In the first series, we discussed how network connected Rack PDUs can help safeguard data. Here, we look at the physical protection of the data center.

The physical security of a data center encompasses blocking unauthorized access to the facility and the equipment (especially racks) within it, preventing hazardous environmental conditions within the facility, averting accidents that can cause damage to mission-critical IT hardware, and having a clear view of who is accessing or performing work within the DC.

Sensors play a vital role in these aspects of physical DC security, providing alerts into potential problems that can jeopardize the integrity of enterprise data as well as the performance and life of IT assets housed with the DC. They are grouped into five main categories: environmental monitoring sensors, water detection sensors, physical access and security sensors, specialized sensors, and sensor hubs and accessories such as webcams.

Environmental monitoring sensors make up the majority of the total number of sensors in a DC. When the right ones are installed in sufficient numbers and placed correctly, they provide a detailed picture of conditions at the rack, aisle, and facility level and alert operators to such incidents as an emerging hotspot, a rack door left open, loose cabling, a dislodged raised floor panel, water leakage or ingress, or vibration from a failing fan.

Almost all sensors provide point-in-time data. But when gathered over time and analyzed, sensor data can be utilized to yield critical insights into asset performance and uptime, how new workloads are affecting particular racks, whether cooling is set too conservatively or how power capacity can be better distributed.

However, such insights are very difficult to acquire when each sensor has its own controller. Only when environmental monitoring, asset location, physical access, and other monitoring and security sensors share a connection point that is integrated with a Data Center Infrastructure Management or Building Management system can these insights be attained. Smart rack controllers that serve as connection hubs for sensors are commercially available and should be on the shopping list of facility operators looking for improved physical DC security, higher performance and reduced operating costs.

When it comes to choosing sensors, DC operators would do well to select those that have high metering accuracy, are durable, and can be deployed or replaced seamlessly without the need to disrupt operations. Also important is the ability for sensors to scale in tandem with growth in the number of DC assets or asset capacity. Being able to cascade sensors using standard Cat5/6 UTP patch cables and thus increase the number of connected sensors per sensor port enables operators to easily extend monitoring without introducing complexity or fragmentation.

Raritan’s SmartSensor range of environmental monitoring sensors meet these exacting requirements and then some. They are available for monitoring temperature, humidity, airflow, air pressure, water/leaks, contact closure, proximity detection, vibration, air quality and more. Featuring hot-swappable sensor heads, they work with smart rack controllers, network connected rack PDUs, inline meters, branch circuit monitors, and other Xerus compatible devices in a plug-and-play fashion.

Up to 32 sensors can be cascaded in a row using standard CAT5/6 cables and each SmartSensor is equipped with a status LED for visualising alarms when on site. Environmental data and alarms can be instantly sent to a DCIM or BMS system or managed via a web-based interface, allowing a DC or facility manager to see near real-time environmental data, alarms, and related events to report trends over time.

The SmartSensor environmental monitoring sensors are complemented by other Raritan tools. They include: SmartLock, a 2FA capable vendor-agnostic door access and control system that provides audited access to Rack and Containment doors; color-coded locking power cords that work with SecureLock outlets in Raritan’s PX intelligent rack power distribution units to prevent cables from coming unplugged; and asset management tags and sensors that give operators an accurate, real-time inventory of IT assets and their locations.

By deploying SmartSensors and complementary advanced monitoring tools, DC operators can improve uptime, lower costs, boost asset and power efficiency, monitor a DC’s data heartbeat with high accuracy and in real time, and more – all while keeping enterprise data from falling into the wrong hands.

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