Welcome to Keep Your Cool - a series tackling simple cooling optimization strategies for the busy data center operators by former busy data center operator, Gregg Haley.

If you are responsible for managing a data center, you know how critical it is to maintain proper airflow. Poor airflow can lead to hot spots, equipment failures, and other issues that can have a significant impact on your data center's performance. To help you stay on top of your data center's airflow management, we've put together a simple checklist of tasks that you can perform regularly.

1. Conduct regular audits - Conduct regular audits of your data center's airflow management to ensure that everything is working correctly.

2. Monitor temperature and humidity - Regularly monitor the temperature and humidity levels in your data center to ensure that they are within the recommended ranges.

3. Check your air conditioning units - Regularly inspect your air conditioning units to ensure that they are working correctly. Make sure the filters are clean and replace them as needed. Check that the units are blowing air in the right direction and that there are no obstructions to the airflow.

4. Check for obstructions - Regularly inspect your data center for any obstructions that may be impeding airflow. This could include improperly placed equipment, cabling, or other materials that are blocking airflow.

5. Implement hot and cold aisles - Organize your data center in a way that creates hot and cold aisles. This helps to ensure that hot air is isolated and removed from the data center, while cool air is distributed evenly to the equipment.

6. Use blanking panels - Ensure that all unused rack spaces are filled with blanking panels to prevent hot air from recirculating.

By following this simple checklist, you can help ensure that your data center is running efficiently and effectively, which can help to prevent costly equipment failures and downtime.

About the Author

Gregg Haley is a data center and telecommunications executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience. Most recently served as the Senior Director of Data Center Operations - Global for Limelight Networks. Gregg provides data center assessment and optimization reviews showing businesses how to reduce operating expenses by identifying energy conservation opportunities. Through infrastructure optimization energy expenses can be reduced by 10% to 30%.

In addition to Gregg's data center efforts, he has a certification from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) as Business Continuity Planner. In November of 2005, Gregg was a founding member and Treasurer of the Association of Contingency Planners - Greater Boston Chapter, a non-profit industry association dedicated to the promotion and education of Business Continuity Planning. Gregg had served on the chapter's Board of Directors for the first four years. Gregg is also a past member of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS).

Gregg currently serves as the Principal Consultant for Purkay Labs.