These days, companies need to set up reliable computer networks to ensure smooth business operations. In fact, efficient and functional system is efficient to the success and health of a business. For this reason, we should make sure that the IT infrastructure of our company is well-designed. There are things that we need to consider, such as space needed for the IT system. Space is always key when we are planning to set up an IT infrastructure. It is not only important to maximize space, we also need to allow future growth and expansion. As an example, we may need to set up things vertically, such as using tall cabinets and stacked racks. More and more businesses are maximizing their rack space capacity. The common unit of measurement is ‘1 U’ and it is equal to one rack unit and approximately 2-inch in high, enough for one horizontally placed device, server or equipment.
When building our IT infrastructure, it is also important to make sure that all cables are routed properly and they must be centrally located. All cables must be properly protected, grounded and terminated to avoid power surges. When we use taller racks, we need to make sure that they don’t interfere with the sprinkler systems on the ceiling. It is important to prioritize safety at work and all staff should be safe when they install or patch equipments. We should also consider the ideal air flow to properly cool all the equipments in the server rooms. Sufficient electrical density is also important to support potential future power needs, based on our short, medium and long term projections. We should plan upfront where main Internet connection will be placed and whether we need to have secure closets to safeguard essential equipments and servers for enhanced security.
Wiring and other general electrical issues must be seriously considered and they should be included in our planning. There should be backup power sources and all necessary cables or equipments must be grounded well. Electrical density is an essential consideration, especially because IT infrastructure could now pack more devices and equipments into the same place. For this reason, we should make sure that our electrical capacity can handle more power demands and future growth. More and more electrical devices support dual or triple power supplies that allow them to access diverse power feeds. This is important, especially if we want to mitigate electrical outages. This is one thing that we need to consider when planning electrical density for our facility. Tiny fluctuations in power supply could cause problems, because they affect hundreds, if not thousands of equipments. These days, workstations are typically dedicated computers, which require higher power consumption and they could be more sensitive to power surges. We should also consider non-computer devices in our IT infrastructure such as wireless routers, repeaters, printers, fax, scanners and digital copiers. There are generally many things to consider before we construct our IT infrastructure.