Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/428453
8 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com Operation executives struggle with this issue every year. On one occasion I heard that a VP of Operations was so pleased with his data center manag- ers performance he bought him and his facility engineer a diamond encrusted Rolex watch. Can you imagine a diamond encrusted Rolex watch? ey were the envy of the entire company. e news spread fast throughout the company and finally reached the CEO. e CEO went march- ing down to the VP of Operations and asked him, did I hear that you purchased an extravagant gi for your data center and facility managers? What were you think- ing? I though we agreed on offering them a company car that can be written off for tax purposes. e VP of Operations now laughing says, well I considered it but I could not find a fake car. Ok, now that I have you rolling on the floor let's talk about what a data center and facility manager really want for Christ- mas…TIME OFF! Besides time off, a bo- nus and some respect here is a list (not all inclusive) of nice to have items that every data center manager and facility engineer should have to make their jobs easier. Pay attention executives! 1. anemometer You are asking yourself, what is an anemometer? An anemometer is a device used for measuring air velocity, and is a commonly used in a data center to mea- sure CFM being provided by perforated floor tiles or other areas where air velocity measurements are needed. e term is derived from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind. Just do not break anemos. is is an important tool to help fine tune your data center airflow and check to see if you are providing the proper amount of airflow for your cabinets kW. A typical cost range for an anemometer is between less than a $100 to over $1000. Be generous and the gi will keep on giving. 2. infrareD temPerature Gun is is a must have for any data cen- ter. An infrared temperature gun will allow your facility engineer to conduct routine inspections of electrical and mechani- cal equipment to determine locations of hot spots that may indicate wiring that is overheating and about to fail or even air leakage within mechanical systems. Infra- red temperature guns range between $100 and up. is is a tool you do not want to go cheap with. 3. noise reDuCtion ear muffs If you do not want a human resource or OSHA issue then you will want to make sure that your staff is equipped with noise reduction ear muffs or plugs. Data center environments can be loud. Here is a quote directly from the OSHA website: "Every year, approximately 30 million people in the United States are occupationally exposed to hazardous noise. Noise-related hearing loss has been listed as one of the most prevalent occupational health con- cerns in the United States for more than 25 years. ousands of workers every year suffer from preventable hearing loss due to high workplace noise levels. Since 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that nearly 125,000 workers have suffered significant, permanent hearing loss. In 2009 alone, BLS reported more than 21,000 hearing loss cases." Ear muffs can range between $15 and up. 4. DiGital voltmeter with ClamP-on amPeraGe meter Volt/ Amp meters measure voltage and amperage by clamping around a cable. is device helps facility engineers receive a real time flow of voltage and amperage from a cable helping to determine actual draw and capacity. A useful tool for the electrical facility engineers keeping your uptime at five nines. Digital voltmeters can range in price for less than a $100 and up. 5. CrimPinG ratChet for rJ45 & rJ11 is is a must have tool if your data center team works with network cabling. A good crimping ratchet can be found for less than $50. 6. network intellitone ProBe Digital network cable toner and probe traces and locates cables on active network. Have I lost you? Do not worry it is important for your network cabling techs and engineers on site so just go ahead and buy one for them. e average cost for a decent device can range between $150 and up. 7. CaBle iQ QualifiCation tester Copper qualification tester trouble- shoots and qualifies Ethernet network cabling speed. Again folks if you do not know what that does then just trust us and know that it is a needed device for your network folks. A good device is a larger ticket item that runs over $1000. 8. tools, tools anD more tools Again the following list is not all in- clusive, but it will give you an idea of what types of tools you should have on hand. 1. Screwdriver set (straight, phillips, hexagonal, torx and tamper torx) 2. Bolt cutters 3. Hacksaw, hammers (steel, and brass or rubber) 4. Socket set (SAE & SI) 5. Sawzall with corresponding blades 6. Hammer Drill with 2", 3", 4" carbide drills 7. Pliers, adjustable wrenches, and long-nose pliers 8. Pipe-wrenches (various sizes) 9. Tape measure 10. Label maker ere you have it, a gi list that every data center and facility manager would love to have. Now I leave you with a coal gi that I found on a blog post so do not blame me: A data center manager, a facility engineer and a programmer are on a road trip to a conference. e car's brakes fail and they run off the road, come to a stop, but fortunately, everyone is okay. e data center manager says, "First, we'll have a meeting, put together some action items and formulate a plan." e facility engineer says, "No, I'll just redesign the brakes with nothing but my Swiss army knife." ey look at the programmer who says, "Let's just get back in and start driving and see if the brakes fail again." n