Data centers originated as low maintenance space for backoffice applications and have emerged as high-density nerve centers for a widevariety of critical business functions. With this evolution, data centers havepresented an ever increasing set of challenges to ITand Facility Managers,including business continuity, compliance and capacity planning. Combine thesewith the everyday issues of change management, security and scheduledmaintenance and one thing becomes clear: A large data center has too manyongoing processes to manage without some sort of generally accepted list ofstandard operating procedures. Data center policies and procedures provide theinitial framework for achieving this objective.
Data center policies and procedures need communicating themeffectively and tying them to the bigger picture of operational excellence whichis the first step towards holistic data center management.
Policies should focus on four main areas namely Security ;EquipmentInstallation ;Safety and emergency procedures ;and Change management.
Developing a cohesive set of policies and proceduresspecifically for the data center environment is a critical part ofmanaging core IT infrastructure.Focusing on key areas such as standard operating procedures for safety, equipmentinstallation, safe work practices and change management can increasesafety ,reduceunnecessary business incidents., and help maintain integrity of the overalldata center environment. The end result is reduced cost as a result of less downtimeand improved efficiencies around server installation and dailymaintenance.Policies should apply to everyone .At the same time it isimportant to develop an effectivecommunications plan to reach all stakeholders and to ensure ongoing compliance.Once these business processes have been defined and implemented, enforcementand accountability are critical.
For managing a datacentre to ensure maximum availability, itis necessary to ensure that all supporting infrastructure is regularly checkedand maintained at optimum level. Supporting Infrastructure is but not limitedto:
UPS(Uninterrupted Power Supply) ; PAC (Precision Air Conditioning) and relatedoutdoor units ; PDU (Power Distribution Units) ; ATS & STS (Automatic &Static Transfer Switches) ; WLD (Water Leakage Detection) ; VESDA ; FireDetection and Suppression System ; Electrical Distribution Units (MDB & DB); Earth & Grounding ; Rodent Management ; Access Controls and checks ;Surveillance policy, Safety Drills .
Toensure all these are up and running at optimum efficiency and capacity it isrequired to do periodic checks and planned preventive maintenance to preventfrom unwanted downtimes.
New data center policies and procedures are likely to impacta large number of teams and personnel, including those who manage vendorrelationships. In order to drive compliance, it is essential to obtain supportand acceptance from the management team from the onset. To achieve clientsatisfaction, identify all stakeholders and actively solicit feedback regardingthe policies. Having a comprehensive communications plan in place ahead of timewill ensure everyone gets involved.Once policies have been implemented,consider nominating a review board to periodically assess them foreffectiveness. Informative materials should be accessible to all personnelaccessing the data center. These can include posted signage in communallocations, information on your internal data center website, and an orientationvideo that explains the basic data center protocol to anyone requesting datacenter access.
It is advisable to define some reliable metrics to gauge thesuccess of the new data center policies. These can include the number of safetyincidents, unintended outages, or scheduled outages due to failure to followstated policies.
Data Center policies and procedures are an important firststep to effective data center management. Engaging management and keystakeholders early on in the process and having a comprehensive communicationsplan will ensure success and drive home the message of operational excellence.Once policies have been communicated, enforcement and accountability arecritical to ongoing success. The key tangible benefits for an organization areless downtime and improved efficiencies around ongoing server maintenance.
Asheesh Garg (ChiefExecutive Officer)
Nikom InfraSolutions Pvt. Ltd.
( BuildingDatacentres on Demand ..)