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Risk & Vulnerability Factors

Risks and Vulnerability Factors that impact Critical Space Assets (CSA)

• Fires: 80% of fires that damage CSA start outside the Critical Space, and many never penetrate the fire-barrier, yet still destroy the CSA. The current NFPA/ASTM rating system for human occupancy fire protection is intended to protect human life, not computer and digital information life.
• Smoke & Acrid Gases: From external fires (starting outside the data center room), or from internal fires and overheating equipment, waste basket fires, tobacco products, etc.
• Water: From leaking pipes (especially fire-sprinkler systems), toilets, sinks, roofs, fire fighting water, leaking employees, etc. Water sprinkler head sensing temperatures are set much higher than the sustainable temperatures of the CSA (180-200 degrees), and even if the system "dumps" or leaks the water will destroy the CSA, and potentially electrocute any persons who are present.
• Excess Heat: From fires in adjacent rooms or exterior originating, inadequate overall room cooling, high density racks cabinets (hot spots).
• Electro-Magnetic Fields, Electric Power Supply Fluctuations: Fluctuations in utility company or generator power supply, thunderstorms, sunspot and solar-flare activity, very dry air conditions caused by high-density evaporative cooling, static-electric discharge from persons walking on non-dissipative floor finishes, electro-magnetic pulse generators (a new terrorist threat), wave form distortions, RF, EMI, or EMP interference, frequency variations, voltage and amperage fluctuations, TV / Radio broadcast or cell phone towers, microwave communications and surveillance towers. These risk-factors provide some of the most common causes of incidental disasters large and small, and the most difficult to "source" identify. Further, one or more of these risk-factors, may cause an incident and subsequent damages to the CSA, as well as grounds for voiding warranties and insurance policies.
• Unauthorized access: The most robust safe vault door is of no value to the adept intruder with a sheetrock knife, or potential access through a "grid-ceiling", etc.
• Remote Monitoring and Control: Unless a live-person is in-room and physically monitoring all CSA functions 24x7, there is always the probability that any minor incident inside the Critical Space may escalate into a major disaster before anyone notices.
• Single Point of Failure: While it is now common to see N+1 redundancy being regularly utilized, it is often all too common to find a single-point-of potential failure that can damage or destroy the CSA.

Special Notation on Fire Ratings: What does a "fire rating" actually represent in real-world terms? A conventional one-hour fire rating (ASTM Class F350-T60) allows a temperature not to exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit within the rated time period of 60 minutes, with no limitation on humidity, smoke, acrid gas, EMP, EMI, RF, etc. This is accomplished by a fire rating test of a 100 square foot assembly. A typical fire test would be a 10’ x 10’ assembly that would consist of one layer of 5/8" rated gypsum board/sheetrock mounted on 3 ½" standard wood construction "studs" (or rated 3 ½" metal "studs"), followed by another layer of 5/8" sheetrock. The "hot" or "fired" side would be maintained at 1,800 degrees for the rated period, and the "protected" side could not exceed 350 degrees for 60 minutes. However this assembly could exceed 125-160 degrees within 10-15 minutes, a temperature that would destroy the CSA. Additionally any moisture present in the gypsum would be injected into the CSA as steam. Smoke and acrid gases would enter through penetrations such as electrical receptacles, switches, doors, etc. Additional ratings are ASTM F350-T90, T2-HR, T4-HR, etc. The "thicker" walls and concrete materials to get the higher ratings actually increase the risk from steam and acrid gases, and provide no EMP, EMI, or RF protection.

CSA Fire Ratings: To address the inadequacy of the ASTM Class 350 rating in protecting CSA, the ASTM Class 125 vault rating has been created. This rating mandates that the same "hot" or "fired" side be maintained for the rated period, and a "protected" side temperature would be maintained below 125 degrees for the rated period. There are three known manufacturers of the ASTM Class 125-T-60 vault solutions, and one manufacturer provides a 4-hour rating with EMP, EMI, and RF shielding. These ratings can’t be achieved with the conventional sheetrock or concrete wall construction materials.