Data Center Environmental Monitoring With IoT for Protection

Learn how IoT-powered environmental monitoring ensures optimal conditions in data centers, protecting infrastructure and preventing system failures.

The robot revolution has officially arrived as more business and personal users adopt AI. To meet the growing demand, companies are building data centers all over the world. But existing centers are frequently running at capacity, making data center environmental monitoring essential. 

Data center environmental monitoring systems track physical conditions in the facility to keep servers and other equipment running. Powering AI and other modern technology takes powerful processors that generate a lot of heat. Without cooling systems, these servers would overheat regularly and take your helpful AI assistant down with them. 

Key Environmental Factors To Monitor in Data Centers

Installing an environmental monitoring system in each data center does more than keep the bots awake. It also helps manage their environmental impact. The servers in data centers consume a lot of energy and water. Managing these systems is important for responsible resource management.

• Temperature: This factor is key to IT equipment performance. If temperatures are too high, the processor will slow down to cool itself off, which impacts any devices connected to it.  If the temperature is too low, cool air mixes with the heat from the equipment to form condensation, which can fry electrical components. 

• Humidity: Electronics don’t play well with water, but you don’t want your data center to resemble the Sahara, either. Too much humidity can short-circuit your equipment. It can also corrode metal components. Too little humidity makes static electricity build up in the air, which can also damage electronics. Think about when you walk around a room in wool socks in the winter and then touch a light switch. 

Weather monitoring and building performance are linked. When it gets hot and humid, you need to reset your HVAC to cool your data center and control the humidity. 

• Airflow and ventilation: Proper airflow and ventilation helps maintain the right temperature for data center equipment. It helps prevent overheating and improves energy efficiency. 

• Power supply and battery backup: Maintaining consistent power in a data center protects equipment and prevents damage that can happen if the power goes out. 

How IoT Transforms Data Monitoring

You need to monitor your data center 24/7 to keep your equipment working properly, but with IoT, you don’t have to physically be there. Instead, install sensors throughout the center for continuous building monitoring and get a report sent to your phone. 

IoT sensors automatically collect data and transmit it to you in real time through a connected app. You get alerts when conditions fluctuate enough to impact stability. These alerts enable you to make quick decisions to protect your equipment. If you use a system that integrates with other building management systems, you can control HVAC, thermostats, and other systems from a phone or tablet. 

Over time, you can assess analytics to optimize your systems for each machine. 

Compliance and Standards for Environmental Monitoring

AI and other high-performance computers might be making our lives easier. But the data centers needed to power these innovations could erase the positive steps we’ve been making toward climate change. The servers use a lot of water. It’s mainly to cool the servers, but water also generates the electricity you need to power a data center. 

Data center processors are always on, and their heating and cooling cycles use a lot of energy. You also need power for the building and its security systems. 

Organizations, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), set standards to minimize harmful environmental impacts. 

ISO Standards for Environmental Monitoring

ISO offers its 14001 Certification specifically for data center management. To get this certification, you need to optimize your cooling systems, improve your server efficiency, and adopt renewable sources of energy where you can. Monitor energy consumption continuously to set your baseline and see if any new systems are actually saving energy. 

The 14001 certification also sets standards for waste management. In the tech industry, equipment goes out of fashion faster than the jeans you wore in high school. ISO sets guidelines for safely disposing of or recycling packaging and old equipment. It also offers solutions to minimize waste. 

ASHRAE Standards for Environmental Monitoring

Sustainability is a core tenet of ASHRAE. The organization is dedicated to making HVAC and refrigeration technology more environmentally sustainable and to minimizing its impact on human health.  

ASHRAE focuses on heating and cooling elements in built environments. Its goal is to make HVAC more energy efficient and to improve indoor air quality. Its original data standard, ASHRAE 90.4, was written in 2016, and technology has rapidly advanced since then. 

In 2022, ASHRAE updated 90.4 and added energy efficiency guidelines for HVAC systems for data centers. The update also encourages heat recovery, a method for recycling heated air that saves energy. 

Environmental monitoring helps you comply with these standards. Alerts enable you to adjust the system before it starts using too much energy. 

Choosing the Right Environmental Monitoring Systems

Protect your data center and maximize your equipment’s life span with data center environmental monitoring solutions that offer flexibility. Attune’s IoT devices run through a central platform and enable you to view all your data in one location. 

Our solution is scalable. We tailor our products to fit your needs, and it’s easy to expand your system as you grow. Keep an eye on your data center’s environmental quality from anywhere. Schedule a demo today to learn more. 

Data Center Environmental Monitoring FAQs

What is the function of environmental monitoring in a data center?

Environmental monitoring in a data center lets you track and manage conditions that could impact your equipment. You keep consistent temperatures, humidity levels, and airflow to prevent overheating, moisture damage, damage from static electricity, and other hazards. Your equipment will last longer, and your data center uses less energy.

What are the environmental concerns with data centers?

Data centers use high-powered processors to run AI, cloud computing, websites, and other systems we use every day. Because these systems use so much power, servers and other equipment generate a lot of heat. To keep equipment cool, data centers use a lot of water and energy. Many data centers use backup diesel generators to keep systems online, which releases air pollutants. 

What are the four types of environmental monitoring?

Data center environmental monitoring involves measuring the temperature, humidity levels, airflow and ventilation, and power levels and battery backup.