Benefits of Data Center Labeling

Labeling is a great tool that increases data center troubleshooting and management efficiencies tremendously. Having an end to end labeling scheme is a solution that many data center operations breakdown. It goes a long way in ensuring reliability and maximizing uptime, which is crucial in today’s data centers.

Change is a constant factor in any data center environment. There are new equipment, movements and even internal adjustments which are not visible to the staff unless documented properly. A professional cable management system uses labeling to help in problem solving and to accelerate tracing of the source of issues. Without this, the time and cost factors in issue resolution can be enormous, both in terms of the cost of IT personnel and resources, as well as in terms of the cost of the possible downtime – a nightmare for every data center manager. The economic benefits of a well documented installation is multifold and ultimately lowers the total cost of ownership and maintenance.

This is where the ANSI/ TIA 606-B.1 Administration Standard for Telecommunications Infrastructure plays a critical role. This is a standard that has been approved since April 2012 and provides clear specifications for infrastructure labeling and identification. Everything has a standard way of labeling, right from cables, racks, cabinets, electrical and custom panels, patch panels and punch blocks. A properly labeled site will benefit all the stakeholders, right from owners, managers, administrators,  contractors, consultants and facility personnel.

Some of the best practices in labeling standards are as follows:

• Labels need to be visible when the infrastructure is being maintained. All text needs to be machine generated.
• Labels need to have resistance to moisture, heat and ultraviolet light.
• Periodic checks of the labels to ensure they are readable, visible and accurate

For more input on data centers and how labeling can be of great importance to the overall operations of data centers, get in touch with the experts at Lifeline Data Centers.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.