Saturday, October 17, 2009

DHS awards contract to outsource data center to CSC

DHS awards contract to outsource data center to CSC

BY JILL R. AITORO, JAITORO@GOVEXEC.COM 07/02/2008

The Homeland Security Department awarded a $390 million contract to government systems integrator Computer Sciences Corp. to outsource its data center services, the department confirmed on Wednesday.The contract will help DHS complete consolidating its 18 data centers into two megacenters. The department first transitioned systems to a primary data center, the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage, which is based at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Prime contractor Science Applications International Corp. manages the center under an award it received through the Millennia Lite program, a General Services Administration governmentwide acquisition contract, which was scheduled to expire in this spring. The Navy has acted as co-contractor and program manager for the center.

In December, Government Executive reported that DHS planned to outsource the center's entire operations to the private sector under its Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions contract, which was created to purchase IT services and equipment for Homeland Security. SAIC, which also bid on the data center contract, has until September to transition all related activities to CSC, said DHS spokesperson Larry Orluskie. The contract, which extends until Dec. 31, 2016, includes an initial award of $17 million and a ceiling price of $390 million.

The second megacenter is being built under an $800 million contract DHS awarded to EDS earlier this year. Under the eight-year pact, EDS will operate the center as a backup for the primary center if it becomes inoperable due to a natural disaster or cyberattack. The center also will provide data services when the primary center cannot fully manage workloads.

DHS will transition over five years the data center's equipment and managed services from a government-furnished model to a contractor-furnished model, and CSC will charge DHS for the use of the data center using a utility pay-per-use model.

A spokesperson for CSC said the company did not have comment at this time.

Market analysis firm Federal Sources estimates the steady-state contract costs of running the main data center to be between $45 million and $65 million annually.

DHS readies contract to outsource data center services

By Jill R. Aitorojaitoro@govexec.comDecember 20, 2007

The Homeland Security Department is expected to award a contract in the next couple of months to outsource its data center services with the expectation that it will receive up-to-date applications and services faster than if it owned the data center.

Last year, DHS began consolidating its 18 data centers into two megacenters. The department first transitioned systems to a primary data center called the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage, which is based at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

The Navy acts as co-contractor and program manager for the center with prime contractor Science Applications International Corp. managing the center under an award it received through the Millennia Lite program, a General Services Administration governmentwide acquisition contract. That contract is scheduled to expire in the spring.

DHS eventually wants to outsource the center's entire operations to the private sector. According to a source currently bidding on the opportunity as a subcontractor who asked to not be identified, DHS has issued a solicitation under its own Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions contract, which was created to purchase IT services and equipment. The contract, which has a term of seven-and-half years, calls for DHS to transition over five years the data center's equipment and managed services from a government-furnished model to a contractor-furnished model. The winner will charge DHS for the use of the data center using a utility pay-per-use model.

SAIC and Computer Sciences Corp. are competing for the contract, according to the source. Officials with the two systems integrators could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year, EDS won an eight-year $800 million contract to run the secondary data center, which will act as a backup in case the primary center is inoperable due to a disaster or attack and during times when the primary center cannot fully handle DHS' loads.

DHS "is keeping the option to have equipment and managed services go from" a government furnished model to a contractor-furnished model, "but not necessarily all equipment and services," said DHS spokesperson Larry Orluskie.

Consolidating data centers will give DHS a common computer platform that should allow its individual offices and agencies use of more advanced software applications and the ability to better share information, Orluskie said. A collection of computer networks that could not easily share information, the result of merging 22 disparate agencies into one department as DHS did, has been one of the primary obstacles to its ability to work seamlessly and effectively as one since it was formed in 2002.

Purchasing data center services on a utility-style model is a good approach for DHS "if the requirements can be satisfied at acceptable risk," said Lee Holcomb, vice president of advanced solutions in Lockheed Martin's Business Process Solutions group and former DHS chief technology officer. The utility-model shifts much of the risk of providing the services to a contractor, which must maintain the applications and meet stringent parameters such as continuing services when usage spikes. The contractor also must provide services through a defined infrastructure as outlined in DHS' enterprise architecture and common operating environment framework.

