IDC-MCS Finds Summer Swelter Leads To Server Room Meltdowns; Infrastructure Consulting Group Finds Majority of Data Center Equipment Not Adequate for Summer Environments.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2004

Infrastructure Development Corp. (IDC-MCS) warns organizations to review their current cooling systems and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to ensure data centers, server rooms and communications closets are functioning safely this summer season.

In an analysis of site visits made by the IT infrastructure consultancy over the past six months, 81% of organizations received recommendations to repair, replace or enhance their cooling or backup power supply equipment. Often, companies had outdated or poorly maintained cooling systems and not enough capacity to support any future network upgrades, especially during the summer heat. The site assessments also revealed that IT managers often neglected to install adequate sized UPS equipment to provide continued power from battery backup in the case of a brownout, electrical outage or rolling blackout.

The top two threats affecting companies in this environment include:

-- Overheating -- Servers and networking equipment are designed

to operate within relatively narrow temperature ranges. Too

much heat within a server room affects computers' stability,

processing speed and component life. This may cause crashes at

random times, significantly shorten hard drive life and result

in overall performance degradation. Computers tend to fail

prematurely if they are subjected to temperatures above the

manufacturers' recommendation for extended periods of time.

IDC-MCS recommends that IT managers carefully conduct a heat load audit of their equipment and compare the results to the cooling capacity of their Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system. Generally speaking, a room that is able to maintain 68 degrees to 71 degrees F will reduce the risk of heat related damage. If equipment racks are densely packed with servers then special measures may have to be engineered to ensure the temperature of individual devices remain within manufacturers' limits.

-- Power outages -- Lack of properly sized or maintained UPS

solutions can potentially cause server crashes and data

storage system failure. Businesses need to ensure their UPS

can support all installed equipment during power outages, as

well as protect against voltage surges, harmonics and spikes.

To reduce the risk of failure during the loss of grid power, businesses need to ensure their UPS is able to meet the needs of its data center. Having a qualified contractor test the UPS and inspect its battery bank is advised, as well as reviewing the configuration of auto shutdown utilities. Many UPS systems will automatically trigger server room devices to secure themselves and power down in the event of a power outage.

"Organizations would be shocked at the lack of supporting infrastructure we've seen during some of our onsite evaluations, including one company that had no sort of cooling system in an entire 300 square foot data center," said Steve Ritzi, director of marketing at IDC-MCS Inc. "By not adequately assessing the IT environment, companies run a high risk of damaging not only their equipment, but the data it holds. With the peak of the summer season just around the corner, organizations should seriously consider reviewing their current cooling and backup power supply systems."

For further information on IDC-MCS' infrastructure consulting services, visit www.idc-mcs.com.

About IDC-MCS Inc.

Infrastructure Development Corp. provides consulting, design, facilities, assessment planning, program and project management expertise in the development and implementation of e-business applications, networks, telecommunication infrastructure, data centers and mission-critical facilities.

Infrastructure Development Corp. also maintains two divisions that offer specialized products and services. CorePROTECT, (www.coreprotect.com) distributes the CorePROTECT line of dedicated data protection and restoration processors. These hardware based restoration and encryption products offer a level of data security previously unavailable to the PC or PC-based server user.

The Vicus Group (www.vicusgroup.com) is a marketing firm serving the commercial real estate and technology industries. Vicus Group clients include FleetBoston Financial, Kennedy-Wilson, CB Richard Ellis and CorePROTECT.