Data Centers Require New Sensor Design Considerations

Today's data center platform includes high-density computing, new power requirements and an a growing amount of multi-tenancy. Cloud computing and virtualization have pushed the next-generation data center model to adopt new ways to help control the overall infrastructure. There was a time, not long ago, when data center managers relied on the room thermostat to indicate the ambient temperature of a data center. They would set the temperature in the mid-60s˚F to ensure adequate cooling. Now, most data center managers know that such an ambient temperature is unnecessarily cold and wasteful of energy.

A room thermostat only indicates the temperature at the thermostat’s location, typically an interior wall. It is far more useful to know the temperature at the cool air inlets of IT devices. Being able to see data on plots of temperatures from multiple sensors can identify hot spots and areas of overcooling.

This white paper from Raritan outlines the need to truly have direct visibility into the environmental variables within the modern data center. It’s no longer about just temperature or humidity – although those are still important. New demands around the modern data center have created new requirements around infrastructure monitoring.

Download this whitepaper today to learn about the key types of analog and digital sensors which can give you direct insight into your data center environment. During the analysis, Raritan discuss key types of sensors including:

There are direct benefits around knowing and understanding how your data center is performing. As more organizations place their entire IT stack into the data center platform, improved infrastructure visibility will be critical.

A data center, whether a room or an entire building, is all about what is happening at the rack. The right environment monitoring and metering at the rack can lead to some nifty data center improvements. This type of visibility allows you to right size the data center and create just-in-time expansions to save on capital expenses as well as improved energy efficiency, IT productivity and utility. Plus, it’ll allow you to integrate with next-generation technologies like virtualization, IT consumerization, and cloud computing.