Why Durable Signage is Critical to Data Center Operations

For data center owners and operators alike, maintaining uptime depends on far more than the reliability of servers and other computing equipment. As facilities become larger, more power intensive, and more complex, durable and proven identification systems – including signage, labels, tags, and other visual identification products – are becoming essential to the operation and maintenance of critical infrastructure.

The challenge is the large amount of physical and complex infrastructure involved. Repair and maintenance crews quite often navigate a maze of transformers, cable routes, switchgear assemblies, cooling loops, valves, generators and UPS equipment just to reach the assets involved.

“Data centers contain an enormous amount of physical infrastructure that has to be maintained and, when necessary, repaired as quickly as possible,” says Dan O’Connor, Vice President of Tech Products Inc., a manufacturer of durable identification products for utility, telecom, pipeline, OEM, and other demanding industrial applications. “The ability to identify the correct asset, cable, circuit or hazard quickly becomes part of keeping that infrastructure operating safely and reliably.”

Because equipment, assets, and infrastructure inevitably require maintenance throughout their life cycle, reliable identification systems are essential to minimizing downtime and quickly restoring systems to normal operation. Naturally, for signage, labels and tags to serve their intended purpose, they must remain readable throughout the lifetime of the equipment, assets, or facilities they identify.

To fix it, you must find it. To find it, you need durable, proven markers and signage that survive the tough, industrial conditions of these facilities and, ideally, surpass the lifecycle of the infrastructure itself.

“Nobody notices a faded or unreadable sign until they need the information on it,” explains O’Connor. “A technician may already be tracing a circuit, looking for a valve, or checking a lockout/tagout point and a damaged or degraded sign can bring the job to a stop. In a data center, where maintaining uptime is the overriding priority, those delays can become expensive.”

Identification as Critical Infrastructure

For data centers, O’Connor says signage should not be viewed simply as a compliance or labeling detail. Far more than an afterthought, durable and functional signage is an integral part of the infrastructure; it is required to operate and maintain these increasingly large and complex facilities.

Data centers operate like any other large industrial facility. Generators, transformers, switchgear assemblies, medium-voltage equipment, PDUs, UPS systems and battery areas all need clear identification. The same is true for fiber routes, structured cabling, valves, pumps, chillers, CRAH and CRAC equipment. Rooftop equipment, underground utilities, access points and hazardous areas all present the same need to be labeled and identified.

The overlap is significant because many of the products used in utility transmission, distribution, substations, telecom, pipeline and OEM applications are also relevant to data centers.

“Although these systems perform very different functions, by their integration and interconnectedness to the facility at large, they share the same basic requirements for identification: that they remain legible throughout years of maintenance, expansion and exposure to demanding operating conditions,” says O’Connor.

Of course, compliance standards reinforce the importance of disciplined identification. ANSI/TIA-942 covers data center physical infrastructure, including telecommunications, electrical, mechanical, fire safety, security and other requirements. ANSI/TIA-606-D further addresses administration of systems for telecommunication infrastructure, including data center premises, and includes assigning identifiers, maintaining records and graphical or symbolic requirements. 

However, compliance standards alone are not enough. Organizations are better served by implementing a comprehensive identification program that addresses the needs of the facility throughout its operational life rather than relying on reactive, ad hoc remediation.

When “Good Enough” Stops Being Good Enough

Unfortunately, too many facilities rely on identification products that appear adequate upon installation but do not remain legible over the full life of the asset. Paint fades. Laminates peel. Printed markings wear away.  And, lastly, adhesives fail. 

Similarly, outdoor exposure, UV, humidity, temperature variation, chemical exposure and routine handling all contribute to premature and unacceptable degradation. And, though some of the deterioration may seem gradual, the operational impact is often discovered at the worst possible time: when an asset fails and needs to be identified.

A technician needs to verify the correct feeder.  The maintenance crew must locate a valve in a mechanical yard. Still, more urgently, the same issue may confront an emergency responder trying to understand the hazards in an area during an incident. But when signage fails and cannot be read, the response takes longer and there is more opportunity for error. 

This is particularly problematic in data centers because the infrastructure of these facilities is constantly changing. (Indeed, it is a generally known fact that data centers are built in phases, expanded in phases, and upgraded as power density and cooling requirements evolve.)

Given what is at stake, data center owners and operators should be cautious about identification products that are marketed as long-lasting but still fade, peel, or become prematurely unreadable in demanding conditions. The cost of producing a viable label or marker is negligible.  But the cost of sending crews back through a large campus to inspect and replace failed identification products across electrical, fiber, cooling, and safety systems can be quite substantial. 

Designing Identification to Last

For applications with the longest-lasting requirements, impermanent paints and laminates should be avoided in favor of more durable materials and marking methods. Signage should be constructed with robust substrates, molded-in graphics, or raised characters that can withstand years of abuse without becoming unreadable.

One example of durable and proven signage is EVERLAST, from Tech Products, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial identification products serving utilities, telecom, pipeline, and OEM markets. The company’s website describes Tech Products as a manufacturer of pole tags, cable markers, data plates, substation signs, and related products with brands including EVERLAST, Tech-3D, FASTTAG, and TechBrite.

EVERLAST products are made with polyolefin plastic, and the concept is straightforward. With this type of product, the message is not simply printed onto the surface. The letters and graphics with this product are formed into the material itself, where they are less likely to wear away. This can be particularly useful in data centers where signage is regularly exposed to moisture, sunlight, chemicals, abrasion, outdoor weather, or repeated contact during maintenance.

Another proven approach is embossing. Embossing creates raised characters in metal or polymer materials and remains legible even when a marker is dirty, dusty, painted over, or viewed in less-than-ideal conditions. Tech Products manufactures TECH-3D deep embossed aluminum data plates with raised copy, baked enamel colors, custom layouts, serialization, and sizes ranging from very small plates to large formats. These types of data plates can be used for equipment serial numbers, electrical specifications, safety warnings, operating parameters, transformer identification, and other permanent asset information.

For tight or confined areas where a close-up reading is required, miniature markers can also play a role. Tech Products’ FASTTAG markers snap together around cables, conduit, valves, poles, and other infrastructure. They have raised 3D characters and UV-stable foil and are made from nonconductive materials that do not corrode. Depending on the application, the markers can be installed with cable ties, nails, screws, or adhesives.

Conclusion

Although electric utilities have long understood the value of durable field identification, data centers now face a similar requirement in a different form. The potential that critical asset signage could become obscured or unreadable within a few years is becoming less acceptable when facilities are expected to operate for decades, expand continuously, and support workloads that are increasingly essential to business and society. 

As AI pushes data centers toward higher power densities, more complex cooling systems, and faster buildout schedules, the need for durable and proven infrastructure identification will only increase.  Signs, tags, markers, and data plates may not be the most visible part of the data center boom, but they help make the rest of the infrastructure usable, maintainable, and safe over the long term. Tags: Tech Products