Despite having a variety of server hosting solutions at their fingertips, many businesses choose to host their own servers in-house. However, this comes with its drawbacks, like being responsible for operating costs and maintenance. This includes making sure that their servers don’t overheat and become inoperable. This is especially challenging during the warmer months of the year.
You don’t need us to tell you that the destruction of your server’s hardware is a bad thing. Too much heat, and you could lose your data for good to a hardware failure. Naturally, you want to avoid this if possible. Therefore, you should take advantage of cooling technologies to make sure that your servers stay temperate, rather than temperamental.
There are three main cooling factors that should be considered when hosting your server in-house:
- Keep your servers in a temperature-controlled climate. Basically, you should store your servers somewhere where you can easily control the temperature. There are cooling racks specifically designed for such a task, but many SMBs simply resort to closets with air-conditioning. However, if your server room consists of a closet with fans blowing directly on your hardware, you might want to consider a cooler solution.
- Take care of your cooling equipment. If your cooling apparatuses fail, it’s the same as allowing your servers to overheat. Therefore, the upkeep of your cooling system is of the utmost importance. Is the overall atmosphere damp? Is dust accumulating on your fan blades? Set up routine maintenance procedures and stick to them to avoid surprises, like a failing cooling system.
- Be sure to allocate enough assets from your budget. Air-conditioning can be a costly expense. Even having fans running constantly can add a hefty addition to your electric bill. Therefore, you need to properly assess just how much you have available to allocate toward proper server cooling units.
While you’re thinking about the consequences of allowing a server to overheat, you should take a moment to consider the state of your current backup and disaster recovery solution. You want one which is capable of taking multiple snapshots of your data daily. This minimizes data loss from a hardware failure (i.e. overheating). Our Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution can take the place of your server in the event of a disaster, so you can resume operations while arranging for a replacement machine, or the AC repairman.
Bardissi Enterprises understands the difficulties of running a business while constantly worrying about technology. As a SMB ourselves, we know first-hand how much of a pain point technology can be, especially when duty calls and you have to concentrate on other aspects of your business. Don’t let hosting your own server hold you back. We can securely host it for you so you don’t have to worry about upkeep and maintenance. Give us a call at (215) 853-2266 to learn more.
