FEATURE : DATA CENTRES
COMMISSIONING IS THE PROCESS THAT REVIEWS AND TESTS THE DATA CENTRE ’ S PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM TO ASSURE THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF RELIABILITY .
Moreover , the Institute found that over the past 25 years , electrical failures have accounted for 80 % of all IT load issues in data centres , with 37 % of significant outages in 2020 attributed to on-site power failures .
A case for commissioning
As with traditional construction projects , such undesired outcomes can be prevented through the utilisation of effective commissioning services . Commissioning is the process that reviews and tests the data centre ’ s physical infrastructure design as a holistic system to assure the highest levels of reliability .
An effective commissioning process includes comprehensive functional performance testing and Integrated Systems Testing ( IST ) to ensure the resiliency and redundancy of a data centre is rigorously tested for both planned and unplanned events .
High-quality commissioning ensures the interrelationship of the building services are understood , tested and operationally ready at the time of handover , reducing or preventing failure during the operation of the facility . Outlined below is what a comprehensive data centre commissioning process should look like .
A day one priority
To be truly effective , the commissioning exercise should be undertaken from the very onset i . e . during data centre design . Comprehensive review studies conducted at this phase ensure the expected performance outcomes can be achieved . These design reviews follow an iterative process and include
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