Quality assurance has always played a critical role in ensuring data centers operate efficiently, reliably, and securely while safeguarding sensitive information and supporting seamless business operations.
As Rex Black, former president of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board, once quipped “Proper quality assurance (QA) of a data center is not a trivial matter.”
Those words ring even truer in today’s intelligent computing era with data center reliability relying on artificial intelligence (AI) driven quality assurance trends that are transforming data center QA with predictive maintenance and issue detection, repetitive task automation, improved decision making, enhanced security, and increased efficiency and cost savings, and more.
Data Center QA boiled down to its basic purpose is to understand and mitigate all the risks in operating your data center from performance to security to functionality to usability to interoperability to other attributes important to your enterprise.
When all the risks are identified, it will not just be high-level concerns but specific risks that will need to be managed. Black estimated that a typical data center could have as many as 100 to 200 specific quality-related risks for AQ to tackle.
Quantifying the tangible returns on QA investment in data centers can be difficult as not only do you have to look at direct cost savings and efficiency improvements, but the limitation or prevention of downtime, data breaches, data corruption, and other negative events can have an incalculable price tag.
Some would argue that data center QA can return as much as $30 for every $1 invested. Regardless of the actual return, data center QA achieves:
We understand the importance of quality assurance and its impact on data center reliability at Data Center Systems (DCS) – all our cables are tested to meet or exceed the TIA 568-B industry-standard performance rating.
Of course, fiber connectivity solutions are just part of your organization’s data center QA which encompasses activities throughout the data center life cycle, from planning and construction to ongoing operation and maintenance.
The age of generative AI is truly changing the way we think about data center QA.
Unless you have been underground at an Antarctica weather station without any internet connection, then you know the story of the past year was the role of generative AI and its impact on all aspects of our lives.
We expect that impact to accelerate in 2024 with PwC making some bold predictions on how AI will start to fundamentally change how business gets done including:
Data centers are on the front line of business process automation, data, and AI so expect to see AI-driven automation change data center QA by enhancing efficiency, streamlining processes, and reducing costs while reducing human error.
These AI-powered solutions will lead to the following quality assurance trends in the data center industry:
If AI only ends up doing a portion of the above, it will still be a “man on the moon” moment for data center QA!
While AI will dominate the headlines in quality assurance trends in 2024, we expect these other data center innovations in QA:
Better Cooling Safety: Distributed Cooling Architecture
Compared to traditional centralized cooling systems, distributed cooling architecture offers several advantages when it comes to safety in data centers starting with the fact that a single device fault does not impact the operation of other devices since the subsystems are independent of each other.
This data center QA trend can lead to:
By providing targeted cooling where needed, distributed systems can improve energy efficiency compared to centralized systems that cool entire spaces. Smaller, modular units in distributed systems are also easier to maintain and replace compared to large, centralized units.
Full-Chain Safety: Product Design and Manufacturing
Reliable and secure data center operation is increasingly geared towards the concept of full-chain safety. This refers to the holistic approach to managing risks and ensuring the safety of all components, systems, and processes involved in data center operations. It goes beyond physical safety measures and encompasses:
Lifecycle Network Security Protection: Preventing Network Attacks
There really can’t be a discussion of data center QA trends without mentioning the uber-important topic of security.
As Data Center Knowledge reported last year, the data center industry continues to grapple with ever-evolving threats making security a top concern for organizations.
“By staying informed and proactive on the latest trends and best practices, data center professionals can ensure the safety and integrity of their critical assets,” said the publication.
One of the data center quality assurance trends is that lifecycle network security protection systems (encompassing supply security, in-depth defense, and O&M/operation security) will be called to shield facilities from attacks.
Lifecycle network security protection offers a layered defense, addressing vulnerabilities throughout the device's lifespan, including these key states and protection methods:
By actively embracing QA trends and innovations, data centers can ensure they are equipped to meet the ever-changing demands of the digital world. As a bonus, this should translate to improved efficiency, enhanced security, reduced costs, and a competitive edge in the industry.