Controlling heat in the server room

• Enough space for expansion
• Plenty of network ports
• Sufficient network bandwidth
• Plenty of dedicated power sockets
• Should not be on the ground floor (risk of flooding + less secure)
• Fire suppression facilities + smoke alarms
• IP KVM for remote access
• Telephone (so the operator can call a support line while looking at the hardware)
• Pens + paper
• A label printer - label everything!
• A standard printer (nice to have)
• Spare network and power cables
• Air conditioning (also dehumidifies)
• Good UPS (with automated/controlled shutdown functionality)
• Sufficient power to run everything (and enough for expansion)
• Entrance security (preferably also with logging)
• Physical security (security on windows, entrance, etc.)
• Whiteboard (nice to have)
• Fireproof safe (for storing backup tapes, passwords and installation media)
• Good server racks - well maintained (cabling)
• Enough space to work comfortably behind the servers
• A table large enough to build/dismantle a server on (plus monitor, keyboard and mouse)
• At least 1 chair
• Tidy patch panel (especially if you patch to PC's and telephones in the office)
• Good lighting

Are those nice biometric and what have you devices of yours attached to UPS power? Is the entire chain, from reader, electric lock, any switches / distribution layer, to the authentication server and its database on emergency power?

I'm just asking because a few years ago we had the largest regional power loss in 25 years around here. I know of one major installation where they to their horror discovered that they couldn't enter their server room while the electricity was out. Their emergency procedures required them to power down non-essential servers, because their UPS power couldn't run the air conditioning at full output, so the server park heat output exceeded the A/C cooling when on emergency power. So they stood outside their server room, and wondered how hot it was getting in there...

I would suggest to keep it simple, with a good certified steel door, a steel door-frame that is well fastened to solid walls, and 2 good mechanical locks on the door (say 1 Medeco and 1 Kaba).

You can of course replace one of the mechanical locks with a swipe card, to gain a entry log during normal operation. Just be sure that the electric lock automatically disengages if power is out. Strictly speaking, this makes you more vulnerable against a James Bond style burglary, where the attackers cut power to the building before going in. This is a small risk, but one I'd much rather take than risk being locked out of my server room during an emergency.