Data center demand is skyrocketing as businesses across the globe accelerate their digital transformation. Emerging technologies like 5G, edge computing, the increased use of AI, and the adoption of the Internet of Things technology are just a few of the many factors driving the increased demand for data centers, which could more than triple by 2030.

Data centers are the backbone of the digital world and play a critical role in data processing, hosting, and storage. Businesses depend on data centers to support a wide range of critical services. In return, data centers must provide 100% uptime, deliver maximum digital and physical security, and support compliance and regulatory requirements.

While data centers invest in generators, backup coolers and batteries, and other redundancies to minimize downtime, using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) like eMaint can take reliability to a new level. Combining maintenance best practices with the power of condition monitoring eliminates downtime and ensures data centers can meet their customer’s demands and avoid costly service level agreement (SLA) penalties.

eMaint supports improved compliance and reliability in data centers in several key areas.

Energy Monitoring and Management

Power issues are the primary reason data centers experience downtime, accounting for 52% of data center outages in 2023. Even brief outages can be costly, with over half of outages costing more than $100,000 and 16% crossing the $1,000,000 mark. On top of the costs of the outages themselves, SLA penalties can soar to $100,000 per second and higher. Power surges, voltage sags and swells, or the complete loss of power can all impact the performance of servers, networking equipment, cooling systems, and other critical equipment that keeps data centers functioning. Power monitors, either installed directly on units or through hand-held devices used during inspections, stream power data directly into the cloud for storage, organization, and analysis. Maintenance leaders can harness the power of eMaint CMMS & EAM to utilize their power monitoring data to:

  • Provide key insights into the performance andavailability of equipment
  • Provide real-time information about critical electricparameters
  • Generate real-time alarms to notify employees ofpower surges or other changes, so technicians can respond immediately and avoid downtime
  • Provide key insights into equipment performance, so equipment can be repaired or replaced before it fails
  • Store and analyze historical power data so technicians can identify the root cause of failuresand take steps to prevent failures in the future.

The massive amount of energy data centers use has also caused some governments to increase energy regulations for data centers. However, certain areas offer incentives like lower energy tax rates for data centers that meet certain regulatory requirements. Power monitoring can help data centers monitor their energy usage and identify poor performance or excess energy usage before it impacts their ability to qualify for these incentives, as well as helping identify opportunities for energy savings.

Condition Monitoring for Critical Assets

Cooling system failures are the next most common cause of unplanned downtime, accounting for 19% of outages in 2023. Condition monitoring can provide insight into developing problems with these systems and give technicians the opportunity to respond to developing problems before they lead to downtime.

Vibration and temperature sensors installed on HVAC equipment, dehumidifiers, and other environmental equipment monitor equipment performance constantly. This data is fed into eMaint, which can then send alerts to notify team members when readings are outside safe parameters.

Technicians, managers, and engineers can monitor asset status from anywhere, onsite or remotely, with eMaint’s mobile app, and get the data they need to identify and correct problems before they lead to downtime.

Audits and Regulatory Compliance Readiness

Data centers manage critical financial data, protected health information, and other sensitive information. As a result, they undergo audits to prove their compliance with regulations such as HIPAA or ISO/IEC 27001. They also undergo audits to prove compliance with SLA agreements, with hefty penalties if they fail to meet the agreed-upon standard, including up to $100,000 per second of downtime. eMaint is a key partner in proving compliance during audits. Its software provides:

  • Key information about building and equipment inspections, including a checklist of tasks performed, when it was performed, and who performed it
  • Records of every maintenance task completed
  • Records of work orders created and completed, supervisor sign off, timestamps, and other data
  • Records of equipment and tool calibration
  • Information about failure code alerts and their responses

Information is stored in the cloud and is accessible at any time, with customizable reports available to access required information for any audit.

Human error is directly or indirectly involved in an estimated two-thirds of all downtime incidents in data centers, with the most common cause being staff failure to follow procedures or processes. With eMaint, best practices and procedures arestored directly in the system, so inspections and maintenance are performed exactly the same way every time, with checklists and supervisor sign offs required to support compliance. Data centers with multiple locations can standardize practices across locations to achieve regulatory compliance.

Equipment Performance and Planning

As organizations continue building data centers, information about asset repair and replacement can help guide decisions for the most cost- effective and efficient asset management in current and new facilities.

