Designing More Efficient, Custom Tech Storage
Posted on: 1 November 2017
Do you need a better way to shelf your electronics? Do you have multiple server racks that can't hold all of your devices without forcing fits or leaving some devices hanging without much support? Many storage woes can be handles by going to a fabrication specialist instead of reaching for standardized equipment, but what should you ask for? Why does it matter? Here's an overview of how standardized storage options aren't always the best choice, along with ways that a fabrication service professional can help:
Bad Fits Can Cause Bad Performance
When you load a router, server, packet-shaper, hardware firewall, or any type of networking equipment into a server rack, you're creating a balance of air movement, ease of access, and data movement.
Devices that work together need to be physically closer. Even if it's just milliseconds, the time it takes to travel across a cable is shorter if the cables are shorter. Data center management can get difficult as you figure out how to stack different related devices together without making a mess, and standardized racks don't always help out with the problem.
Even if you've created the perfect logical stack of devices that send data to all of the right places with short cables that won't be damaged by being too tight, how much air movement area do you have? Gaps between devices allow air to pass through and move heat away, which is vital because devices slow down and shut down as heat becomes more critical.
A fabrication service professional can help you make a server rack mounting system that eases the server rack and air movement problems. Instead of dealing with pre-determined drilling areas to mount your devices, technology such as adjustable/sliding rail mounts can be laser cut or printed and put into place.
Special mounts for precision fan systems can be made as well, allowing you to take advantage of those small device gaps by adding linear fans that blow air fast enough to be a sufficient cooling service.
Security Cages And Containers
Security cages can be built to match specific device sizes, ports, and interfaces. This is helpful for making sure that odd-shaped devices stay in place if they can't be bolted into place easily, but they're also helpful for physical security.
Even if it isn't likely, one of the most devastating ways to hack a computer system is to get access to the physical ports. A rogue employee or night time infiltrator can simply add an external device to load malicious code, and even if you have certain ports disabled, that simply means giving the hacker more work to do to get around the defenses.
To make their job harder, locking up devices with cages that require a key or combination is an easy technique. It's simply an additional equipment cost for you, but yet another obstacle that hackers have to overcome.
Contact a fabrication service company like Garelick Steel to discuss the different types of fittings, containers, and full systems that can be made to fit your unique business needs.
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