Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Designing A Data Center

Published: March 4, 2025

Designing a data center isn’t just about throwing some servers in a room. Poor planning can lead to costly mistakes that affect efficiency, uptime, and long-term scalability. Whether you're setting up a new facility or upgrading an existing one, avoiding these five common pitfalls will save you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches.

1. Choosing the Wrong Racks & Cabinets

Your racks and cabinets are the foundation of your data center. If you choose the wrong size or ignore airflow needs, you’re setting yourself up for trouble.

• Weight Capacity Matters: Overloading racks can cause structural issues.
• Ventilation is Critical: Proper airflow helps prevent overheating.
• Future Growth: Plan for scalability instead of replacing racks later.

Solution: Vericom’s Network, Server, and Colocation Cabinets, along with Open Floor Racks, provide high load capacity, optimized airflow, and scalability, keeping your infrastructure secure and future-proof. Mounting and Hardware Accessories  — including Cage Nuts, Rack Screws with Washers, Adjustable Leveling Feet, Free-Rolling & Locking Casters, and Ganging Clips — ensure stability, mobility, and secure configurations for flexible installations. 

2. The "Spaghetti Cable" Disaster

Disorganized cabling creates serious problems. It obstructs airflow, makes troubleshooting a nightmare, and increases downtime risks.

• Label Everything: Identify cables for easier maintenance.
• Use Patch Panels: Prevent clutter and simplify management.
• Follow Best Practices: Use horizontal and vertical organizers.

Solution: Vericom’s Patch Panels, Keystone Jacks, and Vertical & Horizontal Cable Managers keep cables organized, improve airflow, and simplify troubleshooting for copper networks, while LGX and G-Series High-Density Fiber Enclosures provide a structured, scalable solution for fiber management, with Cable Runway Systems ensuring efficient cable routing for both copper and fiber infrastructure. 

3. Ignoring Power Distribution

Power failures can take down entire networks. If you don’t plan for balanced distribution, redundancy, and surge protection, you’re at risk.

• Overloading Circuits: Can cause unexpected shutdowns.
• Basic Power Strips Won’t Cut It: Use PDUs for safe, stable power.
• Plan for Redundancy: Dual power sources prevent downtime.

Solution: Vericom’s Smart PDUs and Basic PDUs provide safe, efficient, and reliable power distribution, preventing overloads and ensuring critical equipment stays operational, with a comprehensive range of feature sets — from basic (non-metered) models to advanced outlet metering and control — engineered for small, midsize, enterprise, and colocation data centers. 

4. Not Designing for Growth

If your data center is at full capacity from day one, it’s already outdated.

• Plan for Expansion: Leave room for future hardware.
• Use Modular Infrastructure: Scalable enclosures make growth easier.
• Bandwidth & Infrastructure Needs Increase: Future-proof with high-capacity solutions and structured cable pathways.

Solution: Vericom’s Network, Server, and Colocation Cabinets, as well as Open Floor Racks, provide scalable, modular infrastructure designed for future expansion, while Cable Runway Systems and Vertical & Horizontal Cable Management ensure structured pathways for increasing bandwidth and growing network demands. 

5. Poor Cooling & Airflow Management

Overheating kills hardware. Bad airflow planning results in reduced performance and increased maintenance costs.

• Use Perforated Doors: Improve airflow inside cabinets.
• Follow Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle Designs: Prevent overheating.
• Keep Cables Organized: Messy cables block airflow.

Solution: Vericom’s Network, Server, and Colocation Cabinets feature optimized airflow designs with perforated and high-flow mesh doors to improve ventilation and prevent heat buildup. Blanking Panels block unwanted airflow recirculation, while Top-Mount Fans actively enhance cooling efficiency, ensuring equipment stays within safe operating temperatures. 

Final Thoughts: Build It Right the First Time

Avoiding these mistakes will save money, downtime, and frustration. Whether you're an IT professional or an installer, the right racks, power distribution, cabling, and cooling solutions make all the difference.

Need guidance? Vericom provides high-quality infrastructure solutions to keep your data center efficient and future-proof.

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