Looking after a company's data centers and data center equipment is a big deal in today's market. With climate control becoming a motivator, and with the burgeoning of online activity making data centers into energy hogs, companies are putting the pedal to the metal to attempt to streamline their data centers into efficient, high-functioning installations.

One way that companies do this is by training staff on how to accomplish cooling and other solutions through choosing the right data center enclosures for their servers and equipment. The Internet can be helpful in this area: just a little digging around can take readers to some of the top companies informing the world with data center racks and enclosures education and training, through the net or on-site. Readers can find:

1. Premier training options for data center racks and enclosures from places where the market is going to get its knowledge.

2. More from "online guide" pages and info sites on data center racks and gear.

3. Information from industry journals or networking sites about buying, selecting and using data center rack or enclosure options.

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Locate data center racks and enclosures training options from popular sources

A little pointing and clicking will take readers to sites where the courses and training options of specific companies are outlined: detailed info presents the various ways that a business can choose to learn about data center enclosure products for keeping data centers running cool and handling copious amounts of activity and information.

I recommend: APC offers business training in data center technology that has garnered praise from some industry periodicals -- browse the site to see how you can use this resource to get the enclosures and racks you need. Find more training in the form of seminars on data center technologies including "cabinets" and other cooling "infrastructure" at Chatsworth Products.

Look for info on data center racks and enclosures from online guides

Various online sites also have 'article archives' and other resources for learning more about how equipment for standard or modular data centers is helping to revolutionize the process of helping client servers parse a tremendous amount of information remotely. Readers can find out more about just how much data centers do for larger companies or those on the forefront of eCommerce or a similar industry.

I recommend: Look through the bulk of articles available at Server Rack Strategies to find items like "Server Rack Strategies for Energy Efficient Data Centers" and other informative pieces on how to select options for data center rackspace solutions. Get a lot of buying advice and more from Processor: "Products, News and Information Data Centers can Trust."

Get news on data center racks and enclosures from industry journals and online periodicals

There are also specific magazines and journals online covering this growing business sector, and a few clicks will turn up free articles from these sources, that can be fodder for meetings on how to update flagging data centers with new data center enclosures.

I recommend: Find out about the latest for data center cooling with enclosure systems at the Data Center Journal. Find more information about data center racks and enclosures at the Equipment Protection Magazine.

Data center racks and enclosures keep your components organized and secure. Use data center racks to mount equipment and share power and cooling. Data center enclosures are cabinets or cages that surround the rack to provide protection from dust and other environmental factors.

Data center racks and enclosures are available in freestanding versions and modular units that can fit in a tight space. Whether your data center is a closet in the corner of the room or an off-site high-tech space, rack space is the heart of your data center. The equipment for your enterprise makes future expansion easier and less costly. Some features to look for include:

1. Data center racks and enclosures that are scalable to meet current and future requirements

2. Assistance in planning and designing data center equipment

3. Adequate and manageable power, UPS protection and cooling

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Get data center enclosures that will grow with your needs

If you don't need a full data center, use a single freestanding data center rack, or a rack that mounts to a wall or fits under a desk. Your data center racks will need to accommodate future equipment.

I recommend: Consult with providers of data center equipment to find out which equipment is right for your organization. Look for scalable racks like the APC InfraStruXure, and solutions for special requirements.

Enlist help to design a modular data center

The cost and difficulties associated with building a data center may seem unreachable for many organizations. As new equipment is added, the original design gets crowded and unmanageable, resulting in an environment that is dysfunctional and unsecured. Modular data centers are a solution for companies that want to use existing space. A service provider can help design a modular or fixed solution to get your data center back on track.

I recommend: Look for companies that can design modular data centers in any environment, like IBM's Facilities Assessment, Design and Construction Services. Companies like PTS provide the expertise to design and construct a data center from scratch. GDCM's nlyte system will allow you to design and manage a data center through a web-based application.

Make sure you have the right cooling and ventilation

Cooling and ventilation are major considerations in a data center rack space. Servers and other equipment generate more heat than ever, which can damage cables and other equipment.

I recommend: Get information about data center racks and enclosures that incorporate ventilation and cooling solutions. APC manufactures air conditioners that can be installed in its racks. 42u sells a variety of cooling and ventilation solutions.

Manage your power

The cost of power can easily surpass the price of equipment over the course of its life cycle. Racks and enclosures that include power management and monitoring features can assist in conservation efforts. A UPS is necessary to provide power during a power interuption until a generator kicks in or you can get to the systems to shut them down.

I recommend: HP's Insight Power Manager software lets you monitor thermal output and actual power consumption. Powerware's UPS selector tool will help you find a UPS that has enough power for current needs and future growth.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you commit to a rack environment, you should plan to convert current freestanding equipment to rack mount versions. In the meantime, network equipment and tower servers can be placed on steel shelves within the rack. Conversion kits allow tower servers to be rack mounted.
• •  Well-ventilated doors protect your equipment and keep it secure. Tempered glass doors provide protection as well as visibility.
• •  Add accessories like rack mount monitors, keyboards and KVMs (keyboard-video-mouse packages) to keep things neat.

The tech industry has started to embrace some pretty useful guidelines and standards for both server components and hardware and for data center racks and enclosures, which are basically the frame structures for holding server hardware in place. Learning about key terms around servers and data centers will help businesses figure out how to approach temperature control, compact design, and lots more when it comes to managing a whole lot of computerized information.

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Server room

The server room is a dedicated space for servers and other high-tech hardware. The purpose of the server room is to keep data centers and servers out of harm's way. Server rooms are filled with data center racks and enclosures and often temperature controlled for safe data handling.

I recommend: Get news on building a server room from top to bottom from this page from SearchWindowsServer.

1U rack server

The 1U denomination seen so often on all kinds of hardware means that component will take up one unit of a standard 19-inch server rack. Making racks and data center components the same standard size leads to efficiency in design and a better system for storing data centers in racks and enclosures.

I recommend: Find out more about 1U server spaces at Tom's Hardware.

Modular data center

A modular data center is a design that lets IT managers add servers, KVM switch boxes and other gear one at a time in standard forms, so that everything fits together without a lot of extra work when dealing with data center racks and enclosures.

I recommend: Get schooled on the benefits of a modular data center at Network Computing.

Tower server

The tower server represents an alternative to the kinds of data center racks and enclosures mentioned above. The tower server is a bulkier computer design for dealing with lots of data.

I recommend: Find out about the pros and cons of tower server designs at WhatIs.com.

Tower-to-rack conversion kit

A server conversion kit allows for switching over from a tower design to a rack-mounted server setup. These conversion kits deal with the awkward task of physically calibrating your data center and server setups.

I recommend: Find an example of tower-to-rack kits like this one from Dell at Discount Technology.

High density cooling

Because rack mounted servers and data centers are so much more compact, the danger of high temperatures is endemic. One way to approach the cooling of server enclosures is with a high density cooling system.

I recommend: Take a look at how a high density cooling system is set up at this Help with High Density Cooling page from PTS Data Center Solutions.