Most people will never give data centres a second thought – until something goes wrong , that is . From the daily internet browsing that has become part of 21st century life , to protecting valuable information and ensuring the smooth running of infrastructure and business , data centres play a pretty crucial role when it comes to ‘ business as usual ’ on a national and global level . Data centre demand is on an upwards trajectory , with a 2015 report * predicting that the amount of space and power consumed by European data centres would increase by 20 per cent before 2020 . The UK market , particularly London , is a key player , representing around 44 per cent of the total across the major European Markets .
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‘ Future energy demand is bound to put electrical infrastructure to the test , presenting a future challenge that data centres need to prepare for now .’ |
With rapid increases in data centre energy consumption concentrated in areas such as the M25 corridor , future energy demand in these areas is bound to put electrical infrastructure to the test , presenting a future challenge that data centres need to prepare for now .
For this reason , it ’ s essential to keep emergency backup generators fully operational – assets maintained , fuel in good working order and contingency plans in place .
Flood Mitigation
Apart from power supply issues , environmental disasters are an increasingly real threat , with flood damage being of particular concern to data centres . Whether you think your site is ‘ at risk ’ or not , flood
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mitigation should be a standard part of preventative maintenance .
A suitable Flood Risk Assessment will determine any potential risk , now and in the future , and help you to develop appropriate contingency plans so that action can be taken quickly to minimise damage caused to environment , assets and reputation .
Preparing for Disaster
Hopefully , most data centres will never have to resort to their back up power . In the face of damaging and costly consequences for both the organisations and individuals relying on the data centres services , not to mention the data centre provider itself , however , is it worth putting back-up supply maintenance to the bottom of the pile ?
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34 | July 2017 |