By Jason Roth

It’s no mystery to those in the field of data center management that downtime is a threat to success. But did you know the cost of a single data center outage can average more than $700,000 per event? Depending on the type of organization, each hour of downtime can equate to a loss of $140,000 to $540,000, or $5,600 per minute. 

These statistics illustrate how the financial impact of downtime can devastate a company. However, this threat is largely preventable. A recent study found that 78 percent of “unknown” downtime in data centers is the result of particles and corrosive air that causes arcs, static shorts, overheating, and corrosion. 

Most IT managers possess the knowledge necessary to navigate and care for the informational systems for which they are responsible, however, there are several common knowledge gaps in industry standards that may lead to disastrous events. For example, data centers are considered ISO 8-level cleanrooms and are therefore held to higher standards of cleanliness than what the IT manager may be accustomed to. And, odd as it may seem, janitorial cleanings are not the answer. They can actually make things worse. The only proven solution to ensure uptime is applying ISO protocols in building design and maintenance, to monitor the environment, and implement corrective actions when necessary.

On May 6, I will co-present a conference session at IEST’s ESTECH 2021, “Best Practices for Data Center Contamination Control.” During this session, my co-presenter (Terry Munson of Foresite Inc.) and I will address some common misconceptions and explain how ISO 8 standards can be implemented to mitigate these known contamination risks and prevent downtime in data centers. In addition, we will discuss exciting new trends, such as underwater lab tanks, oil submersion tanks and looped containment for air circuits, that have the potential to transform the industry. The session will include live networking and Q&A time before and after the presentation. We hope to “see” you at our session. Register by April 16 for the best rates!

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Jason Roth is CEO of Sterile Environment Technologies (SET3) in Orlando, Florida. He is considered a leader in contamination control and an expert in ISO standards.