While all organizations aim to keep their business at a comfortable temperature for their employees and customers, it’s easy to overlook maintaining the right temperature in server rooms, which are typically unoccupied. Safeguarding servers is crucial for business continuity, and one of the most important components is preventing spikes in room temperature. Overheating is a real and common risk because servers produce a great deal of heat and are often stored in tight spaces. Keep reading to learn more from the experts at Correct Temp Heating & Cooling.
What Happens if a Server Overheats?
If a server room reaches 85 or 90 degrees Fahrenheit and isn’t cooled immediately, the equipment can melt. When this happens, the entire computer is typically lost, and in some cases, long-term problems remain even when the computer has been replaced.
Because servers can be likened to the technical ‘brain’ of a business, driving its software programs, hardware, and other processes, businesses can halt immediately and completely until the issue has been resolved, which can take time. Perhaps more alarming, server downtime can cost a medium or large company $300,000 an hour and a small business $137 – $427 per minute.
What Is the Ideal Temperature for a Server Room?
To determine best practices, we look to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, the organization that sets standards for the HVAC industry. According to ASHRAE, data storage rooms should be kept between 64.4 and 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The same organization sets standards for humidity and recommends that data centers maintain 20-80% relative humidity.
Organizations should aim to keep their server rooms somewhere near the bottom of the safe temperature range; this provides a little more time should a unit fail or the temperature begin to rise for any other reason.
How Is the Server Room Temperature Maintained?
Data centers and server rooms require air conditioning. Working with a commercial HVAC contractor in Frisco, TX, allows business owners and IT professionals to explore custom air conditioning options designed to accommodate the heat their servers produce, maintain the ideal temperature in their server room, and notify the appropriate people if the temperature approaches established, predetermined thresholds so prompt action can be taken.
Server room HVAC design is changing and evolving all the time. A commercial HVAC installer will likely take time to analyze airflow in the server room and identify hotspots before deciding how to design the solution. The right solution will do three things:
- Maintain a reduced temperature that’s safe for the server and other equipment housed in the room
- Move heat away from heat-sensitive equipment and maximize airflow across server racks
- Control and monitor humidity levels
Who Manages Server Room Temperature?
Within an organization, the IT department is generally responsible and accountable for the temperature of the server room. An IT director or manager will typically work with a commercial HVAC installer to determine the best solution for maintaining temperature and humidity in the server room, and then the HVAC installer will implement that solution, including any alarms or notifications for out-of-range temperature or humidity.
What Maintenance Is Required?
Generally speaking, server room temperature should be monitored continuously. Companies that use a digital system for monitoring and notification are able to check the temperature of their server room from anywhere, at any time, and maintain a log for their records.
To conclude, server room temperature management is a key component of data protection and business continuity for any organization housing data on internal servers. The IT department is generally responsible and accountable internally, but a commercial HVAC installer’s services from Correct Temp Heating & Cooling are typically required to identify and implement the right solution for long-term success.
