A power system design flaw or failure in the electric grid can bring down even the most sophisticated data center. Here are five best practices to help mitigate your exposure to power-related downtime.

1. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved..
Five ways to increase power system availability

2. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 2
Data centers are a cornerstone of
our always-connected lives and a
strategic asset, making reliability and
uptime more important than ever.
However, businesses are vulnerable
to a variety of threats, some out of
their control.

3. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 3
A power system design flaw or failure
in the electric grid can bring down
even the most sophisticated data
center.
Here are five best practices to help
mitigate your exposure to power-
related downtime.

4. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 4
1. Focus on long-term value
Challenge: Short- and long-term priorities are often in
conflict during data center construction or renovation.
• Those building the facility are asked to hold down
costs and shorten completion times.
• Those operating the facility want quality equipment
that meets operating specifications.

5. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 5
Best practice: Decision makers should make sure no one
trades long-term risk for short-term savings. And they should
communicate the importance of adhering to original operating
specifications, even if it means spending a little more.
1. Focus on long-term value

6. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 6
2. Consider ease of repair and reliability
Challenge: Availability and reliability are sometimes used
interchangeably—but the two have distinct meanings.
Repair time is a big factor when assessing system
availability. For example, a power supply may rarely
experience downtime (highly reliable), but not be highly
available because it has a high mean time to repair.

7. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 7
Best practice: When evaluating power system
components, look for products that are highly reliable
and quickly repairable. In particular, investigate how
swiftly and effectively a given power system
manufacturer can service products.
2. Consider ease of repair and reliability

8. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 8
3. Implement monitoring and proactive diagnostics
Challenge: Few systems fail without warning, except in
disasters. It’s just that their warnings often go unheeded
since the monitoring systems in place are reactive in
nature. If facilities managers aren’t monitoring the right
performance indicators, they may know nothing about
an impending breakdown until after it happens.

9. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 9
Best practice: The latest enterprise management
products can help with monitoring and proactively
maintaining mission-critical equipment. Facilities
departments need to have work processes in place
for consulting the software and responding swiftly to
signs of danger.
3. Implement monitoring and proactive diagnostics

10. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 10
4. Adopt an appropriate power system topology
Challenge: Power system topology has a major
impact on procurement costs, operational
expenses, reliability and average repair times.
The more redundancy you incorporate into a data
center, the more it will cost you to build and run it.
But, it will also recover faster from an outage.

11. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 11
Best practice: There is no single
correct answer when it comes to
selecting a power system topology.
Match your power system to your
circumstances and needs, based on
the criticality of the IT applications
the data center houses.
4. Adopt an appropriate power system topology

12. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 12
5. Audit your power systems
Challenge: Most data center
managers think they know what
their power systems are capable of
delivering. Far fewer, actually
know. Only by auditing power
systems and the operational
processes that support them on a
regular basis can you establish
your data center’s maximum load
parameters concretely.

13. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 13
Best practice: Audit power systems
thoroughly and regularly. Update any
building drawings, schematics,
operating manuals, etc., as facilities
equipment is replaced or upgraded.
5. Audit your power systems

14. © 2015 Eaton. All Rights Reserved.. 14
Thank you!
Learn more at Eaton.com/PowerQuality