DISASTER RECOVERY
HDD with no damage after restart to
more severe disturbances. It was found
that the main cause of these problems
was the high noise level caused by
the discharge of the agent during the
extinguishing process.
To answer this challenge, Silent
Extinguishing Technology is now
available to ensure quiet and safe
extinguishing in data centres and server
rooms. This technology reliably protects
IT operations and minimizes the risk of
business interruptions following a fire
extinguishing system discharge.
Integrated Solutions
Effective fire safety systems are a fundamental requirement in
achieving maximum system uptime and availability.
the cooling system is shut down after
pre-alarm while the point-type detectors
verify the presence of combustion and
trigger the extinguishing system. ASD
systems are available that are based on
a dual wavelength technology to verify
that particles aspirated in very low
concentrations actually are smoke from
a fire. Full integration of the device into
the fire safety or management system
ensures the safest operation possible
because all the ASD warnings and
possible maintenance messages are
available at the management level so
corrective measures can be taken.
Efficient Extinguishing
The most important factor when
designing an extinguishing system in a
data centre environment is to make sure
that the chosen agent extinguishes the
fire without harming sensitive electronic
equipment. For this reason, water should
be avoided at all times. Furthermore, the
agent must be environmentally friendly,
safe for people working in the protected
area, and not harm the HDDs in
operation. Both clean agent and inert
gas systems can be excellent and reliable
systems if they are properly designed
and commissioned.
Even though dry extinguishing
systems are the best choice to protect
data centres, the latest technological
findings show that in very rare cases
computers and HDDs can face
problems after the extinguishing process
has been triggered. These problems may
range from automatic shutdown of a
12 NETCOMMS europe Volume V Issue 5 2015
Electronic security and safety solutions
can help protect a data centre and
in doing so protect an organisation’s
application availability, its confidentiality,
its integrity and, ultimately, its ability
to function. Integration of security
and safety measures is one of the
prime methods of enhancing business
continuity through protection
of business-critical data. Central
management of operational systems
provides a more efficient and dynamic
use of resources, focusing them when
and where they are needed. Fire
safety and security can be integrated
through danger management stations.
This allows for centralized supervision
and alarm handling from a number
of different sources, including fire
detection, video surveillance, access
control and intrusion detection.
The benefits of integrating fire
safety and security are numerous: video
surveillance allows the danger zone
to be viewed immediately, offering a
visual means of verifying and assessing
the situation; integrated access control
provides monitoring of escape routes
and the means to quickly open or
close doors, an important part of the
evacuation process; integrated intrusion
detection means that data and electronic
equipment is protected not only from
the threat of fire, but also against
unobserved theft or sabotage. All of this
through a single, centralised station that
guides personnel through the step-bystep processes to be followed in the event
of an incident. This integrated view
of what is happening not only helps to
resolve an incident, but also provides
the capability to learn from incidents,
which is crucial in enabling process
adaptation in the very dynamic risk
landscapes which characterise today’s
business environments. Although safety
and security are not a direct part of IT
operations, they definitely help to ensure
the business continuity environment of
a data centre.
The Best Solution
To ensure the highest possible safety
and security, it is important to control
the interfaces and use the latest scientific
findings for the best solution. Systems
with real interoperability from a single
source are therefore the preferable
option in such a mission critical
environment as a data centre, requiring