A regular cleaning of your computer room is an extremely important part of caring for your data center.  You need to schedule regular site cleanings to keep it free of dust, dirt and other harmful substances that can damage your systems and create risks for personnel. Dust and other particles that circulate within the room can accumulate and severely interfere with equipment by causing difficult or even tragic problems; problems that could lead to media errors and data loss.

A good rule of thumb that you should follow is to schedule certified cleanings throughout the year on a quarterly basis. You may even need to schedule one more often if your particulate count exceeds the standards set by ISO 14644-8 or ISO 14644-9. By following this regular cleaning schedule, you’ll be able to optimize the performance of your server room hardware, while at the same time cut down on the cost of repairs or data recovery from damage that could have occurred. If you compare the cost of a regular cleaning to the overall financial investment that was put into your data center, it’s a smart buy.

How To Choose a Cleaning Service for Your Computer Room

Don’t grab your broom and dustpan yet. You might use these two items to clean your home, but data centers are very different. The only thing your home and your server room have in common is that you should clean them both regularly. Cleaning an entire server room is a very delicate process that requires the specific services and expertise of professionals who are highly-trained at it and who will carefully and safely clean your critical equipment.

Here’s some advice to help you choose the right cleaning service:

• Check the company’s references, especially their quality of service. Find a reference or two that have facilities similar to yours. Be sure the company you’re looking at knows how to deal with the type of equipment in your server room.
• They should also be insured for damages they might cause during their cleaning.
• Evaluate the cleaning crew’s experience and training and ask for their official credentials. They need to know exactly how to clean server room. They should be trained and certified for specific standards and server room specifications.
• Review their methods. Make sure they use HEPA filtration vacuums and that their chemicals are safe for your electronic equipment and other hardware and that they will be able to work with your computer room layout.
• Tell them up front what you expect. Who will move the equipment? Does the service including cleaning beneath the suspended computer room floor or above the server racks? Perhaps there are certain data-sensitive areas of your server room. Will those areas be off-limits? What else is included or not included in their cleaning service?
• You’ll want to look for a company who will be available to clean according to your needs. Perhaps in addition to your regular cleanings, will they be available in the event of a last-minute emergency?

Looking to design or re-organize your computer room? There are a few things that you should keep in mind. Since it stores a lot of valuable information, the safety and security of your equipment and hardware should be a top concern. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Choose an Appropriate Rack Size

As you start the design of your server room and computer room layout, the logical place to start would probably be the computer room racks. Make sure to get racks that have not only enough internal space to house all your current equipment, but also your future equipment. You’ll need extra space now if you ever plan to expand in the future, as you surely will. You’ll also need enough room to move your servers in and out, as well as enough space to maneuver them around. For safety purposes, you’ll also need enough room between equipment. When installing it, follow the included instructions so that you’ll be less likely to have problems in the future.

2. Include Your New Room in Your Security Strategy

One of the most important things for you and your company is security. As you’re designing your room, make sure any changes you make are included in the business strategy. For security, you may want to consider buying server racks with lockable doors. Also consider minimizing personnel access to the server room and using cameras or other computer room monitoring systems. There are also a lot of other things that can potentially cause damage to your server room and equipment: temperature changes, water leaks, electrical issues, etc. Also write up policies and what needs to happen for data center escalation procedures. Keeping these things in mind and adding additional security features to your room will enable you to act quickly to take care of these issues and protect your valuable equipment.

3. Research New Power Technology

Power technology is always being improved. Companies are providing you with various choices for supplying your servers. You’ve got several options to consider: rack mount power strips, remote power products, three-phase power technologies, and, of course, standard power strips. Your choice is going to depend on various factors: the amount space in and around your computer room, the number of necessary outlets, each plug’s requirements, and redundancy requirements you may want to implement now or in the future.

4. Ensure the Safety of Your Room with a Good Cooling Strategy

Each piece of equipment gives off a varied amount of heat, making various cooling demands for your computer room. You’ll need to learn exactly how to keep a server room cool. When making the selection for server room cooling units, you need to evaluate your total requirements along with the available cooling methods in order to ensure the overall safety of the equipment, environment, and personnel according to server room specifications..