Natural disasters are part of the human experience. Human beings can be astonishingly short-sighted, but we promise you, Mother Nature isn’t. A natural disaster can completely upend the operations of your business and halt any processes in place. One of the most detrimental natural disasters is an earthquake. If you have a business containing a data center within a seismic zone, it’s important to protect your equipment. Getting seismic racks for your data center is the perfect way to disaster-proof your equipment. Find out how seismic data racks differ from standard racks below.
What’s a Seismic Rack and How Is It Different?
Data center racks help hold your data center equipment in place. They can be open or closed, wall mounted, or floor models. Some models specifically keep cables organized, and they come with many other uses. Unfortunately, they aren’t built to withstand earthquakes.
Seismic racks are built to withstand intense earthquakes. This is essential because they can protect your investment in high-risk areas with a lot of seismic activity. You wouldn’t want to lose all your equipment to a natural disaster. In the long run, this can cost you millions of dollars and completely halt your operations, putting you and your business in limbo for days. You can’t afford to be thrown off course like this, so it’s best to get a seismic rack cabinet built for the job.
How Does It Work?
As you know now, seismic cabinets can withstand the incredible power of an earthquake. They are designed to handle a dynamic weight load and account for side-to-side, upward, downward, and front-to-back vibrations. In other words, they’re built for 360-degree sturdiness. The racks must undergo rigorous testing to prove they’re built to last during a seismic event. Typically, they’re bolted to the floor and put through an earthquake simulation. Then, the rack is rated based on how well it handled the earthquake. Tier one is the lowest magnitude on the Richter Scale and Tier four is the highest, so racks that hold up against high magnitudes are best. This is an essential difference between seismic data racks and standard racks—they’re built for earthquakes and have increased sturdiness. Standard racks don’t undergo the same rigorous testing process.
Should You Get a Seismic Rack?
Absolutely! Even if you aren’t in an area with high seismic activity, you can’t beat the sturdiness of seismic racks. If you do live in a high earthquake zone, seismic racks are essential. Ideally, you don’t want to put your data center in a place with a lot of seismic activity. However, sometimes you can’t help it. Silicon Valley is smack in the center of a gigantic seismic zone. Still, it’s the premier center for technological progress, with tech companies spanning San Diego to San Francisco. Don’t neglect your seismic racks—you’ll need them when you least expect it.
Seismic racks protect your investments. If you live in a high earthquake area, you’re bound to deal with some seismic activity. Why not protect your business and your bottom line? We sell some of the best seismic racks in the US, so buy from AMCO Enclosures today!