Data Centre Property Dependability Improvement Program
The rapid digital expansion across industries such as telecommunications, banking, government services, and manufacturing has heightened the demand for increased resilience and reliability in backend infrastructures, including Data Centres and Mobile Switching Centers. Facility Managers are responsible for performing thorough assessments of the dependability of the building superstructures, substructures, utilities and support systems.
The Improvement Programme for Critical Property Dependability prioritises an annual comprehensive assessment of the property’s reliability, availability, and maintainability, the competence of maintenance support personnel, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
Property Dependability Management Challenges:
• Collecting information from property owners and stakeholders.
• Evaluating the dependability requirements of end-customers.
• Addressing the lack of necessary in-house or third-party team knowledge and skills.
• Developing a cost-efficient property condition assessment program.
• Obtaining approval for a dependability enhancement initiative.
• Executing a comprehensive risk management program.
• Analysing outcomes from condition assessments of property elements.
Develop and implement a Dependability Improvement programme for the business owner(s) and stakeholders.
1. Information needed from the Property Owner(s) and stakeholders at the outset may include the following elements.
Construction details, drawings, commissioning reports, and Operation Manuals.
Status of operating licenses and compliance certificates for statutory and regulatory requirements.
Safety inspection records in recent past.
Building energy performance and systems functionality checks records.
Resource allocation for operations and maintenance services.
2. Dependability needs assessment
Ensuring the safety of property and life.
Addressing gaps in statutory, regulatory, and international standards and best practices.
Assessing the ‘Residual Useful Life’ of assets for obsolescence management.
Evaluating the reliability, availability, and maintainability of building utilities.
3. Setting Objectives for the Dependability Improvement Program
A comprehensive assessment of the building’s structural integrity, asset maintainability, maintenance support, safety risk management, reliability, and availability of essential utilities, compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, and meeting current business needs while accommodating future expansion requirements.
Develop and implement a Dependability Improvement programme for the business owner(s) and stakeholders.
4. Create a Plan of Action
Pre-assessment Planning
Carry out a walk-around survey of the property to identify the boundary limits of critical elements to include in the programme.
Create a programme for the ‘Property Condition Assessment’. Take into account the criticality of asset elements and standard periodicity.
Develop customised Test Worksheets, risk matrix, and resource allocation (skilled manpower, testing equipment)
5. Implementation
Conduct a Property Condition Assessment of selected critical assets.
Perform a comprehensive feasibility and risk assessment.
Evaluate the choice of tests and cost efficiency.
Conduct an ‘End-to-End Integrated System Test’ comprising, but not limited to, the following elements:
– Emergency Power System
– Fire Protection System
– Individual, Integrated, and Interconnected Systems
– Life Safety Systems
6. Review the outcomes of actions.
Use risk management tools such as:
– Interviews with Property Owner(s) and stakeholders
– Checklist
– Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
– Failure Reporting Analysis and Corrective System (FRACAS)
– Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
– Human Reliability Analysis
Business-risk based Maintenance (RUN, REPAIR, REPLACE) priority grading (ref. IEC: 22237-1)
The Property Condition Assessment must conclude with an evaluation of the improvements achieved in the Dependability of the Property.