eBay Data Center: Study of Facility Management and Operations Best Practices

This 19 page case study, from the Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) National Center, provides an overview of the facility management, maintenance, and operations of the Smithsonian Institution's facilities in Washington D.C. Best practices are highlighted to "provide snap-shots of selected areas of excellence that crystallized as particularly significant to the successful operations of each facility." These cover activities that meet end use requirements, improve cost effectiveness, reduce energy consumption and encourage energy consumption awareness, improve occupant comfort, or meet sustainability goals. "Best practices span excellence in technology and design strategies, troubleshooting and problem solving, proactive organizational management and strategic planning, education and training efforts, and shared leadership." In addition, this case study provides a facility overview, background of the eBay Data Center's buildings and systems, energy and environmental goals, and information on facility staff. Best practices highlighted are standardized facilities operations and maintenance procedures such as alarm-generated maintenance and major equipment preventative maintenance, communication and documentation procedures for quality control, energy monitoring and sustainability, and a training and continuous improvement program. Each best practice highlighted is accompanied by a section outlining the skills and knowledge required for implementation. This case study also includes a "look to the future" by providing information on a new data center and future efficiency and improvements. A "Summary of Best Practices" in the form of a table is provided at the end.