Downtime

Facts:-
It is well known that 90% of companies that suffer prolonged downtime or data loss never recover - these companies usually go bankrupt within 6 months of the event.

The following are also true: -

IT backup units such as environment monitoring equipment or UPS are not perceived as a priority by managers and IT staff as their effects are not immediately apparent. They are commonly referred to as an insurance policy that can only be measured in case of an accident. In this manner they are similar to car insurance, a compulsory safe guard that is only tested when the worst happens.

Often during the planning of a new installation of IT equipment the backup units are overlooked due to the added cost they pose on initial installation, and the affect it would have on the overall available budget. This a is a costly mistake as in the event of Power surges / temperature increases in the equipment or environment could be permanently damage it and will not be covered by the warranty.

New IT equipment comes with temperature / input sensors built in so that in the event of failure manufacturers can wave responsibility for factors outside their control which are not covered by their warranty.

"Power Failures can be costly"

Power Problems

Due to the fact that people expect power to be available 24/7 and as a result investment in backup units usually only happens after a serious issue is encountered. The availability of guaranteed power is only for 98% of the year which works out at 357.7 days a year guaranteed power. Which leaves 7 days a year possible down time.

If you then throw into the mix factors outside of the electricity providers control i.e. road works cut through cable, high winds bring down power lines etc.

"The likely hood of prolonged downtime is high"

The new generation of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are scaleable allowing for cheaper initial installation costs and future expandability. This reduces the impact on the initial installation budget and makes them a more viable prospect to IT managers.

There is now a wide range of backup options for companies allowing for backup at both the server and desktop. Small cost effective UPS unit can be deployed at each work station as local battery backup with separate server side backup. Or for larger organisations complete building wide power support can be installed.

Environmental Monitoring

Due to the introduction of Racks and rack mounted networking and server hardware, Heat is becoming an increasing problem in server rooms. Hardware in close proximity causes airflow problems and leads to failures not supported by the manufacturer warranty.

The new ranges of Environment monitoring and integrated cooling solutions are intended to prolong the life of hardware and prevent invalidation of warranties.

There are many threats within an IT infrastructure Environment that can be tackled:-

• Power failure
• Temperature Fluctuations
• Water exposure
• Humidity + climate
• Fire
• Security breaches

Environmental Monitoring devices can help IT and facilities managers ensure that equipment is being operated within the environmental guidelines specified by the manufacturers.

In the case of a sudden change or environment conditions moving outside of acceptable ranges the systems can automatically alert staff through SMS or e-mail for instant action 24hrs a day.