introduction
For almost every company, a server room or data center is the heart of the business regardless of size or industry. When we talk about cybersecurity, the first thing that comes to mind is preventing data loss or hacking, but what about the physical security of the hardware itself? While cybersecurity and disaster recovery plans are extremely important, they are not the only factors to consider when protecting your business. As the home of mission-critical equipment, hardware that is not in optimal cleaning condition can seriously affect the performance of the data center.
Why do you need to clean up your data center?
“Contamination has been the indirect cause of more IT downtime than all the fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and disgruntled employees combined.” – Jon William Toigo wrote in Disaster Recovery Planning, Third Edition.
You may not be able to see the source, but over time, contaminants such as dust, dirt, clothing or skin particles, zinc and metal fibers can collect on your servers, computers and cables. Even solid-state storage media can be damaged by buildup on heat sinks, bearings, and vents.
Another contaminant to consider is particles released from belts (belts) when the cooling system fails. Up to 80% of particles are tracked into the data center through the soles of shoes, so reducing foot traffic in these areas is a good preventative measure. While these particles often go unnoticed by the human eye due to their presence in the air, they can accumulate over time and can cause hardware temperatures to soar to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Elevated temperatures can lead to massive equipment failures, which can result in downtime and data loss.
benefits of data center cleaning
Data center cleaning services involve cleaning, dusting, and sanitizing all components within the data center, such as servers, racks, cables, switches, and other critical equipment. This type of service is necessary to maintain a high level of performance and reliability within the data center. Cleaning services may also include vacuuming, wiping down surfaces, and removing dust and dirt from hard-to-reach areas. Listed below are the main benefits of keeping your data center clean.
- To Improve Equipment Performance
Data centers are often filled with dust, dirt, clutter, and other debris, which can cause equipment to overheat and malfunction. By cleaning your data center on a regular basis, you can keep equipment running at optimal levels, helping to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime.
- To Improve Security
Static electricity and equipment overheating are among the potential security threats in data centers. Regular cleaning can help reduce the risk of fire and static electricity by reducing dust, ensuring cooling systems are functioning properly, and eliminating combustible materials, thus improving data center safety.
- To Improve Air Quality
Dust and other debris can cause air quality in the data center to suffer. A regular cleaning program helps reduce dust and other particles in the air, which improves data center air quality for the health and comfort of employees.
- To Reduce Energy Costs
Dust buildup can reduce the efficiency of your cooling system, leading to higher energy costs. By cleaning your data center on a regular basis, you can help reduce energy costs by ensuring that your cooling system is operating at optimal levels.
what is the standard for data center cleaning?
The Data Center Cleaning Standard is based on the International Standard for Clean Rooms, Clean Areas and Controlled Environments (Data Centers/Data Lobbies/Data Rooms are controlled environments), which is ISO 14644-1. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines airborne particulate matter cleanliness under the subclasses ISO 14644-1 through ISO 14644-12. The cleanliness standard subclass "ISO 14644-8: Classification of airborne molecular contamination" ensures the quality and level of cleanliness of controlled environments such as clean rooms, data centers, or server rooms. Achieving and maintaining the standards of subcategory 8 means maintaining and sustaining a level of cleanliness and reducing airborne molecular contamination to the minimum levels specified in the clause.
The measure of cleanliness is the number of tiny particles found per cubic meter of air. These particles range in size from 5 μm (micron: one millionth of a meter) in diameter to 0.5 μm in diameter.Obviously, the greater the number of large particles in the environment, the dirtier the environment obviously is. On the other hand, a small number of very small particles means an extremely clean environment.
The ISO 14644-1 standard sets ISO levels from 1 to 9; for example, the most stringent, ISO level 1, states that only 10 particles of 0.1 μm and 2 particles of 0.2 μm are allowed per cubic meter of air. level 1 is the ultimate cleanliness level, which is an extremely stringent standard that can only be achieved by highly controlled environments, such as microprocessor manufacturing or clean rooms in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
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- How often should a data center be cleaned?
Data centers should be cleaned regularly, usually quarterly or semi-annually, depending on the size and complexity of the data center. Equipment such as servers, switches, routers, etc. usually require more frequent cleaning and monthly or quarterly is recommended. If there are special circumstances such as equipment turnover or emergencies, interim cleaning may be required to ensure that the equipment is put back into service in optimal condition. In addition, data center cleaning is best performed by a professional cleaning company or team to ensure that equipment is not damaged.
- How long does a data center cleaning job usually take?
The amount of a data center cleaning job may vary depending on the size of the data center, the number of equipment, the frequency of cleaning, the type of cleaning and the size of the cleaning team. In general, data center cleaning jobs can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
- What kind of cleaning products are used in Data Centers?
Cleaning technicians use specialized products designed for data centers, such as static dissipative cleaners, filtering vacuums, and products that reduce the risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD). It is important to use cleaning products that are safe for electronics and do not leave a residue.
conclusion
Regular cleaning can reduce data center failures and downtime and enhance data center reliability. If you care about data center performance and security, data center cleaning should not be neglected. This step not only helps protect your equipment investment, but also helps ensure that the data center continues to operate efficiently.