Celina

Procurement is generally driven by constraints. The third stage of asset lifecycle management is the procurement or acquisition of the asset. The procurement process involves finding and negotiating terms, as well as acquiring goods, services, or work from external sources.  Buying decisions are generally driven by constraints. To make the best purchasing decisions, you need to use a comprehensive, calculated plan, which is identified from the data you gather of all your assets within the planning and design stages. Accurate projections are made to justify the actual purchase.   Budget Procurement is the time when budgeting becomes even more critical. [...]

Engineers create a “design” that meets an organization’s business requirements. The design stage of asset lifecycle management is often overlooked. This stage typically requires the expertise of an engineer who thoroughly understands the pros and cons of various equipment options available in the market. This expertise enables engineers to create a design that meets an organization’s business requirements and specifications based on the intended use of the asset, uptime requirements, maintenance plans, installation, and operational requirements. Here’s what an engineer might accomplish during the design stage: Determine design requirements Develop scope of work/specifications Research equipment options that meet specifications Create [...]

Written by Nate Josephs Sr. Systems Engineer/Data Center Manager Most data centers are cleaned once or twice per year by contractors who specialize in thoroughly cleaning mission-critical spaces from “top to bottom”.  Cleaning from “top” may mean HEPA vacuuming and scrubbing above the lay-in ceiling plenum, cable tray and wiping down racks and server cabinets. “Bottom” typically means HEPA vacuuming and scrubbing floors and under raised floors.  These vendors often include before and after particulate testing which prove cleaning effectiveness with lower particulate counts after the cleaning is completed. Since data centers are only thoroughly cleaned annually, or semi-annually, how [...]

Asset lifecycle management begins with "planning". The first step in the planning process is to assess current resources and equipment conditions. This may be followed by verifying whether there are resources available for replacement. The asset's life cycle refers to the process of operating and maintaining the assets from installation to disposal. This practice involves calculation of future performance of an asset, or a group of assets, through asset analysis and maintenance strategies. Such assets in our industry include UPS systems, generators, cooling units, power distribution, software etc. An example of what a building manager might do during the planning [...]

Written by Nate Josephs Sr. Systems Engineer/Data Center Manager Standardized cable labeling is a key component of data center best practices.  Consistent cable labeling provides data center staff “at a glance” the location of cable termination points.  A clear understanding of cable connections is important when planning any moves, additions, or changes in the data center and significantly increases mean time to repair (MTTR) when troubleshooting connectivity issues. A variety of cable labeling standards exist within the IT industry.  One popular standard is to include both the source and destination device names on the label.  The problem with this standard is [...]