Four Ways to Avoid Emergency Data Center Cleaning

Do you see dust piling up in your data center? Have you noticed an increase in chemical or acrid odors recently? Are you unsure about when the air filters in your data center’s HVAC system were last changed? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this article is for you. By following this advice, you could save your company a fortune.

What Is Emergency Data Center Cleaning?

Of all the IT intricacies to consider when running an efficient digital infrastructure, cleaning physical hardware is often neglected. When dirt and grime build up on computer hardware, IT components can begin breaking down in a hurry. Data center cleaning involves maintaining the on-ground end of your online workflow. Emergency data center cleaning gets businesses back online by restoring their hardware to working conditions.

When Is Emergency Data Center Cleaning Necessary?

Regular maintenance can prevent data center emergencies from occurring, but businesses can count on emergency services to bail them out in a pinch. How do you know when it’s time for emergency cleaning?

A few common factors can damage IT hardware if left untreated. One issue that can cause substantial damage is dust buildup. Dusty servers can experience fan failures and subsequent overheating. Similarly, dirty filters reduce operational efficiency and waste energy. Mold, mildew, pollen and other airborne contaminants can easily clog up other components. Emergency cleaning resolves these problems after they’ve begun wreaking havoc on your technological infrastructure.

What Does Emergency Data Center Cleaning Entail?

When a maintenance crew comes in for emergency data center cleaning, they’ll perform various procedures to improve your hardware’s functioning. Some of these emergency services include:

• Equipment cleaning
• Floor surface cleaning
• Sub-floor and above-ceiling cleaning
• Disaster recovery
• Zinc whisker remediation

Avoiding Data Center Disasters

Calls for emergency data center cleaning services following unplanned downtimes are on the rise. This isn’t a comforting trend, as recent reports estimate that data center breaks in service cost businesses roughly $9,000 for every minute they’re down! Of course, it’s important to remember that while service interruptions due to dust, dirt and contaminant buildup are expensive, they are mostly avoidable.

That’s why we put together this list of the top four things you should consider adding to your data center’s maintenance schedule to avoid emergency cleaning issues and interruptions to service:

1. Create a Data Center Cleaning Schedule

Every data center needs to establish its own cleaning standards with a schedule for the areas and types of cleaning to be done. Besides limiting the number of contaminants that enter your data center, the best way to keep it clean is to use professional computer room cleaning services like those offered by DataSpan.

Because inexperienced cleaners can forget to check under subfloors or may not know where to look for dust buildup on fans and other critical equipment, using professional cleaning services is a direct investment in maximizing your facility’s uptime. Plus, cleaning services cost much less when they’re part of a regular cleaning schedule, as opposed to when you need emergency services during an unplanned shutdown.

2. Change Filters

While some data centers leave air filter maintenance to their HVAC technicians’ annual visit, this may not be sufficient for optimized airflow. In addition, if your air filters are dirty, your cooling systems will have to work harder to properly cool your servers and other important electronic components. This can result in costly increases in energy consumption and a shorter equipment life span.

The best advice is to check your air filters frequently. Add this step to your regular preventative maintenance program and change your filters whenever you notice a drop in your HVAC system’s performance.

3. Keep Out Airborne Contaminants

Did you know that shipping and packing materials should never enter your data center’s server room? When server room cleaning services find traces of airborne contaminants like mold, cloth fibers and dust, these often result from new equipment being unpacked in the space and packing materials contaminating the area. Once again, it’s always prudent to have a professional’s advice about how to maintain your data center’s cleanliness.

4. Know Your Cleaning Equipment and the Products You’re Using

Whether your team or a service you hire is cleaning your data center, it’s your responsibility to acquaint yourself with the cleaning products and equipment used in your space. From checking on the HEPA filters used in vacuums to the safety precautions on cleaning chemicals, the more you know about the cleaning procedures performed in your data center, the better prepared you’ll be.

For Superior Computer Room Cleaning Services, There’s DataSpan

DataSpan has been helping data centers optimize their operations since 1974. In that time, our cleaning services have evolved to keep pace with the many developments associated with technological breakthroughs and equipment demands. To learn more about our fully qualified data center cleaning services, contact us today.