The summer heat has arrived in Chicago! And, you may not be the only one suffering from the elevated temperatures. Your IT infrastructure needs some help to stay cool and energetic during these hot, hazy days. But do you know how to care properly for your network during the summer months? You might consider engaging a Chicago managed IT services provider to keep your IT infrastructure healthy and operating well into the fall.
First, how do temperature and humidity affect your IT infrastructure? It’s interesting that individuals living in hotter climates often prefer to ‘siesta’ during the warmer hours of the day. The higher temperatures accompanied by high humidity make it difficult for individuals to remain active. Similarly, these conditions can also degrade the performance of your IT network. That is, equipment many slow the transfer of data and produce the annoying occurrence of data latency. This degradation in network performance can prove frustrating to your users.
Over-heated hardware components also degrade when exposed to higher temperatures. Ideally, your equipment, particularly your data centers, should maintain temperatures between 68- and 77-degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative humidity in those areas should be less that 50%. Inadequate ventilation around network components becomes quickly evident during the hot summer months. Fluctuating temperatures not only degrade performance, but they also shorten the lives of these parts.
How can a Chicago IT services provider help mitigate the hazards caused by the summer heat and humidity Chicago-based businesses face?
Educate
In this age of remote workforces, your employees may work frequently offsite. They may take their devices outdoors to enjoy the rays, or even (who would have thought?) to their favorite Chicago beach. But do they understand the dangers direct sun, hot temperatures, or even worse, water, pose to their laptops? Your employees wouldn’t think of leaving their children or pets in a hot car, but do they similarly protect their devices? The professionals at a Chicago managed IT services provider have the expertise and the credibility to alert your team to these dangers and to tell them how to protect their devices and the valuable information stored on them.
Monitor
Do you maintain your own data center? If so, how well do you monitor both temperature as well as humidity? The licensed IT engineers at a managed service provider can install equipment to assess both temperature and humidity, allowing them to continually monitor the environment surrounding the equipment. In addition to monitoring the environment, these engineers can also track your network’s performance. They can proactively observe any changes in your network and quickly analyze the cause.
Mitigate
The licensed professionals at a managed service provider can also mitigate issues prompted by hotter than optimum temperatures or excessive humidity. Is ventilation a problem? These engineers can recommend better hardware configurations or work with HVAC technicians to create a healthier environment for your network equipment. A managed services consultant can also team with your vendors to provide and install equipment showing wear or nearing its useful life. (They can also ensure your software applications are updated and performing as anticipated.)
Do you have an internal IT team? A managed service provider in the Chicago area can lift some or all of your team’s burden and ensure you have IT support during your IT technicians’ vacation schedules. Whether you contract with a Chicago managed service provider for all your IT management needs or simply augment your own team with their services, the professionals at JMA can secure the health of your IT infrastructure during these hot summer days and throughout the year.