New protocols of data centers for the new normal

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, aspects of data center management and operations have changed. CBRE Data Centre Solutions shared new trends and new protocols for the new normal. During the COVID-19 outbreak data center, the sector has seen the following trends.

• Some non-essential maintenance, be it for the data center plant or IT systems, has been deferred
• Many projects have been put on hold
• Staffing levels have been reduced and/or interaction between the teams have been restricted
• Access to white space and plant areas have been more tightly controlled, allowing essential visits only
• Many non-essential application and system software changes have been deferred

Adaptation to the new normal in data centers

The world starts to function as the ‘new normal’ and businesses reopen, and people return to work. CBRE Data Centre Solutions released a detailed guideline about new protocols for the new normal. The company recommends to the management of the data centers to follow government and public health organization guidelines. Because the management team of data center operators must stay aware of geographic variations and requirements as these will change over time. In addition to this, they must follow the practical PPE and personal hygiene guidelines and the guidelines for social distancing.

For engaging suppliers, the management team should work with the supply chain to understand their business resumption plans and safe work considerations. Also, to be ready for another wave, lessons learned should be considered and actioned to ensure preparedness in case the situation worsens. Due to the CBRE guidelines, during COVID-19 outbreak, there are lessons learned:

• Consider if there should be any modifications and updates to business continuity plans, communication plans or incident escalation plans
• Consider if any temporary processes or procedures should be maintained for go-forward operations to ensure more safe and reliable service
• Consider areas and responses that were positive (and not-so-positive), and if lessons learned and best practices can be shared to other sites in the portfolio

Lockdown has caused significant changes in working patterns. For instance, remote working became the most general way of doing business. It is also needed to add that remote working, leave management processes can continue to protect data center personnel.