1. BMS Integration Managing the Systems within the Data Center Environment

2. BMS Integration BMS integration addresses the complexity, flexibility and scalability features required for data centers. In fact, BMS, or “Building Management System” integration optimizes these mission-critical facilities by proficiently incorporating and monitoring all the required physical components of the data center.

3. BMS Integration For example, BMS integration involves servers and other IT equipment, physical security, energy efficiency, power usage, cooling solutions and more. As data centers increase equipment density within existing floor space, more energy will be required to run it and new cooling solutions will be necessary to deal with the increase in generated heat. This trend alone requires expert BMS integration, given cooling is already an issue in most data centers. Operating costs for power and cooling have escalated to a point that they now exceed the cost of servers.

4. BMS Integration Factors Driving Increased Power and Cooling Requirements Industry experts estimate data centers can consume 25 to 50 times the power of an average office building. Of the total power required to run a data center, an estimated 40 to 50 percent is devoted to the cooling systems. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that energy efficiency has become a primary focus in BMS integration. Also contributing to this increased attention is the rising costs of powering and cooling data center systems. But it’s not only the cost of energy that’s escalating. Demand for data center energy is at an all time high and growing.

5. BMS Integration Several factors are driving this increased demand. Online video, commerce, gaming and other computing technologies require more and more server resources. As the amount of generated data continues to rise, additional data storage is needed. In addition, regulatory compliance also plays a role in power and cooling requirements. Government regulations dictate certain performance levels and safeguards must be maintained. To comply, data centers need to incorporate additional systems to accommodate more data storage.

6. BMS Integration Guidelines for Managing the Data Center Environment The first step and best way to manage the data center environment is to fully understand all the systems and components operating within the facility. This knowledge, along with proactive monitoring, help create a highly reliable, cost-efficient operation. BMS integration is an important tool data center managers use to monitor and control every function of the data center facility. If data center managers understand the mechanical, electrical and security components of the facility, they can develop best practices to protect assets, minimize costs and eliminate downtime.

7. BMS Integration Data center facility managers must work as a team with IT managers. BMS integration facilitates cooperation between these two departments. They can work together to leverage investments, reduce costs and increase reliability. One way to accomplish these benefits is to follow strict maintenance schedules and complete all necessary and associated tasks. Another guideline for best management practices is standards adoption. BMS integration helps data center managers select products that meet industry standards. The result is a smarter procurement policy and streamlined expansion.

8. BMS Integration Data centers are complex, ever-changing environments that continually must meet increasing demands. As a result, they’re a challenge to manage and optimize. BMS integration leverages monitoring and control to improve data center operations. In particular, a BMS helps reduce operating costs and increase performance levels for the data center facility.

9. About the Author Arnie W. Evdokimo is Chief Executive Officer of DP Air Corporation, a leading provider of data center design, build and maintenance services based in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information about BMS integration, visit http://www.DPAir.com today.