Failure to appropriately manage the temperature and airflow within a data center can have disastrous consequences for your business. Not only can this impact the lifespan of expensive equipment, but it can also lead to diminished energy efficiency and increase the risk of downtime due to overheating.
Regardless of how you set up your data center, ensuring you install a robust cooling system is crucial to ensure that your business can maximize its performance and availability in a sustainable manner.
What are data center cooling systems?
Data center cooling systems are responsible for doing exactly what you’d expect: controlling the temperature and reducing heat inside data centers. They work by removing excess heat from the air and replacing it with cooler air to maintain ideal operational conditions for IT equipment.
Types of data center cooling systems
Air cooling and liquid cooling are the most popular methods of data center cooling available today. There are pros and cons to each type of system, so be sure to weigh them up before deciding which one is best suited for your business.
Air cooling
A more traditional type of air cooling, this method is ideal for businesses operating with smaller or older data centers. The system sends out cold air to displace hot air, which is then returned to the unit to be cooled and recirculated.
Liquid cooling
This type of cooling is more energy and cost-efficient than air cooling systems. This is because the liquid is more effective at transferring heat away from the sources that emit it. Liquid cooling can also support higher equipment densities and applications that generate high levels of heat, such as edge computing data centers.
4 ways data center cooling systems can help your business avoid disaster
1. Reduce the risk of damage from excess heat and humidity
Implementing a cooling system in your data center can help you to avoid equipment failure or damage due to an excessively hot or humid environment.
If the temperature rises too much, your data center can overheat. Too much humidity can cause excess condensation to form on equipment such as motherboards and other hardware which can lead to corrosion and malfunction. These conditions can result in reduced productivity and data loss.
2. Increase server uptime
Data center cooling systems can help maximize server uptime by preventing equipment from overheating.
Professional data centers require over 99.99% uptime to keep up with modern business demands. However, cooling is one of the primary causes of downtime for organizations, along with power and network outages and software and IT systems outages
Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure you’re implementing the correct data cooling technology to ensure your business is always available to your customers. Failure to do so can result in poor customer satisfaction and
3. Reduced operational energy costs
Data centers and data transmission networks account for 1-1.5% of global electricity use, which means that they are extremely costly for businesses to run.
One of the main challenges data centers face is to save energy while ensuring optimal performance and the right temperatures for equipment.
Data centers help to keep servers cool, improving airflow between aisles and keeping humidity at an appropriate level. All of this helps to reduce energy waste from excessive heat output. It’s important to note the environmental benefits that data center cooling systems provide through reducing emissions and improving power usage effectiveness.
As government and industry efforts to improve data center energy efficiency increase, it’s pivotal that your business operations align with growing sustainability initiatives moving forward.
4. Longer technology lifespan
Computers and other IT equipment that operate in environments where temperature or humidity aren’t properly regulated will often fail to reach their expected end of life. Replacing hardware before it’s necessary can result in unexpected costs and downtime which can be detrimental to your business.
Introducing a data center cooling system ensures that technology doesn’t overheat or corrode over time, promoting longer lifespans and minimizing the costs associated with replacing vital infrastructure.
Moreover, as businesses move towards implementing more sustainable solutions, data center cooling systems provide a means to increase the longevity of your equipment rather than creating more industrial waste.
Installing a data center cooling system is essential if you want to avoid costly disasters that can impact your business operations and bottom line. Understanding the different types of cooling systems available and the unique advantages they bring will help you make the most sustainable and cost-effective choice for your business.
Access the latest business knowledge in IT
Get Access
Comments
Join the conversation...