Hi and welcome, I hope you have all enjoyed the Australia Day celebrations, even in the midst of heat, cyclones and bush fires it is still great to be an Australian.
Today I am going to talk a little bit about Server Rooms and how important it is to ensure that you not only care for the well being of your staff but also the intellectual Property of your business.
A server room fire is one of the most disastrous things that can happen to any business. When IT equipment that supplies critical data and makes day-to-day business operations possible is lost to fire, companies are faced with not only with the expense of structural damage and hardware replacement, but must also contend with downtime and information recovery. By taking steps to protect your data centre against smoke, heat and fire you do more than just protect your computer equipment – it can safeguard your business.
So what are the typical causes of server room fires? It won’t surprise you to learn that electrical failure in IT equipment and branch circuits is the number one culprit, followed closely by and wait for it… the accidentally ignited wastebasket. Other sources include overheated electronics and subfloor wiring malfunctions, as well as fires that originate in – and spread from – other rooms in the building. It always amazes me when for some reason the Server Room is used to store “stuff”.
Early detection systems can detect very low concentrations of smoke, so although they don’t prevent a fire from starting, they can alert you and your staff before the flames cause widespread damage. An early warning can save you a fortune in destroyed equipment and prevent your company from suffering the business-crippling impact of lost data and downtime, and can save lives.
Water sprinklers are one of the most common means of fire suppression, but they’re not the best choice for extinguishing flames in a server room. Water can cause i damage to computer equipment and other critical electronics, think about gas-based fire suppression methods.
New fire suppressant systems are non-toxic, non-corrosive, environmentally friendly gases that fight fire without harming server room equipment, fixtures, or personnel.
Thanks to their many wall and ceiling cable penetrations, server rooms are particularly vulnerable to the spread of fire. That’s where fire stopping products like caulks, sprays, sealants, fire-rated foam, mortars, composite sheets, fire barrier pillows and cable transits come into their own.
Remember that each time a hole is punched for cables, ductwork, or cooling pipes, it must be resealed to prevent flame spreading from one room to the next. These fire-safe materials not only fill in the gaps, but also intumesce, or expand and harden, in the presence of fire, transforming into a physical barrier that blocks out fire, smoke, water, and toxic fumes.
……….. ‘Til the next time Greg