Raised Floors

Raised server room floors are the hallmark of the high-availability enterprise data center, and with good reason. For many companies, the presentation of their data center is an important part of facility tours for key customers. Data centers and server rooms without raised floors are perceived as being incomplete or less than state of the art. Needs for conditioned cold air and power distribution contribute to the popularity of raised floors. Both operations people and server room design firms value the flexibility that is provided by raised floor systems. Regarding power requirements, the number of branch circuits per square foot in today's data center is much greater than in the past. In most cases, it is easier to install and maintain under-floor branch circuits than ceiling-mounted branch circuits. Although, a recent trend is to utilize a power and data cable pathway as part of the cabinet system. This effectively reduces the cable quantities under the raised floor, thereby allowing for greater open space dedicated to air distribution. In general, raised server room floors are a predictable and practical design option for most facilities.