Introduction

If you’ve had an AUDIT-BUDDY sitting in your data center for a while, you may be wondering how to make the most of it. It’s easy to buy tools designed to simplify our work, but as data center operations evolve and new technologies emerge, keeping up can be challenging. The good news is that your AUDIT-BUDDY is still a powerful tool to help you optimize your cooling system, improve efficiency, and prevent downtime. If you’ve been unsure about how to best use it, this post is for you.

Quick Recap: What Is the AUDIT-BUDDY?

At its core, the AUDIT-BUDDY is a portable environmental monitor designed specifically for busy data center managers. It provides real-time insights to help troubleshoot airflow issues like hot spots or cold spots, benchmark changes in your white space, ensure compliance, and maintain the overall health of your data center. This is a temporary setup—you use it when there’s a problem and put it away afterward.

So, is this a data logger? Yes and no. While the AUDIT-BUDDY does capture real-time data, the key difference is the data analysis. Every AUDIT-BUDDY comes with AUDIT-MATE software that helps you configure and analyze your data. This program auto-generates the necessary pictures, tables, and insights to solve your problem at hand, eliminating the need to sift through raw data. It measures critical factors like temperature, humidity, and airflow efficiency, providing you with real-time insights that can help prevent problems before they occur.

What Can You Do with your AUDIT-BUDDY (specific examples)

The AUDIT-BUDDY is not just a passive tool—it actively helps you improve your data center’s performance. Here are some specific examples of how you can use it to address common data center challenges:

• Identify Hot Spots and Cold Spots: Use the Static Map to quickly locate temperature imbalances across your data center and optimize airflow accordingly. 

• Improve Cooling Efficiency: Monitor your cooling system’s efficiency with real-time data on temperature, humidity, and airflow, ensuring all areas are well-maintained. Use the delta-t mode to calculate your cooling efficiency at the server. 

• Benchmark Changes: After making changes such as adding containment or rearranging racks, use the AUDIT-BUDDY to measure the before-and-after effects and ensure that your changes have improved the environment.

• Track Trends and Identify Issues: With the Outlier Generator, identify and address any outlier data points indicating irregularities in your cooling system performance before they become serious issues.

• Test Resiliency of Your Cooling System: Use Predictive Analysis to test your cooling system’s resilience and simulate failure scenarios, helping you prepare for unexpected downtime without any risk to your actual system.

• Ensure Compliance: Keep track of temperature and humidity levels to ensure that they meet industry standards, avoiding potential compliance issues.

By using the AUDIT-BUDDY in these ways, you can proactively manage your data center’s health, improve operational efficiency, and prevent costly downtime.

Why You Need to Start Using It More Effectively

Data centers are evolving rapidly, and maintaining optimal cooling and airflow is more important than ever. If your AUDIT-BUDDY is sitting unused or not fully optimized, you could be missing out on valuable insights that could prevent costly issues. By actively using your AUDIT-BUDDY, you’re investing in preventing downtime, lowering energy costs, and improving the overall performance of your facility.

Step 1: Review Your Existing Setup

The first step is to evaluate your system. Each AUDIT-BUDDY consists of 3+ TH1 modules for temperature and humidity. You can  use the carbon fiber rods to hold the TH1 modules adjacent to the rack, or use the  magnetic mounts to attach the sensors to any metal surface (like a rack or CRAC duct).

If you haven’t done so recently, you might need to upgrade your firmware or software. You can do that here. If you’re missing pieces or need software, reach out to us at help@purkaylabs.com.

Step 2: Explore the Latest Features

Since you purchased your AUDIT-BUDDY, several software updates and new features have been released that can enhance its functionality. Some of the new features include:

• Static Map Visualizations: View temperature data across your entire facility. With the new Uniformity Metric, you can quickly assess how well you're cooling each aisle, and isotherm lines help clarify what each color represents.

• Outlier Generator: Identify outliers in your data, helping you address potential problems before they escalate.

• HTML output of reports:  Generate management friendly reports immediately that can be emailed and viewed with any browser

These features can save you time, improve accuracy, and allow for more informed decision-making. You can find a full list here. 

Step 3: Incorporate the AUDIT-BUDDY into Your Daily Operations

Once you’ve reviewed your setup and explored the latest features, it’s time to incorporate the AUDIT-BUDDY into your daily operations. Here are some ways to do so:

• Monitor cooling efficiency regularly: Schedule regular checks to monitor temperature, humidity, and airflow in critical areas.

• Track trends over time: Use your device to monitor how your cooling system performs during peak hours or under varying load conditions.

• Validate alarms: Whether you’ve received an alert from your BMS/DCIM system or a customer/tech notification, use your AUDIT-BUDDY to respond to any issues on the floor.

• Benchmark changes: If you’re installing containment, moving tiles around, or even just opening a new facility, use the AUDIT-BUDDY to do a before-and-after comparison.

Step 4: Educate Your Team

Make sure your team knows how to use the AUDIT-BUDDY effectively. Whether you're onboarding new employees or training existing staff, it's crucial to share knowledge about how the device works and what it tracks. Consider creating or referring to internal guides on setup, running tests, and interpreting results. We’re always happy to schedule a training session with your team. There is no cost for training sessions if scheduled with Purkay Labs with sufficient notice.

If you need assistance with any aspect of using the AUDIT-BUDDY, remember that Purkay Labs offers full support. Whether you need technical help with setup or need to understand the results, our support team is just a call or email away. We also offer a range of resources, including tutorials, case studies, and blog posts, to help you get the most out of your device.

Step 5: Don’t Let It Gather Dust—Schedule Regular Checkups

To keep things running smoothly, don’t let your AUDIT-BUDDY gather dust. Schedule regular checkups to ensure that your device is capturing the necessary data, and that your team is reviewing the insights. Consistency is key to optimizing your data center’s performance and preventing avoidable issues.

Conclusion

The AUDIT-BUDDY is an invaluable tool for data center managers who want to stay ahead of potential issues and ensure their cooling systems are performing at their best. Whether you’ve had it for a while or just purchased it, now is the time to start using it to its full potential. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll optimize your facility’s performance, save energy, and prevent costly failures. Take the time today to unlock all the benefits that the AUDIT-BUDDY has to offer.