Top 10 mistakes in data centre management in Singapore

Seen as the backbone of any business, the data centre houses the IT infrastructure that empowers a company’s day-to-day operations. It also processes and stores all of a company’s data, ranging from operational to business to customer.

Today, Singapore hosts more than half of the data centre capacity in Southeast Asia. By 2015, Singapore's commercial data centre space is expected to grow by 50 percent.

Amidst the flourishing market and intensifying competition for space, companies often put immense amounts of capital and expertise into their data centre designs but data centre operations management is often overlooked and is usually seen as an afterthought after the data centre is built.

However, various studies have shown that human operational error, not poor data centre design is the leading cause of downtime in data centres that, in turn, have cost businesses millions of dollars.

According to Symantec, a typical organisation experiences an average of 16 data centre outages in 12 months at a cost of $5.1 million.

So what can companies do to ensure that their data centres are always up in order to support the business 24/7, 365 days a week?

Here I share with you the ten most common mistakes in data centre management to help your organisation in its goal to achieve a robust and efficient data centre.

Mistake 1: Not including your operations team in facility design
Operations teams need be included in the data centre design discussions as they are able to provide insights on the design elements that are pertinent to the smooth operation of the data centre.

This will help organisations create a holistic design that not only takes into account IT requirements but also the operational aspects, thus minimising modifications and repairs needed when the data centre is completed.

Mistake 2: Relying too much on data centre design
Many businesses make the error of believing that since data centre designs typically include the duplication of critical components to maximise the availability and reliability of the data centre, expenditure into a proper operations and maintenance programme can be cut.

However, various studies have shown that human operational error, not poor data centre design is the leading cause of downtime in data centres.

As such, it is pertinent to put in a place a strong operations programme and team that will keep the facility running smoothly, manage costs, and protect not only a company’s investment but also its reputation.

Mistake 3: Failure to correctly address the staffing requirement
Data centres have their unique set of criteria when it comes to manpower requirements. Instead of estimating data centre staffing needs using typical building management criteria, businesses should base them on the data centre's risk profile, budget, and ensure that the data centre is adequately covered in terms of manpower during emergencies.

Mistake 4: Failure to train and develop your talent
Once a company hires qualified people, it’s important to provide them with proper support, training, and career development opportunities to improve retention rates.

Properly trained personnel understand how the data centre works, how to safely operate and maintain it, and what to do when things do not function as expected. High turnover in a mission-critical space leads to loss of knowledge, which is a significant risk in most operations programs.

Mistake 5: Failing to consistently drill and test skills
In an emergency situation, companies have the responsibility to make sure their staff is prepared to react efficiently for both safety and financial reasons.

Organisations should consistently set aside time to conduct test drills with all team members so that everyone knows exactly what to do in a real-life emergency.

Mistake 6: Failure to overlay your operations with documentations
Every action in a mission-critical environment must be documented as this information is vital for businesses to implement changes. These documentations must provide value by measuring an expected result, thus creating a foundation for corrective actions, or promoting proactive improvements.

Mistake 7: Failure to implement appropriate processes and procedures
In order to ensure that only appropriate processes and procedures are implemented, organisations need to have strong change control processes in place, whereby changes to the data centre are assessed and approved prior to their implementation.

Mistake 8: Failure to develop and implement a plan for continuous improvement
Many companies err in thinking that a process, once proven, will be infallible. It is crucial for businesses to have a plan for continuous improvement and implement mechanisms to fine tune their data centre systems.

Continuous improvement is the only way to ensure data centre operations remain efficient, reliable, and cost effective.

Mistake 9: Failure to use document management tools
Although it is tempting for companies to forgo document management tools to cut expenses, they must realise that the amount of documentation required to enable the data centre to run smoothly is enormous. Poor document management might put the data centre operations at risk.

Mistake 10: Underestimating the expertise, time and investment needed to develop a data centre operations management programme
Most companies severely underestimate the amount of expertise, time and commitment needed to build a data centre operations management programme from scratch, causing them no small amount of frustration when they realise that their programme is not adequate to support the day to day function of the data centre.

It is therefore ideal for companies to work with trusted data centre advisors such who can offer expert insights on what is required to develop a robust data centre operations management programme and enable the companies to prepare for it.

Now more than ever, companies in Singapore need to realise the importance of a sustainable data centre management programme. An effective programme integrates people, processes, and systems in a manner that promotes quality assurance and continuous improvement.

It is only through a holistic data centre management approach that companies can protect their capital investment in the data centres and ensure stronger returns year after year.