– Dave Ruede, vice president of marketing at Temperature@lert (www.temperaturealert.com), says:
How much of a concern is humidity in the data center? ASHRAE discusses the concerns about too much humidity (Conductive Anodic Filament growth between conductors and disc and tape drive corrosion above 60% Relative Humidity) and too little humidity (Electrostatic Discharge damage to sensitive electronics). Humidification or dehumidification of air can in some cases add significant energy costs to data center operation. These costs are generally understood when siting data centers. At increased relative humidity, attention will need to be paid to condensation on cold surfaces, particularly where surfaces have the potential to be cooled below the dew point, and where the condensation can come into contact with electronic componentsc in the airflow path will need particular attention at the upper limit of the RH range. For a good night’s sleep cost-effective Temperature/Humidity sensors are relatively easy to add to environmental monitoring systems.
Lately, whether due to capacity or security concerns, we are seeing more and more companies apprehensive about installing environmental monitoring on their enterprise systems. This has lead to an increase in the deployment of two distinct platforms: WiFi enabled and cellular network sensor products. Both of these devices can be combined without being installed into the enterprise system. Companies are now providing low cost web based services that allow users to collect, store and access data from any browser. Temperature alarm levels are controlled by data center personnel. Alert messages can be in the form of emails, text messages and voice phone calls. Multiple alert levels and escalation plan enhancements are found in the latest generation products.
