Monitoring IT Environments To Avoid Network Downtime

Network downtime can have a major affect on a company in a variety of ways, the most significant being financial. Downtime is a threat that companies obviously hope to avoid, yet up to 16% of annual revenues may be wasted because of losses related to network downtime (Infonetics Research 2005).

Although modern networks are proving to be more reliable than those of a few years ago, any failure tends to have far more wide reaching consequences as IT plays a larger and more important role in business management.

Monitoring of any networked resources with particular focus on the issues of temperature, humidity, water, fire and power supply should be an integral part of any organisation's overall strategy.

With temperature being the most widespread cause of component failure and a major contributor to network downtime, it is one of the most critical factors to monitor. Air Conditioning failure is often the cause of rising temperatures in IT environments and yet air conditioning units are often left unattended for many hours, overnight or at weekends. Unfortunately air conditioning failure is not noticed until the network fails through over-heating, giving a 'too-late' indication of the air conditioning failure. Remote monitoring of temperature conditions can alert users to potential problems with the air conditioning long before it affects the network allowing staff to take corrective action before the failure becomes a catastrophe.

Unsuitable humidity conditions can be caused by a number of factors including: water leak, fire, AC failure, blocked ventilation etc. Relative humidity sensoring can ensure that potential problems are recognised at the earliest opportunity so that remedial action can be taken and IT hardware can be operated within the manufacturers' recommended environmental conditions.

Water damage is probably the least recognized environmental threat for IT rooms but it is a risk that can materialise from a number of different sources:

o Faulty air conditioning systems

o Pipes running above or below the computer room

o Leakage in rooms next to or above the computer room

o Leakage from the roof

o Local flooding

Many computer rooms are built on raised floors to accommodate extensive wiring and this can mask water problems until it is too late and severe damage has been done. Early detection of leaks can minimize the risk of catastrophic damage to hardware and data.

Many companies spend large amounts of time and money focussing on their data security with the extensive use of firewalls, anti-virus software and the like; but then completely ignore the risk of physical intrusion into the IT area. Simple sensors fitted to doors and windows are a cost-effective way of adding an extra layer of protection for IT equipment and data.

Fire safety is rarely believed to be an issue for IT managers as it's commonly believed to be someone else's responsibility - the health and safety officer, the building contractor or the landlord, for instance. But the IT manager should understand that electrical fires are as likely to start in the IT room as elsewhere, and monitoring this environment for smoke/fire is critical.

Many cases of unreliable computer performance are due to poor quality power supplies. While spikes, dips and drops in service do not affect general electrical appliances they can be serious issues for computer facilities. Most IT and computer room managers recognize the benefits of installing Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS). Monitors are available that can detect when a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) or generator has switched to an alternative power source. This early indication can enable the IT department to take the necessary action required to avoid data loss or network downtime.

Any of the above, if left undetected could have disastrous consequences for a company. The most obvious, but often least critical outcome of an environmental disaster in the computer room is the cost to the company of replacing or repairing damaged equipment. Nowadays though, IT hardware is relatively cheap, whereas the potential loss of data and interruption to business can be disastrous. Clearly in these days where IT provides mission critical services to most businesses the ramifications of such an event usually has severe consequences.

In the majority of cases, the key to effectively preventing an IT calamity is the early detection of abnormal conditions and the notification of someone who can handle the imminent crisis. By detecting and treating minor problems early enough, major problems can be avoided.

Dave Anson has been helping companies with IT continuance and IT environmental monitoring for a number of year. For further details of environmental monitoring equipment go to the Jacarta website at [http://www.jacarta.co.uk]

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