Compass Datacenters has introduced wearable technology in its Columbus, US, data centre. The solution links mobile and wearable technology with data centre management processes

The roll out is taking place in collaboration with American Electric Power (AEP) and software-systems developer ICARUS Ops.

The colo provider said the project, which will be delivered in three stages until the end of 2015, will bring together Compass’ detailed operational documentation for its data centres.

This will be possible with a software app designed for wearable visor technology such as Google Glass, Android mobile devices and a comprehensive web application that provides management dashboards that ties all the elements together.

Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenters said: "Wearable technology is very cool. But do you know what else is cool? Getting all of your employees to operate and maintain your data centre facility by the book so you get the most availability out of your data centre.

"Wearables allow for complete interaction without having to take off personal protection equipment (PPE), making sure that OSHA compliance does not mean shirking the maintenance procedures due to inconvenience.

"The interactive checklists track and time stamp activities, enabling audit-friendly records while ensuring that human error is reduced dramatically."

The CEO said that by applying this technology to the data centre space, Compass is eliminating the well-known secret that the three ring binders of operating procedures are rarely followed, as they are cumbersome and often full of holes.

As a result, the risk of human error during maintenance procedures increases dramatically. High-quality electronic checklists eliminate this risk and increase compliance.

Mr Crosby said: "A great example of this is in commercial aviation, where the risks of pilot error have been dramatically reduced since Boeing first pioneered this approach decades ago.

"That has helped flying become the safest form of transportation today, and we expect this technology to have a similar impact on data centres."