If you run your own IT from an onsite server room, you know that keeping your IT hardware both reliable and safe is a constant struggle. From choosing your server rack enclosures to the right operating system for your business, just the setup of your onsite server can be a pain the neck.
However, even after you’ve chosen the right server rack sizes and server rack enclosures with the proper weight and power ratings, there is one big threat that will always remain: fire. Consider, according to Tom’s Hardware, just the central processing units of your servers can run as hot as 100-degrees Celsius, or 212-degrees Fahrenheit — that’s when your cooling fan is working properly. In other words, your systems put off a lot of heat and if something goes wrong, that heat can quickly transform into flame. However, by following these tips to fireproofing your server room, you can protect your huge investment in server rack enclosures and computer hardware, not to mention the lives of your employees.
Three Tips for Fireproofing Your Servers
- Install a Waterless Sprinkler System
For Spice Works, a provider of white papers on information technology, one of the best ways to fireproof your server room is by installing a waterless sprinkler system. Now, you might be asking yourself why you can’t just use water, but think about it; if your sprinkler manages to put out the fire, the chances of the water short-circuiting your components is significant. Chemical-based suppression systems will kill fire, without killing your components.
- Use an Oxygen Reduction System
As you well know, fire thrives in oxygen rich environments. Subsequently, Information Management recommends installing an oxygen deprivation system in your onsite server room. These systems will keep oxygen saturation of your clean room at safe levels, while pumping carbon dioxide and other suppressant gases into the room, greatly reducing your chances of a fire.
- Turn Your Server Room into Its Own Space
One of the keys to fireproofing not only your server room but the rest of your business, according to CableOrganizer.com, is to make sure your server room is effectively a separate space from the rest of your office. Many residential and commercial contractors offer fire-resistant ceramic wall, floor, and ceiling materials that will help to stop fire from spreading from your server room. More importantly, they’ll also help keep it from coming in.
Do you have any great tricks for making clean rooms full of hot-running server rack shelves more fireproof? Tell us about it with a comment below. Check out this website for more. More on this.