NEWS
8 SOLUTIONS WARNS OF DANGERS OF ZINC WHISKERS
Technical cleaning and data centre healthcare business, 8 Solutions, has warned operators and owners to review the growing dangers of Zinc Whiskers as one of the least understood of all of the causes of equipment failure within data centres.
LCC SERVICE DELIVERY DIRECT
LCC Support Services, the independent national contractor has now completed its network of regional bases to self-deliver services to its many national clients.
The bases are strategically positioned across the UK and operate from Edinburgh, Manchester, Coventry, London and Southampton. They will service LCC’s growing number of major national accounts, which include Centrica, Santander and Grant Thornton.
Bob Vincent, LCC’s Executive Chairman said: “50% of our clients are now represented in a number of towns and cities, so our bases must mirror their locations as clients expect regional representation and delivery.”
Each base has a National Accounts Director and Key Accounts Director and is supported by area management and local cleaning teams. Training will continue to be operated from LCC’s London training school facility.
LCC has won four Golden Service Awards for its high quality cleaning in the office, education and retail business sectors plus the Innovation Award for its software systems.
www.lccss.co.uk www.tomorrowsfm.com TOMORROW’S FM | 07
The warning follows an analysis of 90,000 projects worldwide to highlight the problems caused by millions of tiny zinc particles that can cause short cuts to power supplies and sensitive circuitry, ultimately leading to critical infrastructure meltdown.
Of those data centres inspected specifically for Zinc Whiskers, more than a third (34%) were liable to Zinc Whisker infestation as a result of ageing infrastructure, a reduction in circuit voltages and currents, and the continued miniaturisation of electronic components.
Zinc Whiskers measure only a micron in diameter and originate from ageing galvanised floor tiles and metallic objects. Forming over time, the particles, when disturbed, can penetrate electronic hardware through vents or fans.
Although industry-wide the
number of data centres affected is comparatively small, perhaps as little as 1%, David Hogg, Managing Director at 8 Solutions, said that part of the problem is knowing what to look for:
“When particles enter a data centre’s hardware, they form conductive structures that cause circuit trips and electrical failures,” he said. “However, the particles disintegrate when a short circuit occurs, and unless a technician is aware of this phenomenon, it may go undetected as the source of the problem.”
David said that because the whiskers are difficult to see with the naked eye, operators are sometimes oblivious to the problems they can cause: “It is hugely important for data centres to have a regular and thorough decontamination of these environments, even though system operators may not believe there is a problem,” he continued.
“8 Solutions uses specialised scientific analysis to quickly identify Zinc Whiskers, and their stage of development, so that efficient and thorough cleaning can take place to protect data centres and the critical infrastructure they support.”
www.8solutions.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66