Hardware upgrades can be expensive, but they’re an investment in your company’s future. Avoiding upgrades will eventually bog your system down and lead to expensive downtime or emergency fixes.

Is it time for your next upgrade? With the help of a good power company, you can create a data center upgrade project plan that will address all of your needs.

Signs you need to upgrade your data center

Here are some of the red flags that indicate it’s time to upgrade:

• You don’t have a backup system: If you’ve ever experienced an unplanned data outage, you might be aware that it can cost you up to $8,000 per hour. Ninety-one percent of data centers experience unplanned data outages each year. If you don’t have a backup system in place, you’re just tempting fate. To prevent expensive downtime, create a backup system by outsourcing data center redundancies, and add a generator, UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system and cooling fans as necessary. Whatever you spend now will almost certainly be cheaper than dealing with unplanned outages.
• You need more space: Your company has probably expanded over the years, both metaphorically and physically. Eventually, your server room is going to get crowded, which can speed up the server replacement cycle. The more power you need, the more servers you need. In turn, the more servers you need, the more cooling fans are required. It’s wise to build regular data center upgrades into your budget.
• It’s hard to maintain compliance requirements: When it starts to become difficult to maintain internal and government guideline compliance, you should consider upgrading your data center. Since data centers use a lot of power (about 139 billion kilowatt-hours in 2020), their environmental impact is huge. What’s more, they’re often not designed as efficiently as they could be. You could be paying for power you don’t need to be using. That’s why it’s smart to upgrade periodically.

Benefits of a data center upgrade project plan

Not only will an upgrade prevent expensive downtime, but there are several other benefits involved. First, an upgraded data center will have the latest energy-efficient technology, so you’ll use less power cooling your servers. Bugs, glitches and security vulnerabilities are less likely with newer equipment, saving employee time, too.

It’s also better for the environment. Data centers use up massive amounts of power every day, and the demand is only growing. Any time you can upgrade your equipment to save energy, you’re not only lowering your power bills but making a positive impact on the environment. Every bit counts.

Finally, upgrading shows your customers that you care about downtime, security and environmental impact. If you can’t offer your clients a seamless and secure experience, they’re sure to find someone else who fits the bill.

Ultimately, you’ll need to upgrade your equipment anyway. Why not build a data center upgrade into your project planning and enjoy all the benefits? Ham’s Electric, Inc. can help. Call us today to find out how we can power your business.