Data Center Operations

Establishes the single authoritative register of critical facility assets for a data centre in IFS Cloud, structured as a Functional Object hierarchy from site down to individual UPS module, generator set and switchboard. Serialised plant is registered as Serial or Equipment Objects carrying nameplate, warranty and criticality data, so that PM plans, spares policy, documents and work history all anchor to the same physical asset. Without this register there is no traceable link between the maintenance programme and the electrical one-line the site is certified against.

Manages moves, adds and changes to the structured cable plant - backbone, horizontal, patch panel ports and cross-connects - as controlled work in IFS Cloud. Each MAC is raised as a Service Request or Work Order against the cable plant object structure, executed through Work Tasks with reserved patch cords and trunks, and closed only when the link test certificate and the as-built administration record have been updated. Records are kept to TIA-942 infrastructure and TIA-606 administration requirements so documented plant always matches installed plant.

Defines the recurring preventive maintenance programme for UPS systems in IFS Cloud, from Maintenance Plan and PM Action templates through automatic Work Order generation, MOP-controlled transfer to bypass, execution and structured measurement capture. Results are recorded against the UPS Serial Object so capacitor, fan and battery consumable life is trended and replacement is forecast rather than discovered at failure. Work is scheduled inside an approved maintenance window so the redundant distribution path keeps the critical load supported throughout.

Covers the full standby generator test regime for a data centre in IFS Cloud: weekly inspection, the monthly loaded exercise, and the annual load-bank test used where the monthly run does not reach the required load. Each test is a PM Action that generates a Work Order with structured Measurements for achieved load, run hours, exhaust temperature and fuel consumed, so certification evidence and degradation trends sit on the generator Serial Object. Failed tests route to a Fault Report and corrective Work Order and are retested before certification.

Manages the UPS battery lifecycle in IFS Cloud from string registration through interval testing to planned replacement. Test intervals follow the recommended practice for the chemistry in use, with monthly visual and float checks, periodic ohmic measurement and capacity discharge testing, all captured as Measurements against the string object and trended against the commissioning baseline. Strings that fall below the capacity threshold move into planned replacement with a Work Order and purchase demand rather than being left in service until failure.

Defines periodic testing of LV and MV switchgear, circuit breakers and protective relays in IFS Cloud, with task lists derived from the recognised maintenance testing specification for electrical power equipment. Work Orders carry the switching programme, LOTO and arc-flash requirements, and capture as-found and as-left test values as Measurements against the switchboard object. Relay settings are verified against the current protection coordination study, and any out-of-tolerance result or mismatch drives a Fault Report and corrective Work Order before the equipment is returned to service.

Covers preventive maintenance of distribution and isolation transformers together with automatic and static transfer switches in IFS Cloud. Transformer plans combine visual inspection, thermography, connection integrity and, for liquid-filled units, oil sampling and dissolved gas analysis; ATS and STS plans centre on a witnessed transfer and re-transfer test with transfer time recorded. Readings land as Measurements on the object, unacceptable results raise a Fault Report and corrective Work Order, and results feed the condition and replacement forecast.

Preventive and corrective maintenance of the mechanical cooling plant - CRAC and CRAH units, chillers, condenser and chilled-water pumps, dry coolers and CDUs - delivered in IFS Cloud as PM Actions on equipment objects that generate PM Work Orders. Calendar, event and condition triggers drive filter, coil, compressor, valve and humidifier tasks, while readings are captured as Measurement / Parameter values against each unit. Corrective findings become Fault Reports and repair Work Orders so the cooling plant history stays on one asset record.

Maintenance and water-quality management of cooling towers, evaporative condensers and the condenser-water loop, run in IFS Cloud as PM Actions that generate the cleaning, inspection and dosing Work Orders. Water chemistry and Legionella sampling results are recorded as Measurement / Parameter values against the tower object and checked against the site water management programme control limits. Excursions raise Fault Reports and corrective Work Orders, and lab certificates are retained as Documents for audit.

Scheduled inspection, testing and maintenance of data centre fire detection and suppression - aspirating and spot smoke detection, notification appliances, clean agent systems and pre-action sprinkler systems - delivered in IFS Cloud as PM Actions that generate the ITM Work Orders at code frequencies. Device-level pass and fail results are recorded against Work Tasks, failures become Fault Reports and corrective Work Orders, and the completed ITM record is retained as a Document. The result is a defensible, auditable test history per zone and per device.

Shift-based operator rounds across the electrical, mechanical and white space plant, generated in IFS Cloud as calendar-based PM Work Orders with one Work Task or task step per check point. Operators record readings and visual checks against object parameters on mobile, and out-of-range readings raise a Fault Report immediately rather than at the end of the round. Completed rounds become the operational log that supports shift handover and feeds recurring exceptions back into the PM programme and procedures.

