In today’s data centre environment, outages – whether related to power, water or fibre optics – are a daily reality. However, it is not just about responding to these events; it is about being prepared and capable when they occur.
By Jacques De Jager, chief operations officer at Digital Parks Africa
The key to resilience lies in a well-defined risk mitigation strategy, ensuring adaptability and agility in the face of disruptions. It is therefore important for data centre operators to prioritise competency among their staff through extensive scenario-based training. This proactive approach allows them to refine their responses and solidify their decision-making processes.
One of the most critical elements of outage response is the so-called Golden Five Minutes. The decisions made within this brief window are pivotal, and once a course of action is chosen, it must be followed with precision. Making multiple conflicting decisions at this time can introduce multiple failure points, potentially destabilising an entire facility.
In the South African context, the main challenges currently facing local data centres are power availability, diesel quality and connectivity. Each presents unique risks and addressing them effectively is crucial to ensuring operational continuity in an unpredictable environment.
Preparedness, redundancy and proactive maintenance
Operational resilience does not hinge on preventing every possible disruption, but rather on ensuring preparedness, redundancy and proactive maintenance. By strategically addressing power availability, diesel quality and fibre diversity, organisations can safeguard against infrastructure failures and maintain uninterrupted service despite unpredictable challenges.
However, managing a data centre extends beyond just hardware resilience and encompasses human resilience. The combination of rigorous training, competent staffing and structured decision-making is what keeps the operation running smoothly, even in the face of disruptions.
At the same time, outdated and inadequate equipment in data centres presents a major operational risk, impacting performance, reliability and long-term sustainability. Addressing this challenge requires a structured technology refresh strategy that balances lifecycle management, vendor independence and geopolitical considerations.
Determining whether equipment is outdated isn’t just about age but also about performance trends and failure rates. This is where monitoring and measurement come into play. By tracking failure patterns and performance degradation, companies can establish data-driven replacement schedules rather than reacting to sudden breakdowns.
Beyond hardware ageing, vendor dependence and geopolitical influences can create unforeseen challenges. To mitigate these risks, diversification is key. Adopting a multi-vendor strategy ensures that no single supplier dictates availability, reducing exposure to geopolitical disruptions. A diverse equipment ecosystem offers flexibility but requires specialised training and broader skill sets within plant and servicing teams.
Practical experience and specialised training
While South Africa places a strong emphasis on skills development by encouraging large organisations to invest in workforce training, the data centre industry does not rely on traditional academic paths to produce fully qualified professionals. This field demands practical experience and specialised training.
Unlike other professionals, such as engineers, who are able to work globally with standardised training, no two data centres are the same. Each facility has a unique design, operational requirements and resilience strategies, making hands-on experience essential for competency.
However, organisations can partner with industry-recognised bodies to ensure their teams also receive specialised education.
Ultimately, though, to ensure redundancy and business continuity, businesses are strongly advised to adopt a multi-data centre strategy. No single facility should be regarded as the golden egg; instead, organisations should distribute their infrastructure across multiple locations. This diversification minimises risk – if one site experiences failure, operations remain intact elsewhere.
The data centre industry is rapidly evolving beyond just technical excellence – these days it requires resilience, social responsibility and operational discipline. Organisations must invest in a well-defined risk mitigation strategy, ensuring adaptability and agility that will guarantee continued reliability in an ever-demanding digital world.