Maintenance records housed in a CMMS like eMaint provide data such as the average time to repair the asset, labor and spare parts costs associated with repairs on the asset, and other key information that can guide decisions around equipment acquisition, equipment lifespan, and even end of life and replacement. A CMMS provides key data like:

  • How frequently the asset fails
  • Labor, spare parts, and other costs associated with maintenance
  • Reports to help analyze trends that indicate decreasing performance or increased maintenance costs

The CMMS acts as a single source of truth, with varying degrees of information available to anyone from maintenance technicians to decision-makers, providing accurate and up-to- date total cost of ownership information to help guide better decision making.

Multi-site data centers can use reliability information from their existing centers to choose the best providers and develop maintenance best practices as they continue building new facilities. Similarly, maintenance information can be used to pinpoint manufacturer defects or other systemic issues and provide the documentation necessary to secure remediation from the manufacturer.

Simplified Vendor Management

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) agreements with vendors may require outside personnel to enter the data center and perform maintenance, replacement, or other tasks on specialized or proprietary equipment. Maintaining documentation of work performed by internal staff in addition to documenting the work completed by these external technicians can be challenging and require duplicating efforts. With eMaint, vendors can use an OEM portal to add comments, pictures, explanations, and even close out related work orders in the system. eMaint OEM portal ensures all maintenance data is collected in a single system, whether the work was performed by internal staff or external professionals, simplifying reporting and compliance without requiring additional data entry.

Spare Parts Management

Replacing parts and assets as quickly as possible keeps data centers running efficiently and avoids unplanned downtime. eMaint virtual parts storeroom allows data centers to leverage global, multi-site spare part sharing for quick access in emergencies. A virtual store room provides information about exactly which parts are on hand and where they’re located, optimizing spare part costs by avoiding overstocking. Multi-site organizations can transfer critical spare parts from other locations to avoid unnecessary shipping costs and downtime.

Fluke Tools

Fluke’s fiber measurement tools enable data center technicians to test and validate fiber connections with greater accuracy and speed, reducing troubleshooting time and ensuring optimal network performance.

  • FiberLert™ Live Fiber Detector – This pocket- sized tool tests single-mode, multimode, UPC and APC patch cords and ports with a non-contact / non-contaminating detector, reducing the risk of contamination and damage during measurement.
  • OptiFiber® Pro OTDR – This dedicated fiber tester was engineered specifically for data center environments. Its built-in Smart Loop Assistant tests two fibers at once, reducing associated time and testing costs.
  • MultiFiber™ Pro Optical Power Meter and Fiber Test Kits – The first fiber tester that can certify MPO fiber trunks without the use of fan-out cords. This single mode and multimode MPO fiber testing kit eliminates the complexity of polarity issues, and it makes cassettes easier to test in the field. It’s 90% faster than single fiber cable certification because it measures power loss and validates polarity on 12 fibers in a single connector — reducing test time from weeks to days.

Improve Uptime and Cut Costs with eMaint CMMS & EAM

eMaint’s CMMS helps data centers improve reliability, minimize downtime, reduce energy costs, and meet regulatory requirements. By centralizing maintenance data, automating workflows, and providing actionable insights, eMaint empowers data center teams to stay ahead of potential issues, optimize resource allocation, and ensure seamless operations.

Case Studies

NTT Global Data Centers America

Background: NTT is the world’s third largest data center provider The company operates over 160 locations across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, including 17 data centers in key markets in the United States.

Challenges: NTT needed a CMMS to standardize operations across its 17 U.S. facilities, identify total cost of ownership for capital planning, and easily manage and track work orders and associated KPIs.

Results:

  • Helped prevent $100,000/second in SLA penalties through CMMS tracking and standardization
  • Accurately tracked the total cost of ownership, which facilitated smarter capital expenditures
  • Simplified work order management with eMaint’s reporting and mobile app

“Having used other CMMSs before, eMaint is by far the most customizable…The operator on the ground can customize their views and run with the tools, and then send up that visibility and understanding to us, so we can make alterations that improve and optimize maintenance practices.” — Joel Farhi, Manager of National Maintenance Coordination

Schneider Electric

Background: Schneider Electric specializes in the development of technologies that make energy safe, productive and green. It manages 18 data centers with a combined 25,000 assets for clients such as financial institutions, banks, and telephone companies.

Challenges: Schneider Electric needed a user-friendly, customizable CMMS to capture maintenance information like downtime, tasks, labor hours, and other information. They needed robust reporting capabilities, barcode scanning, and preventive maintenance planning and tracking to support 100% uptime.

Results:

  • Accurately capture and report maintenance KPIs to facilitate data-driven decisions
  • Improved internal and external regulation compliance
  • Simplified work order management with eMaint’s reporting and mobile app

“You can’t beat eMaint’s product for its flexibility and features.” — Jeffrey Martin, Quality Systems Specialist & Facilities Project Manager