Route-based infrared thermography and ultrasonic or partial discharge surveys of the electrical and mechanical infrastructure, planned in IFS Cloud as condition-based PM Actions and executed as survey Work Orders. Delta-T and ultrasonic readings are captured as Measurement / Parameter values with thermograms attached as Documents, and actionable findings become prioritised corrective Work Orders. Measurement history then feeds the condition-based PM forecast so survey and repair intervals reflect real asset condition.

Proves, before any planned intervention, that the affected component can be isolated and maintained without interrupting IT operations. The power and cooling distribution paths are mapped onto the IFS Cloud Functional Object structure, loss of redundancy during the window is modelled against load and capacity limits, and the outcome is recorded as a controlled Document linked to the change and Work Order. The agreed window is written back as an Operational Plan maintenance window so IFS scheduling will not permit obstructive work outside it.

Runs the preventive and predictive maintenance programme for a live 24x7 data centre using IFS Cloud EAM and Planning & Scheduling Optimization. PM Plans generate Work Orders from calendar, event or condition criteria; work value is set from Work Type, Object Criticality, Task Priority and Event so critical-infrastructure work outranks routine tasks; and Operational Plan maintenance windows block obstructive work outside agreed periods. MPS Cluster IDs group assets that must be shut down together so the number of maintenance stoppages is minimised.

Governs the forecasting, reservation and release of power, cooling, floor space and floor-loading capacity across white space and supporting plant in IFS Cloud. Design envelopes and live headroom are held against the Functional Object hierarchy (site, data hall, room, cage, cabinet) with Measurement / Parameter readings interfaced from DCIM and BMS, so no deployment consumes headroom before its capacity request is approved. Approved reservations then drive PM review, Project demand for expansion and long-lead Purchase Order triggers.

Controls who is allowed onto the data centre floor and under what supervision. Vendors are qualified and held under a Supplier Agreement specifying scope of work, call-in process, qualifications and response times; every visit is tied to an authorised Work Order and Work Task; and qualification plus site-specific induction is verified before access. Permits are issued before work starts - including an energised electrical work permit where energised work cannot be avoided - and the supervision level follows whether the vendor is escorted at all times.

Provides the periodic performance review cycle for both customer-facing SLAs and supplier maintenance contracts. Availability, environmental, response-time and remote-hands attainment is measured from IFS Cloud Work Order, Work Task, Fault Report and Measurement history, compared with the commitments recorded on the Service Contract or Supplier Agreement, and taken to a governance review. Outcomes - service credits, corrective actions or re-negotiation - are recorded back against the contract so the evidence trail is complete.

Delivers new capacity and capital plant upgrades through the staged commissioning discipline, managed as an IFS Cloud Project. The work breakdown carries the Cx level gates as Project Activities - factory witness testing, site acceptance, start-up and pre-functional, functional performance testing and integrated systems testing - with scripts and results held as Documents. Only after the Level 5 integrated systems test is accepted is the plant handed to operations as Functional and Serial Objects with Criticality, PM Actions, spares and O&M documentation in place.

Controls every planned intervention on data centre critical infrastructure through a change record and an approved MOP in IFS Cloud. Changes are classified as standard, normal or emergency so routine work is not over-governed, the MOP is held as a revision-controlled Document with scripted and back-out steps, and redundancy risk is assessed before the change authority authorises release. Only an approved MOP revision releases the executable Work Order, and closeout updates the as-built record.

Runs the recurring internal and external audit cycle for the data centre - Uptime Institute M&O Stamp of Approval, ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 - from a single control and evidence register in IFS Cloud. Each control is mapped to the PM Action, Work Order, Measurement history, Document or qualification record that evidences it, so producing an evidence pack becomes a query rather than a collection exercise. Findings and non-conformances become tracked corrective actions with owners, due dates and closure evidence.

Keeps the site EOP library controlled and rehearsed using IFS Cloud. EOPs are held as revision-controlled Documents linked to the Equipment Objects they cover, and drills are driven from PM Actions so each procedure is exercised on a defined cycle and generates a Work Order with an auditable checklist. Drill outcomes update both the procedure revision and operator Competency records.

Establishes and governs the vendor maintenance contracts behind critical plant - UPS, generators, chillers, switchgear, fire systems and BMS - in IFS Cloud. Supplier Agreements hold the commercial terms, validity periods, priced service parts and maximum-amount controls, while PM Actions generate the Work Orders that carry each contracted vendor visit against the covered Functional Objects. Coverage gaps, cumulative spend against the agreement and contractor competency are managed from the same record so no critical asset is left uncovered.

Establishes and runs the on-site critical spares holding for data centre facility plant in IFS Cloud, derived from the critical asset register rather than from consumption history alone. Parts are classified as insurance, critical or consumable, given a stocking policy with reorder point and safety stock, and held in a controlled site store linked to the assets they protect. Issue to PM and corrective Work Orders drives replenishment, and periodic review covers obsolescence, shelf life and OEM support status so mean time to repair on a critical failure stays inside target.