Why is protecting equipment from air and surface contamination important?

An average minute of data center downtime costs $8,851

80% of data center managers say their last outage was preventable.

70% of data center failures are caused by human error.

74% of data managers believe their last outage of$1M or more could have been prevented with beer processes, management, or configuration.

Your data center isn’t average. Upgraded procedures protect on three fronts:

1. Control All Entry Points toKeep Contamination Out:

• Use double sets of doors
• Seal the envelope - Keep out particles, cut energy cost of cooled air loss
• Install entryway maing
• Restrict operations and materials - All assembly or unpacking should happen in staging areas outside the data center

2. Control What’s AlreadyMade It Inside:

• Empty all trash receptacles daily
• Target all entryway floors for vacuuming
• Use strict SOPs for tools and cleaning patterns - Micro and macroscopic protocols. Use cleaning products approved fordata center equipment
• Subfloor plenums and drop ceilings decontaminated
• Monitor humidity levels

3. Control the Equipment that ControlsYour Environment:

• Change cooling system filters on schedule
• Clean ducts and airways on schedule to avoid buildup
• Maintain systems mechanically - Stop particles created by wear and tear

Particular Problems:

• Air pollution
• Dirt and dust
• Electrostatic dust
• Ferrous metal particles
• Fibers
• Human hair
• Lint
• Packing materials
• Pollen
• Salt (sea or de-icing)
• Skin particles
• Zinc (and tin) whiskers

All your operations and equipment affect each other.

• Particulates in HVAC system scan increase cooling energy costs.EPA recommends removing contaminants to reduce energy use.
• Airborne gases can also lead to corrosion and failures. ASHRAE recommends data center.
• Particles and build up can interfere with critical equipment and cause failures. ASHRAE recommends ISO Class 8clean room requirements for data centers.