In the world of IT, the floor plan of your data center is prime real estate. Your IT team and the entire organization can benefit by optimizing this valuable space to support your current infrastructure and future growth.
If not carefully evaluated and assessed on a routine basis, it can become a space that eats away at your resources and cost your company money. By improving space utilization and consolidating, you can create efficiency, save energy and improve your data center’s overall layout, safety, and reliability. A well-organized floor plan can also maximize the space with additional assets or equipment that supports your organization’s infrastructure.
White space in a data center is described as space designated specifically for IT equipment and framework. This area includes servers, network gear, racks and power distribution systems. These rooms generally have raised floors to run power cabling and cold air distribution for cooling. White spaces can only be accessed by approved staff since it is the heart of an organization, so security measures are taken seriously.
This term is also used within the industry to describe unoccupied space available for future IT equipment.
Gray space is where the back-end equipment is stored. These mechanical and electrical assets include switchgear, UPS, transformers, generators, and chillers.
In many ways, white and gray spaces go hand in hand. The more white space your data center requires, the more gray space you need to support it.
White space management involves a series of areas to consider to accommodate the different types of IT equipment to best support your organization’s operations.
These important actions can help with white space management:
Following the actions above will help you properly manage your white and gray space in your data center, ensuring that your equipment is secure, accessible, and well-organized and that you have room to expand for future growth.
Are you leaving your data center? Here are some things that data managers and IT teams should consider before making the big move.
To successfully get a data center space back to its original, clean, leasable condition, you need to have a systematic, secure process in place.
Managing this process encompasses more than simply moving equipment out of a location. This task is often done in conjunction with an ITAD vendor due to the number of resources needed to manage a project of this size. Whether you are planning on partnering with a reputable company to take on these tasks or your team is overseeing it, consider the critical components we’ve outlined below. This will ensure your data is not compromised, and you fulfill any obligations or requirements around getting the data center back to its initial state.
Additionally, ensure that the vendor’s services meet all necessary environmental and regulatory standards. Moving all your valuable assets out can lead to mishaps or security breaches.
De-rack all hardware, remove cables (cable mining), and remove racks. Decommission servers, racks, systems, and cabling.
Account for all IT assets onsite and audit them against your records. Although counting all your stock items might sound overwhelming, an inventory audit can be efficient and valuable with the right tools.
Thoroughly clean the space, including the floor, walls, and ceiling, to remove debris, dust, or residue from decommissioned equipment. Fire suppression removal – safely remove and decommission. Repair any issues that need attention, such as fixing cracks in the walls or ceiling and repairing electrical outlets. If applicable – remove and replace raised floor tiling.
Check the operation of all the space’s systems and equipment, including the electricity, HVAC, fire suppression, and security devices.
All hard drives should be shredded onsite (ideal) or offsite for preventative measures. Data Shredding and sanitization with serialization should be followed up with the appropriate certifications.
Make a note of where your IT equipment is to be shipped. Ask: Is it being sold? Is end-of-lease equipment being returned? Is it being sent to another data facility? Each requires its own set of procedures to guarantee safe and secure transport.
Sign-off and obtain all required certifications and documentation for your records.
With these guidelines, you can scale your white and gray spaces and achieve a high-performance environment.
Data Slayer offers a wide range of decommissioning services for secure, streamlined and sustainable outcomes to support your team when moving out of a data center.