Cleaning a data center: Contractors vs. DIY

Modern data centers are rarely dirty places, but even so, most are a lot cleaner now than they were before COVID-19 became a concern. A recent Uptime Institute survey, conducted in response to the pandemic, found that about two-thirds (68%) of data center owners/operators recently deep cleaned their facilities, and more than 80% recently sanitized them.

But what exactly does it mean to clean a data center, and who is actually skilled to do it? In a data center, deep cleaning is the removal of particles, static and residue from all vertical and horizontal surfaces, as well as from plenum and subfloor spaces. This requires vacuums with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to prevent the spread of particles as small as 0.5 microns from damaging servers and other sensitive gear. Sanitization (disinfection) is intended to kill 99.9999% of biological matter in the space, except spores. To eliminate the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 from the data center environment, both processes must be performed.