Latin America. A number of strategies to minimize risks in data centers (CDs), especially in fire prevention, were shared by Siemens to avoid financial losses that can go up to $7,300 per minute.
There are few areas where business disruptions are as costly as data storage. CD fires can easily threaten the survival of entire corporations. Statistics show that 6% of infrastructure failures at such sites are related to ignitions, and of those companies hit by a major fire event, more than 70% are forced to suspend their business for a period of up to three years. For maximum protection, a comprehensive system is necessary to ensure business continuity, personnel and infrastructure safety.
In the framework of the Data Center Dynamics Mexico forum, Julio Pereyra, Local Manager of Vertical Data Centers at Siemens, referred to the dynamic role that a technological manufacturer must have in all phases of creating a CD: "As experts we must advise from the beginning of the design to the end and propose the use of the most appropriate technology to the project, the one that adapts to the needs of the client and does not necessarily have to be the cutting edge", by participating in the panel "Strategies and technologies necessary to achieve efficiency in infrastructures during all phases of the projects".
Technology today facilitates every stage of cd development. Since its construction, Pereyra highlighted as a trend the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) platforms, which reduce design time, as well as digital twins that simulate its operation, the application of construction management software (such as Project Sight) and others that gained momentum in the new normal.
Once operational, CDs face several challenges, such as having an efficient energy system, the lack of specialized personnel, among others, in addition to the large amount of infrastructure that must be managed. According to a study by Data Center Dynamics, only 6% of data centers have unified and automated their information, here technology can help. "Today the review of the equipment is done manually and 58% of these sites have divided their areas of Information Technology and Infrastructure, which increases the complexity. With automation and real-time monitoring, you could give visibility of the entire operation, manage alarms and better control the air conditioning, making an automatic temporary rotation between these devices," Pereyra added.
The greatest risk of a CD is fires, which can be caused by a simple short circuit and emit heat of up to 20 thousand degrees Celsius, which destroys all kinds of equipment at the moment. The technological evolution in these facilities involves additional dangers, such as the use of lithium-ion batteries, which is increasing due to their long duration but whose materials are also prone to catch fire.
Participating in the conference "Data Centers and Fire Safety", Pablo Nery, Territorial Product Manager of Fire Protection and Intelligent Infrastructure Construction at Siemens, shared: "At Siemens we are pioneers in safety issues and have more than 150 years of experience in the protection of assets and people with comprehensive protection solutions". She added that Siemens for years has been testing temperature fatigue and short circuit induction, which made it an expert in fires and therefore in designing solutions to prevent and mitigate them.
"We have in Siemens the FDA model 241 solution, which allows us to act from the incipient stage called smaller in fire, a system with hypersensitivity of detection of 25 minutes before the spread of a fire, and with another called Sinorix, of suppression of the same. It operates with nitrogen to contain the fire from its first phase and give time to react before it spreads, since it displaces the oxygen produced, reducing the risk of ignition by almost 90%," added Nery.
To minimize all these risks on CDs and avoid serious financial losses, Siemens recommends a strategy that includes having an expert consultant in data center efficiency, highly trained personnel to operate it, having an optimal power supply system, defining conditions or processes to optimize with technology (automation solutions, virtualization, management, real-time monitoring of equipment, etc.) and mainly, implement fire safety systems that detect risks to ensure business continuity.
