Why Environmental Monitoring Is Important for Data Centers

A ton of equipment and hardware comprises a data center. Choosing the right racks, servers, and wires and thinking about security and maintenance are vital aspects of data center safety. However, many environmental factors also affect how this hardware functions. So it’s your team’s responsibility to learn and adjust these factors whenever you need to. By monitoring these environmental issues within the data center ecosystem, you can avoid disaster in the future. These are the ways that environmental monitoring is important for data centers.

Temperature Monitoring

Gauging temperature control is key in a data center. There’s nothing worse than a piece of equipment melting down or a full-blown fire occurring because you aren’t managing temperature appropriately. A lack of temperature control can cause full-blown data center malfunctions. Don’t just rely on the air conditioning system—an attempt to remedy the issue with it alone will likely not succeed. Instead, create multiple temperature systems, gauges on racks, and air conditioning discharge vents that measure heat output and generation. This information is useful for analyzing and controlling your temperature.

Humidity Monitoring

With temperature control taken care of, humidity shouldn’t be an issue. But you certainly can’t leave anything to chance when dealing with the information on your servers. High humidity can cause equipment corrosion. This, in turn, can cause a buildup of electricity, which can greatly damage your equipment. So deploy humidity and water sensors at strategic places throughout the center, both inside and outside your racks. This is one of the most pressing reasons environmental monitoring is important for data centers.

Airflow Monitoring

Proper airflow is essential to data center functionality and is crucial if you want to regulate temperatures. It works with humidity and temperature control and is the third pillar of that important trinity. Airflow control depends on the data center’s size. But it’s critical to regulate airflow through the racks and around them. Overall, monitoring these three factors will help you maintain a data center and avert negative consequences. We hope you put these procedures in place!