Expert Servicing And Maintenance For Data Centres Throughout The UK

Data centres are critical for businesses and organisations all over the world. Housing servers, storage systems and networking equipment, they require high standards of maintenance to continue running smoothly. 

If you run a data centre in the UK, you will be aware they can face several common issues, including one of the most problematic:

Power failures

Unexpected outages lead to power interruptions and significant downtime. Here at Source UPS we’re committed to keeping your infrastructure in excellent working condition. Power failures can be caused by various issues, including insufficient power to meet the demands of a growing infrastructure. 

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Failures can also fail to provide backup power during outages.

Our services also include preventing cooling problems. 

Servers generate a lot of heat, and inadequate cooling can cause overheating. Over time, this often leads to hardware failure. Our team carries out the expert maintenance of cooling systems, improving their performance and reliability. 

Having regular servicing will ensure your operating costs are kept to a minimum. 

Another common issue is HVAC System failures, whether due to faulty heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems that disrupt cooling. Our technicians can quickly and efficiently diagnose any issues and keep your running at optimal levels. 

Our cooling maintenance packages include:

• 2 x preventative maintenance visits during normal working hours
• Nationwide next business day on-site response to emergency call-outs
• 24/7 x 365 telephone technical support. Our team is always available to help with any issues you might be having. 

It’s also vital to prevent network issues. 

Network interruptions can cause data transmission issues. Insufficient bandwidth can slow down data processing and access. Any vulnerabilities can be exploited by cyber-attacks.

Here at Source UPS we can prevent hardware failures, including server crashes, storage failures and software issues. 

Data centres should always have a contingency plan in place. 

The Covid pandemic reminded us of how unpredictable life can be. Earthquakes, floods, fires, and other natural events can damage data centres. If you have inadequate backup systems, it can cause serious problems. 

 Insufficient or improperly configured backup systems can also seriously hinder your data recovery efforts.

Inability to scale resources quickly in response to increased demand can also cause issues. It’s always important to assess whether you need to upgrade your space or equipment. 

Mistakes made by personnel can cause disruptions, which is why the right training is key. 

Inefficient processes can lead to delays and downtime. Addressing these issues typically involves implementing robust monitoring and maintenance protocols, ensuring regular updates and patches, investing in reliable power and cooling systems, enhancing security measures, and having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place.

What are the worst data centre breakdowns in recent history? 

In 2017, Amazon Web Services (AWS) had an outage which took down major websites and services. This was caused by a typo in a command during debugging operations, which resulted in a large number of servers being taken offline.

It resulted in significant downtime for services like Slack, Quora, Trello, and several media outlets, leading to major productivity losses and service disruptions.

More recently in 2019, Google Cloud Platform had problems which affected numerous services including YouTube, Gmail, and Google Drive. It was caused by network congestion in the eastern USA due to configuration changes in Google’s internal network. The outages lasted for several hours, impacting millions of users and disrupting businesses relying on Google Cloud.

Also in 2019 was the Facebook data centre outage, which impacted Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. All were down for almost 24 hours. This one was caused by a server configuration change.

This was one of the longest and most widespread outages in Facebook’s history, affecting billions of users worldwide.

During the pandemic, the OVH Data Center had a fire which destroyed one data centre and damaged another. This led to significant data loss and downtime for many European businesses and websites hosted on OVH, with some services taking weeks to fully recover.

In 2016, Delta Air Lines suffered downtime which caused thousands of flights to be grounded or delayed. It was caused by a power outage in an Atlanta data centre and was estimated to cost $150 million in lost revenue, affecting operations for several days.

These incidents highlight the vital importance of robust data centre management, including failover systems, regular maintenance, and rigorous disaster recovery planning to mitigate the impacts of such failures. All of these services can be delivered by our dedicated team at Source UPS. 

We also regularly supply replacement UPS, including high quality batteries and cooling systems.

Find out more about our service and maintenance for data centres. Or don’t hesitate to contact our team for more information.