Most of us have probably got some tech equipment just lying around the house or stacked in the corner of the office & you’ve probably thought “One day I’ll get that sorted!” Well listen up folks, we’re calling your bluff because there has NEVER been a better time to get yourself organised with an IT storage solution! Whether it’s for your media room, home office or commercial applications.

So today we're taking a look at Open Racks - what are they & why you would use them?

We’ll cover our range of Open Racks, accessories & starter kits for any of you looking for an all-in-one solution + why you should join thousands of Australians in choosing Titan AV server rack equipment designed by us right here at our Brisbane showroom.

But first, what are Open Racks? Well, like all rack mount equipment, Open Racks are designed to secure or store electrical equipment such as servers, routers, switches, monitoring equipment + things like your Foxtel box, Playstation, Google Home or practically anything to do with home or business networking.

Beat the heat and get a server rack

Now you may be wondering "Why wouldn't I just store this equipment in a cupboard or stacked under my desk?" Well there are several reasons which we'll go over but basically by mounting your gear in a server rack (like an open rack) you're providing essential airflow around your electrical equipment to keep it from overheating & as a result improving its performance, hooray!

As the name suggests an Open Rack has an open design without sides or a door to enclose the racks. The racks refer to vertical slots built into the frame that enable you to secure & organise your equipment. It’s kind of like a CD rack (remember those?) where your CDs are racked for safe storage & organised alphabetically from ABBA to Xanadu... No? Just me? 

The same concept applies for rack mounted equipment that's specifically designed to securely rack your tech equipment. This equipment is measured in terms of rack units (usually written as "RUs") with 1RU counting 3 vertical mounting holes equal to 44 millimetres (1.75 inches) in height. 

The benefits of Marie Kondoing your tech gear!

Okay so at this point you're thinking “that’s all fascinating but why would I use an Open Rack?” There are 4 main reasons to choose an Open Rack to store your tech equipment:

1. Airflow
   With no sides or doors Open Racks are the perfect option to organise electrical equipment that needs a bit more airflow to stay cool, like audio amplifiers & servers.
2. Accessibility
   Without walls or doors to get in the way, it's also much easier to access your equipment or troubleshoot potential electrical issues with an Open Rack.
3. Space Saver
   Open Racks are the most streamlined rack for those of you looking for a compact storage solution, with no wasted space around the frame these racks can fit into tighter spaces.
4. Affordability 
   There’s no doubt Titan AV Open Racks are the best option for any of you looking to securely store your IT, audio or entertainment equipment in one area without breaking the budget.

However, whilst Open Racks offer more airflow, accessibility and affordability if you're looking to keep your electrical gear locked up, like the idea of controlling airflow or you simply hate seeing cables then an enclosed Rack Cabinet, like our range of Titan AV Server Rack Cabinets, is your best bet.

Hey, you've got a nice rack!

Here at VFM we've developed our own brand of Titan AV Server Racks & Accessories. Our Titan AV Open Racks range in size from 8RU all the way up to our largest 42RU Open Rack, ideal for commercial applications. 

If you’re looking for a storage solution to neatly fit under your desk, choose one of our 8, 10 or 12RU Titan AV Open Racks.

All our Open Racks are made out of cold pressed steel making them strong, durable and secure. They come supplied with 4 castors (2 with brakes & 2 without) to help maneuver racks + all our Open Racks have an adjustable depth of 410-510mm, so you can decide how deep your cabinet will be.

Rack mount equipment makes sense

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to rack mount equipment to customise your Open Rack! Designed specifically to house server & networking gear our Titan AV 19” rack mount accessories include steel drawers, shelves and other accessories that make it suitable to house non-rack mount equipment in your racks.

Here are our most popular 19" Rack Mount Accessories for your Open Rack:

1. Lockable Drawers with heavy duty smooth sliding rails are ideal for safe keeping cables, small devices and valuables.
2. Shelves come in a variety of options: sliding shelves (useful for positioning non-rack mountable equipment in a server rack which needs frequent access, such as a keyboard), cantilever shelves & adjustable depth shelves. Vented shelving options are available to provide additional air circulation between rack units.
3. Power Rails neatly organise power cables from rack equipment to a power source. Saving valuable space in the rack has never been easier with our vertical power packs designed to vertically mount into a server cabinet or Open Rack.
   
4. Cable Management Rails help organise cables within the server rack. They typically have a slot for each cable so that you can route it from the equipment to its destination.
5. Support Rails attach to the sides of a server rack to support heavier equipment to stay in place.
6. Patch Panels are one of the oldest types of computer equipment still used today, they connect cables and route them where they need to go.
   

Bundle it up

If you're not sure where to start, check out our Open Rack bundles like this 8RU AV Media Open Rack Kit supplied with an 8RU Open Rack, 2RU adjustable shelf, 1RU sliding shelf, 2RU power rail and zip ties to keep things secure and organised.

Why pay retail?

Thousands of AV, IT & Communications Installers across Australia choose Titan AV server equipment & you should too! Why pay retail when you could shop wholesale prices here at VFM Group?! 

If you’d like to learn more about any of our Open Racks & Rack Mount Accessories, get in touch with VFM today. Our team are standing by to provide friendly advice to help you to choose the best solution for your needs.