Human error is still, yes still, the biggest factor in datacentre IT downtime with actually no improvement in this score in 3 years.
Breakages must be paid for
Some say everything can be brought down to human error. That is if you also blame a server malfunction (maybe 4% of total reasons) because it has been designed and built by humans. If instead you view “human error” as the feckless action of inadvertently adjusting cooling, pulling out the wrong cable, or overloading a circuit breaker by connecting one device too many, then you start to see a different and more accurate picture.
Get humans out the physical environment and you see a benefit. It’s not always possible to do this 100% but there are options available now to reduce it significantly.
Control from a distance
The intelligent PDU is a key player in reducing human error. Two benefits it offers the user to reduce human error and increase availability are:
- Remote Recycling
Server or Storage unit hangs, malfunctions, dies or generally is delinquent in its operation. The intelligent PDU allows you to remotely recycle power to switch it on and off, which often cures the issue. If you’ve also got a remote management device in that rack then you can even perform more surgery if required.
- Power Management
We know that a high percentage of IT outages are caused by power overload. By measuring with intelligence the outlet power consumption you can set warning thresholds to alert you before a rack, row or worse is brought down by a spike of consumption.
PDU THE PDU
These are just two simple examples of how a PDU can reduce downtime. So, PDU (please don’t underestimate) the PDU as a key component in maintaining availability and reducing human error.
