Data centres
Commissioning software for facilities that cannot afford an undetected single point of failure.
A data centre is only as reliable as the evidence behind it. From pre-functional checklists on a single UPS to a full integrated systems test across the white space, Deskely holds every level of commissioning in one record, mapped to the systems that keep the facility up.
Choose your project type
The problem
Reliability has to be proven, level by level, before load arrives.
Mission-critical commissioning moves through defined levels — from installation checks to full-load integrated testing — and each level depends on the one beneath it. When that dependency is tracked across spreadsheets, gaps in the sequence are invisible until a failure exposes them.
Levels are tracked separately
Level 1 start-up checks, Level 3 functional performance tests and the Level 5 integrated systems test are often recorded in different files with no link between them.
The IST is a one-shot event
Dozens of interlocking systems — generators, UPS, chillers, BMS — have to perform together under simulated failure, and the evidence has to hold up to owner and insurer scrutiny.
White space readiness is unclear
Mechanical, electrical and controls scope finish at different times, and nobody can say which pods or suites are actually ready for IT load.
Handover to operations arrives too late
Colocation customers and operations teams need the as-tested record on day one, but it is usually assembled from scratch after energisation.
What you get
Built for Level 1-5 commissioning at facility scale.
Model the facility as systems, subsystems and white space areas that match how a mission-critical build is actually commissioned, and gate each level on the evidence beneath it.
PFC and start-up checklists
Pre-functional checklists completed against UPS, PDU, busway, generators, ATS and cooling equipment before functional testing begins.
Learn moreFunctional performance testing
Level 3 and 4 test scripts executed and signed per system, with results attached to the asset they tested.
Learn moreIntegrated systems test
Level 5 IST scenarios, load bank runs and simulated failure events recorded against the systems and sequence of operations they exercise.
Learn moreBMS and EPMS points verification
Point-to-point verification tracked at the point level, rolled up to the system it monitors or controls.
Learn moreWhite space acceptance
Pods, suites and rooms accepted individually, so IT load can be released area by area rather than waiting on the whole facility.
Learn morePunch and snag tracking
Defects raised with photos on the floor, categorised by whether they block energisation or white space release.
Learn moreHow it runs
From equipment start-up to operational handover.
- 01
Start-up and PFC
Pre-functional checklists signed against UPS, generators, ATS, chillers and cooling distribution as each system is installed.
- 02
Functional testing
Level 3 and 4 performance tests executed per system, with BMS and EPMS points verified as part of the same record.
- 03
Integrated systems test
Level 5 IST and load bank testing run across the facility, capturing simulated failure response against the sequence of operations.
- 04
Accept and hand over
White space and central plant accepted area by area, with the as-tested dossier ready for operations and colocation customers.
Side by side
Spreadsheets versus a single commissioning record.
The question at energisation is the same one an owner's engineer or insurer will ask: can you show every level was tested in sequence?
| Aspect | Folders and spreadsheets | Deskely |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioning levels | Tracked in separate files with no dependency between them. | Modelled as a sequence, gated level by level. |
| IST evidence | Compiled after the event from scattered notes. | Recorded live against the systems and scenarios tested. |
| Points verification | A spreadsheet reconciled manually against the BMS. | Tracked per point, rolled up to the system automatically. |
| White space readiness | Estimated in a coordination meeting. | Reported per pod or suite from signed records. |
| Operations handover | Assembled from scratch after energisation. | A structured dossier built as the commissioning happens. |
What changes
Level 1-5
commissioning tracked as one dependent sequence
Per pod
white space readiness and acceptance
Live
IST and load bank evidence, not reconstructed later
Day one
handover dossier ready for operations
Before you shortlist
Estimate what your current process costs
Enter your tag count and record handling time to see the admin hours and cost in play — then book a demo against your own numbers.
FAQ
Questions about data centres.
Project types
The same commissioning ladder, from one edge cabinet to a whole campus.
What changes between data centre scopes is the asset breakdown, the level that matters and who witnesses it. The record types, the gates and the audit trail behind them do not.
Hyperscale new build data centres
A hyperscale new build runs several general contractors, dozens of equipment vendors and a commissioning agent through five defined levels before a single rack takes load. Deskely holds every system, subsystem and component in one register with the commissioning-level gates enforced by the data, so the black-building test and the integrated systems test are executed against evidence rather than assembled from binders the week before.
See this scope in detailColocation facility commissioning and SLA acceptance
A colocation facility commissions its base build — power, cooling and BMS — once, then repeats a smaller commissioning cycle for every suite, cage or pod as tenants take capacity. Deskely keeps the base build register and the per-tenant SLA acceptance records connected, so a new suite can be proven against the shared infrastructure without re-litigating what the base build already demonstrated.
See this scope in detailEdge and modular data centre commissioning
Edge and modular deployments push most of the FAT effort into the factory and repeat a compressed field commissioning sequence at every site — a telecom hut, a retail edge node, a containerised modular data hall. Deskely templates the record set once per module type and instantiates it across every deployment, so the fiftieth site gets the same rigour as the first without the same time on site.
See this scope in detailRetrofit and capacity upgrade commissioning
Capacity upgrades and retrofits add UPS modules, switchgear or cooling capacity into a facility that is already carrying live IT load. Deskely separates the new-equipment commissioning path from the live base build it's being added to, with method-of-procedure evidence and hold points that keep the existing critical load protected while the new capacity is proven.
See this scope in detailUPS and power train commissioning
The power train — utility switchgear, generators, UPS, static transfer switches, PDUs and busway — is the subsystem where a single unproven joint or setting can take down every rack downstream. Deskely holds generator paralleling, UPS testing, STS transfer and load bank evidence against each device, with failure-mode testing gated the way it has to be before any of it carries IT load.
See this scope in detailCooling, CRAH/CRAC and liquid cooling systems
AI-density racks put CDUs, direct-to-chip manifolds and rear-door heat exchangers alongside CRAH units, chillers and containment in the same hall. Deskely holds chilled water, air-side and liquid-side systems as linked subsystems, so a rack cannot be marked cooling-ready while the loop it depends on is unproven.
See this scope in detailStandby generators, fuel and switchgear
Standby power depends on generators, day tanks, bulk storage, fuel polishing, ATS and paralleling switchgear all performing together under load, not individually on a data sheet. Deskely tracks every generator, fuel system component and switchgear asset through commissioning, load bank testing and the 72-hour reliability run that precedes energisation.
See this scope in detailWhite space rack, power and busway fit-out
White space fit-out is a high-volume, highly repetitive scope: rack positions, busway taps, PDUs, remote power panels and structured cabling all installed to the same standard across a hall. Deskely templates the record once and instantiates it per rack, so customer acceptance is measured rather than inferred from a sample.
See this scope in detailIntegrated systems testing and Level 5 commissioning
Integrated systems testing — commonly Level 5 in a tiered commissioning programme — proves that power, cooling and controls work together under simulated failure, not just individually. Deskely holds every scenario, every system dependency and every observed result in one record set, so the black-building test produces evidence rather than a narrative report.
See this scope in detailCampus substation and utility interconnection
The campus substation, HV switchgear, transformers and utility interconnection sit upstream of every hall, generator and cooling plant on a data centre campus. Deskely tracks HV asset commissioning, protection relay testing and utility coordination as a distinct subsystem with its own energisation gates, because a mistake here affects the whole site rather than one rack.
See this scope in detail