will keep the information flowing and maintain the electricity that powers your data empire from being the thing that tears it down.
