Online connections fuel the modern world. Especially now with so many people working from home, a reliable server connection is paramount to a successful business. Just because many server rooms stay out of sight does not mean that they lack importance. In fact, their out-of-sight nature often brings the unwanted side effect of neglecting simple maintenance such as cleaning.
Keeping a server room clean means keeping the servers, and therefore your business in many cases, functioning without a hitch. Here are five reasons why your server room needs to be spotless.
Server rooms require an immense electrical supply for both the server equipment and the air conditioning that keeps the room cool. Any large amount of electricity flowing into a single space holds some inherent risk. In order to mitigate this risk, keep your server room clean. Dust can gather in and around electrical outlets or the power inputs to the equipment itself. This increases the chances of an electrical fire from a loose connection or foreign matter interfering with a power source.
Crews might need to regularly access the server room to check for proper equipment functionality, routine maintenance or correcting an issue. An unclean or messy space makes it dangerous for your IT professionals to access the service room. Whether danger comes from debris on the ground contributing to a slip and fall incident, mold growth from unnoticed water damage or rodents entering the server room, these factors contribute to unsafe working conditions.
Keep your employees safe and able to perform their jobs without ever feeling in danger by keeping a clean working space, including in the server rooms. Protecting your employees correlates to protecting your business.
Server rooms need to be cooled to prevent the servers and equipment from overheating. In some cases, dust buildup in the air conditioning vents increases the temperature of the room. When it gets too hot, servers overheat and malfunction. That means all the data on the servers is lost.
To keep the server room cool, administer regular cleaning. Check air conditioning vents for dust and debris, but dusting and cleaning the entire room will keep anything else from entering the air ducts. High temperatures reduce the lifespan of equipment, so simple routine maintenance saves tons of money on new equipment.
In the event of a server malfunction or update, IT professionals need to access the server room quickly to reduce disruptions. An untidy server room results in longer maintenance times and makes it harder for IT personnel to complete their tasks.
When a server crashes or malfunctions, solving the problem quickly reduces the error’s impact on your business as a whole. IT personnel should only worry about solving the issue instead of performing peripheral maintenance. Cleaning the server room regularly allows for a quick response should any issue arise. Without having to struggle to get to or finding the server in need of attention, the problem goes away quickly and your business can get back to peak productivity.
Server rooms do not only contain servers. Server racks, routers, switches, and tons of cables occupy almost every server room. Many server rooms contain much more than this, often bordering on becoming data centers that contain additional computer equipment. In order to ensure easy access to the servers, all server rooms need to be organized properly. This primarily means tying cables together, creating labels, and keeping them out of the way.
A messy server room creates the idea that organization does not matter. The last thing you want to do is let your employees forget about the importance of an organized server room. By maintaining a spotless environment, it spreads the message that all employees must clean up after themselves and leave the server room as they found it or better. Once again, a lack of organization makes it harder to correct an issue should one occur. A thoroughly cleaned and organized server room keeps all aspects of the server room operating effectively.
Additionally, a clean and organized server room makes it easy to spot potential problems. This allows your maintenance team to take a proactive approach towards keeping the servers running instead of just reacting to issues. The more problems you can solve before they start, the better. Cleaning and organizing your server room on a regular basis makes it easy to consistently clean and organize as time goes on. Letting a mess gradually grow makes it more difficult and time-consuming when you have to clean it up.
Eventually, all technology becomes outdated and requires an update. That does not mean you want to update prematurely. A clean server room allows you to maximize the lifespan of your servers and computer equipment. As discussed earlier, high temperatures reduce the lifespan of your equipment. Other factors such as dust and debris cause malfunctions and break servers down should they enter the device through a cooling port, cable input or any other area. Regular dusting prevents dust from building up inside the servers.
Dust is not the only enemy to look out for. An unclean environment could attract rodents who will want to make the climate controlled server room their home. Cleaning regularly not only reduces places for rodents to nest and potential food supply, but also acts as a way to inspect the server room for potential issues. Rodents may chew through cables and other equipment, damaging data and costing your company money in repairs and productivity. Keep the rodents out and keep your equipment running smoothly.
When it comes to keeping professional business areas clean, Allied Facility Care comes in first. Offering a variety of cleaning and janitorial services for all kinds of businesses including office spaces, retail shops and manufacturing centers, Allied holds the key to quality service through their experienced staff and complete assortment of tools.
Serving locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as cities in Tennessee and Mississippi, Allied Facility Care can handle all of your business’ cleaning needs.
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