Industry experts recommend ensuring all systems, including cooling systems, are monitored at Phoenix colocation centers.

Cooling

Early Phoenix colocation centers depended on standard air conditioning systems to maintain the ideal operating temperatures, but processor heat generation and rack density have grown. Now, Phoenix colocation centers require more sophisticated cooling systems.

The colocation facility of today is designed from the ground up to promote and ensure efficient airflow throughout all racks. Air-powered cooling systems cool the entire rack from the top to the bottom evenly and supply higher levels of cooling to hotter areas.

Modern day cooling systems reduce electricity bills and lower customer costs by making more efficient use of cooling energy.

CoreLink’s Phoenix colocation center, as well as its otherdata centers feature N+1 design. The climate is controlled by precision air condition systems. CoreLink has 20-ton and 30-ton Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC) units located in each colocation room. CRAC units are piped to cooling towers, chillers or condensers located in secured exterior areas.

The CRAC units are set to 72 degrees and continuously monitor the data center environment within a 2 degree tolerance To maintain that temperature, the unit can  add humidity, cooling, or heat as needed. CoreLink’s data center infrastructure also has temperature and humidity sensors located in each room to ensure environmental conditions are appropriate and stable.

For more information about data center cooling specifications in any of our locations, including our Phoenix colocation centers, contact CoreLink Data Centers.

Industry experts recommend individuals or businesses monitor Seattle colocation centers security efforts in areas of power supply, in addition to efforts in place to monitor temperature control. This doesn’t make sense relative to the article below.

Power

Power outages and fluctuations are bound to happen in businesses, but they are anticipated and planned for by colocation centers. Colocation service agreements commonly specify the colocation facility will provide backup power sources to protect against power related problems.

CoreLink’s electrical system is comprised of a 2N or N+1 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) parallel system to the cabinet level.

Several Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS) devices are installed on major electrical panels and remove power surges prior to being seen by the UPS, where the wave form is stabilized. The CoreLink UPS systems correct utility power to a stable wave form through double-conversion and include a 7 minute battery back-up to transition to the generator system.

Power is distributed from the UPS through K-rated transformers to local panel distribution panels and branched to computer cabinets. Computer cabinets are installed with IP-addressable power strips containing capacity meters.

CoreLink offers both AC and DC power in a variety of voltage and amperage configurations. The system includes a back-up using an Automatic Transfer Switch connected to a stand-by diesel generator.

The system is designed to transition to generator back-up in 15 seconds whenever an under-voltage or over-voltage condition persists. Back-up power is sustained and not reduced until the utility supply is stable and consistent.

For more information about our data center power specification in any of our locations, including our Seattle colocation centers, contact CoreLink Data Centers.

One big reason companies choose to locate their mission-critical software and hardware in third-party colocation centers is because they have higher physical and procedural security measures.

Security procedures at colocation centers encompass physical access to servers and hardware, protection against flood, power outages, fire and other environmental disasters, local and remote access to applications, and data stored on the hardware.

As technology has changed, the risk factors affecting security and monitoring have changed as well.

CoreLink is a leading Arizona colocation center offering state-of-the-art facilities and data center services for the colocation and management of mission-critical business applications. We own and operate data centers across the United States, strategically located to provide secure, expert-run solutions to midsize enterprises.

CoreLink’s attention to detail, strict process culture, and world-class customer service enable us to offer maximum reliability, security, and stability for our customers.

For more information about data center security in our Arizona colocation centers, or other colocation centers, contact CoreLink Data Centers.

Most Seattle data centers not only monitor devices, they also perform regular, periodical testing and maintenance on critical devices. According to the survey:

• 85.6 percent of respondents report regular testing and maintenance of their UPS Systems
• 78 percent of respondents report regular testing and maintenance of their backup generators
• 72.5 percent of respondent report regular testing and maintenance of their fire suppressant systems
• 50.2 percent report regular testing and maintenance of their servers
• 43.6 percent report regular testing and maintenance of their storage devices
• 43 percent report regular testing and maintenance of their water detectors
• 28 percent report regular testing and maintenance of mainframes and associated I/O devices
• 18.8 percent report regular testing and maintenance of EPO Buttons.

The survey concluded with the following findings in regards to performance monitoring trends in data centers:

1. More than 80 percent of Seattle data centers with Emergency Power Off (EPO) buttons do not test them regularly.

2. Seattle data centers perform service maintenance on regular basis almost twice as often as they perform regular maintenance of their mainframe equipment.

3. More than 97 percent of all data centers have a UPS system installed.

4. More than 87 percent of all data centers have backup generators

For more information about Seattle data centers, contact CoreLink Data Centers.

Does your business rely on Chicago data centers to monitor your mission-critical IT infrastructure and applications? Do you want to ensure the Chicago data centers you use are keeping up with the latest performance monitoring trends?

This post explores findings of a recent AFCOM survey regarding performance monitoring trends at Chicago data centers. It will discuss what systems and components are most monitored, how these systems and components are monitored, and what testing and maintenance is performed on critical devices.

Performance monitoring in Chicago data centers is coming into its own, with a majority of critical systems and components under 24-hour scrutiny. The consequence of error in Chicago data centers has risen dramatically and therefore the need to find and correct all malfunctions is a necessity. Many Chicago data centers implement automated performance monitoring to fulfill this important need.

According to the AFCOM survey, the most monitored systems and components are power consumption (monitored by 68 percent of respondents), network traffic (monitored by 66 percent of respondents), storage capacity (monitored by 64 percent of respondents), server utilization (monitored by 62 percent of respondents), and Web security (monitored by 54 percent of respondents).All other systems and components being monitored add up to only 4.8 percent.

Significant progress has been in performance monitoring in Chicago data centers over the past few years, but there is still a way to go in how these systems and components are being monitored. According to the survey, 82 percent of respondents report using some software monitoring tools, 55 percent report using some hardware monitoring devices and 46 percent of respondents report still doing some manual monitoring of mission critical systems.

CoreLink constantly monitors all of critical IT data center systems for status (change of state), trouble and alarm condition. This means we have situational awareness 24×7 of our electrical and mechanical systems. We also have room-based temperature and humidity conditions monitored to ensure systems stability.

When an alarm sounds, CoreLink personnel are alerted to the status condition, and respond appropriately to remedy the condition back to normal operating status based on our response procedures.

For more information about our  Chicago data center, contact CoreLink Data Centers.