Keeping temperature-sensitive IT equipment like servers cool in heated buildings during the winter months has become a challenge. Standard central air conditioners may provide adequate cooling during warm months, but as the building’s HVAC system switches from cooling to heating, equipment can face the risk of overheating, costly damage and system downtime. The traditional solution [...]

Could your data center operate if it lost its water supply? Water is crucial to the operation of many data centers. This summer’s heat wave in much of the U.S. has taxed the water infrastructure in many areas, causing a jump in water main breaks due to the combination of dry round and increased usage. [...]

Since 2008, the largest players in the data center industry have been advocating operating server rooms at warmer temperatures. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook have all embraced the idea of raising the thermostat in their data centers, saying the benefits of reduced spending on cooling can be substantial, and the practice hasn’t led to elevated [...]

Data center cooling is a constant issue in both initial design and evolution. But a greater issue is the expense in dealing with the challenge. Beyond the cost of buying, installing and power the CRACs (Computer Room Air Conditioning) units is the very real expense of consulting. Typical estimates put consulting fees between $40,000 and [...]

Here’s an interesting story which illustrates the importance of cooling in where data centers are built. The city of Bluffdale, Utah has agreed to annex more than 500 acres of land where the huge new National Security Agency data center will be built.  The annexation of the unincorporated land is being made at the request [...]