How to Improve Cable Management in Server Rooms and Data Centers
Proper cable management does more than just organize your wiring, it effectively improves airflow and cooling, enhances system performance, and increases availability for maintenance and scalability. This is an absolute must for data centers and other high-tech facilities. Without organized wire management, you risk a cluttered server rack or even server room which can slow down operations and cause safety hazards. Here are a few of the best practices to follow when conducting rack cable management for your facility.
Create a Cable Management Strategy
Planning is the most important step when it comes to rack cable management. First, you need to determine if your designated area has enough room for your equipment, its wiring, and walkable pathways. You’ll also need to decide where the wires will enter your servers as this will affect which cable management solution you use.
How you organize the cables in your server room will depend on your available space as well as airflow and other environmental requirements. Vertical and horizontal cable management solutions are the most common. These solutions help various facilities with their setups by organizing your environment so you can easily access your equipment and wires. This can greatly improve system performance and make preventative maintenance easier, boosting reliability.
While wire management is a must for any facility, which solution you go with will depend on your specific needs. Vertical cable management solutions hold wiring together inside the server rack and allow for both optimal airflow and easy accessibility. Horizontal cable management solutions on the other hand require wires to be placed below or above devices, allowing for easy installation, maintenance, and adjustment later on. So, it’s best to use vertical solutions for airflow efficiency and horizontal solutions if you need to make many changes. If you’re not sure which solution would work best for your facility, contact us to speak to one of our professional experts about your facility’s wire management needs.
Organize for Ease of Use and Airflow
As mentioned above, strategic planning is a vital part of cable management to ensure your server room is operating smoothly and is also accessible. Even after your wires are organized, you need to make sure you are still able to get to all your equipment to perform daily tasks. Not to mention that disorganized pathways can damage your cables, putting all connected equipment in danger. Ensure your pathways are clear and wide enough for people and equipment to pass through. You can also protect your cables by avoiding excessive movement around cable management solutions and making sure your equipment near sharp bends and corners is extra secure.
Cable management organizes your wires and clears up space for movement and airflow. This cooling is essential to prevent your equipment from overheating. Jumbled cables can actually worsen the environment of your server room by blocking airflow, generating more heat and accumulating humidity that corrodes equipment. Not only does effective rack cable management lower operational costs, but it also protects your facility from dreaded downtime.
Utilize Tools to Enhance Cable Management Efficiency
Make cable management easier by utilizing tools to enhance the efficiency of your operations. Try using an organized system like color coding cables to distinguish them by type, purpose, or destination. Using labels is also a great tool for cable management. By marking each wire to identify its purpose, you can easily find the one you need when it’s time to do maintenance.
Labeling cables isn’t the only important part of wire management, you also need equipment to organize and contain your newly organized cables. Weber & Associates offers a wide variety of server rack cable management solutions from roof mount kits to vertical and horizontal cable managers. Cable management is only as effective as the planning and organization that goes into it, and with our Vertiv products you have plenty of tools to consolidate your wiring.
Document Your Infrastructure
Your data center infrastructure needs to continuously evolve to meet the needs of your clients. Therefore, planning out cable management with scalability in mind is a must. You need proper documentation of your blueprints, diagrams, and all related information on your wire management solution. Without this, it will be difficult to maintain or provision new equipment and address any connectivity issues in the future. Consider investing in a DCIM solution to help you coordinate, manage, and plan for changes in your infrastructure.
Take Your Cable Management to The Next Level
Every critical IT environment is different which is why we offer our clients comprehensive critical support solutions.
As your Local Vertiv Office partner, we’ll work together to help maximize performance and plan for future trends. Get in touch with us today.