The modern business world is interconnected and network-driven, which means that most companies will either own or require the use of a data centre in order to effectively function, which themselves need raised access flooring to operate properly.
Data centres or server rooms are typically built on top of modular, elevated access floors, and most construction projects for new or refurbished offices will be designed around the elevation requirements of the servers residing on top of them.
This has been the case since at least the 1960s and the IBM 700 Series of computers, with increasingly sophisticated flooring systems being developed in the years since.
However, it is also important to know why data centres require access flooring specifically to work properly, and it is the result of both a range of benefits and the inadequacy of alternative solutions.
Efficient Cable Management
One of the biggest challenges with any computer network is cable management; there are often hundreds of cables that run through a typical office or data centre, each of which is essential for the business to continue functioning properly.
As pictures of early computers like ENIAC show, not having a space to store and check on cables means that your computer and server rooms are filled with trailing wires that act as a trip hazard.
Access flooring means that these wires can be organised and laid in the void space under the floor, making the entire server room less messy, more efficient and better suited for meeting the needs of the business.
Improved Airflow
The void space underneath the access floor panels allows for consistent cooling and for both cooling ducts and water cooling cables to be fitted in the most efficient way possible to keep the server room temperatures low.
Computers generate a lot of heat, and servers have exponentially larger cooling needs than even the average computer tower because they are more powerful and are often stacked in close proximity to other servers which themselves generate a lot of heat.
The most efficient way to get rid of this is through water cooling and cooling ducts, where heat from the components is channelled away using thermal liquids, typically as part of a unified heat exchange system which takes advantage of the excess heat in other parts of the building.
This airflow is desperately needed to avoid potentially expensive component failures.
Easily Reconfigured
As the panels can be easily lifted and changed as required, getting access to the cables underneath for cleaning and maintenance purposes is a simple process, improving the health and safety of the whole building.
Better Than The Alternatives
Ultimately, access flooring was developed and refined because the alternative solutions for mainframe computers and data centre cable management were far from ideal.
Whilst wiring could be added to skirting, it would reduce the amount of available floor space and would make wiring difficult to access without significant difficulty.
On the other hand, having an access ceiling meant that wires would still be an obstacle but they were also difficult to access for maintenance, upgrading and cleaning purposes.
