Most companies look at their server rooms as an indispensable infrastructure that must be adequately protected at all times. In this digital age, a lot is dependent on technology, which is why server rooms bear such significance in almost any business. Damage to your IT equipment can result in serious business losses and all your operations can come to a standstill. That’s why it’s important to ensure you have a proper fire suppression system in place in your computer and server room.
What causes server room fires?
- Overheated electrical equipment: This is possibly the most common cause of server room fires. If the cooling system in your server room fails, seek professional help immediately because the equipment can overheat and increase the risk of a fire.
- Electrical faults: Electrical components in the server room such as the switches or power inverters can overload or experience a short circuit which leads to a fire. This is also a very common cause of fire hazards in server rooms that needs to be properly monitored and prevented.
- Wiring malfunctions: Whenever there’s faulty wiring on the subfloors, it increases the risk of a fire hazard in the server rooms.
- Fires from other areas in the building can also get to the server room and ruin all the electrical equipment available.
We’ll go over some 6 computer and server room fire prevention tips that can help your business prevent data loss and downtime.
1. Invest in a professional fire risk assessment
Fire prevention companies are well versed with the fire and line safety codes in your area especially those related to technology centres. Making a fire risk assessment part of the server room’s design process will help you to avoid spending money correcting non-compliant designs as well as in reducing risks.
2. Use proper clean agent fire suppression systems
It’s important to have a fire suppression system that doesn’t cause damage to your equipment, even more than the fire itself. For instance, water can damage your computer equipment and force you to spend hours cleaning up. Clean agent fire suppression systems are mostly recommended because they’re gas based and can suppress fire fast and cleanly even inside enclosed equipment, making them the best option for computer and server rooms.
3. Keep the server rooms clean, neat and well maintained
Keep the server room neat can help prevent fire hazards. Avoid using this area as a storage closet. Keep combustibles like paper away from the server room. Maintain your servers by cleaning dust and debris that settles on the equipment and can contribute to overheating.
4. Keep the room cool
Cooling the room as required is important to prevent overheating. Invest in proper cooling equipment and make sure it’s properly maintained.
5. Regular inspections are key
Make sure the server room equipment is inspected regularly by a third party and also internally to verify that it’s safe and compliant. Employees can perform their own regular internal checks. For instance, they can look at the wires and power cords for signs of damage and ensure repairs are done quickly.
6. Hands-on training for IT personnel
Ensure all the employees who work in the area are properly trained on using portable fire extinguishers and other fire suppression systems installed in the building. Ensure they know what extinguishers to use in these IT areas.
