As innovation continues to power technology, servers are becoming more powerful and consuming less energy and space. These advancements have the potential to solve many of the most challenging issues that administrators face in planning and managing the data center. In a previous blog entry, we discussed the benefits of blades server systems—particularly the conservation of space, which allows for a greater number of servers to be centrally managed by being placed into one chassis. However, through this progression, the hardware and servers are more condense packed, thus a lot heavier and harder to handle. This introduces a another challenge in the data center—what is the safest and most efficient way to lift, move and handle heavier servers in today’s data cater environment?
Often times, servers and other data center equipment are handled using manual lifting techniques. Servers often weigh between 50 and 100 pounds and racks can typically hold between 10 – 40 servers depending on the size and type of equipment. Manually moving and lifting the equipment into the racks requires extensive labor and resource, and is not very efficient.
- Sprain, strain, and tear injuries accounted for 40% of total injury and illness cases requiring days away from work in all ownerships; 37% were back-related
- 42% of sprains, strains, and tears were the result of overexertion
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often referred to as ergonomic injuries, accounted for 28% of all workplace injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work in 2009; 60% were of the back and required a median of 7 days to recuperate
There was an instance where a federal contractor sued IBM for $1.4 million after a server fell off a non-specialized forklift and was irreparably damaged while being moved into the customer’s data center.
When selecting a lift to help for your data center, it’s essential to consider specialized lifts specifically designed to handle expensive, heavy, dense, and delicate IT equipment. A Server Lifter provides a safer and more efficient method for handling servers and other IT assets.
Choosing the correct Server Lifter is a vital decision in making sure the job is done safely and efficiently. In selecting the proper tool for handling your servers and IT assets, there are several important factors to consider:
- Are you moving heavy equipment? How heavy is it?
- How many people are involved when you rack equipment?
- Do you have problems reaching the top of your rack?
- How narrow are your data centers aisles?
- What is your risk tolerance?
Industry leading organizations rely on ServerLIFT server handling solutions to reduce risk of injury, improve data center efficiency, reduce operating costs and streamline the server deployment process.
