Server Room Significance

When deciding to build or lease a data center, the server room is the core component of the data center’s physical infrastructure. It must be given its due importance and designed in an optimal way to deliver the best output at all times. Following are some of the key aspects that need to be considered when evaluating physical design areas of server rooms.

• Placement: The location needs to be such that there are no exterior walls or windows, since this causes security threats and also thermal control issues. There is a lot of movement of the IT staff to and from the server room so the location should be within easy access to all and in an area where nearby locations will not get disturbed by the constant movement of equipment moving in and out.
• Expandability: The design of the server room needs to be elastic so that future expansion needs can be catered to without any major relocations. At least one direction adjacent to the server room needs to be a soft area, such as an office space, so that it can allow for sever room expansion in the future.
• Floor design: The server room needs to take on a significant amount of structural load of mainframes, loaded racks and other equipment. The floor foundation needs to be strong and it is also a good idea to add reinforcement either below or above the floor space. Ideally server rooms close to the ground should be avoided so as to be protected from the risk of flooding.
• Water Sources: The server room hardware needs to be as far away as possible from water sources and plumbing pipes. Any kind of water leakage can spell disaster for this critical room and a small leakage can cost millions of dollars in damage.

At the end of the day, physical space comes at a cost. An efficient server room design can play a great role in the total square feet and its associated cost for a data center. For example, social media giant Facebook recently invested in a 1.4 million square feet data center at an astounding cost of $1.5 billion. Whether you are a large organization such as Facebook or a Small and Medium Business (SMB) owner, the server room is the one room that you must not ignore in a data center. For more informatio on the best suited server room designs for your needs, do consult with the experts at www.lifelinedatacenters.com today.

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.