"I know that the DHS [Office of the Chief Information Officer] management was inclined to move toward this model in the future, and I am pleased to see they are [doing so]," Holcomb said.

How fast the initiative rolls out will depend in part on funding. The fiscal 2008 DHS appropriations bill, which was rolled into the omnibus spending measure passed By Congress this week, includes $72.3 million for expanding data storage capabilities at the Navy data center, according to the document.

"At the end of the day it's all about funding," said an IT expert familiar with the project. Gaining support for "a program like this is always a battle, but it's vital. To successfully create one information-sharing department out of a collection of former standalone agencies, there needs to be a common infrastructure."
Posted by Gary E. Weller at 10/17/2009 12:19:00 PM
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Underground Secure Data Center Operations

Technology based companies are building new data centers in old mines, caves, and bunkers to host computer equipment below the Earth's surface.

Underground Secure Data Center Operations have a upward trend.

Operations launched in inactive gypsum mines, caves, old abandoned coal mines, abandoned solid limestone mines, positioned deep below the bedrock mines, abandoned hydrogen bomb nuclear bunkers, bunkers deep underground and secure from disasters, both natural and man-made.

The facility have advantages over traditional data centers, such as increased security, lower cost, scalability and ideal environmental conditions. There economic model works, despite the proliferation of data center providers, thanks largely to the natural qualities inherent in the Underground Data Centers.

With 10,000, to to over a 1,000,000 square feet available, there is lots of space to be subdivided to accommodate the growth needs of clients. In addition, the Underground Data Centers has an unlimited supply of naturally cool, 50-degree air, providing the ideal temperature and humidity for computer equipment with minimal HVAC cost.

They are the most secure data centers in the world and unparalleled in terms of square footage, scalability and environmental control.

Yet, while the physical and cost benefits of being underground make them attractive, they have to also invested heavily in high-speed connectivity and redundant power and fiber systems to ensure there operations are not just secure, but also state-of-the-art.

There initially focused on providing disaster recovery solutions, and backup co-location services.

Clients lease space for their own servers, while other provides secure facilities, power and bandwidth. They offers redundant power sources and multiple high-speed Internet connections through OC connected to SONET ring linked to outside connectivity providers through redundant fiber cables.

Underground Data Centers company augments there core services to include disaster recovery solutions, call centers, NOC, wireless connectivity and more.

Strategic partnering with international, and national information technology company, enable them to offer technology solutions ranging from system design and implementation to the sale of software and equipment.

The natural qualities of the Underground Data Centers allow them to offer the best of both worlds premier services and security at highly competitive rates.

Underground Data Centers were established starting in 1990's but really came into there own after September 11 attacks in 2001 when there founders realized the former mines, and bunker offered optimal conditions for a data center. The mines, and bunkers offered superior environmental conditions for electronic equipment, almost invulnerable security and they located near power grids.

Adam Couture, a Mass.-based analyst for Gartner Inc. said Underground Data Centers could find a niche serving businesses that want to reduce vulnerability to any future attacks. Some Underground Data Centers fact sheet said that the Underground Data Center would protect the data center from a cruise missile explosion or plane crash.

Every company after September 11 attacks in 2001 are all going back and re-evaluating their business-continuity plans, This doesn't say everybody's changing them, but everybody's going back and revisiting them in the wake of what happened and the Underground Data Center may be just that.

Comparison chart: Underground data centers

Five facilities compared
Name InfoBunker, LLC The Bunker Montgomery Westland Cavern Technologies Iron Mountain The Underground
Location Des Moines, Iowa* Dover, UK Montgomery, Tex. Lenexa, Kan. Butler County, Penn.*
In business since 2006 1999 2007 2007 Opened by National Storage in 1954. Acquired by Iron Mountain 1998.
Security /access control Biometric; keypad; pan, tilt and zoom cameras; door event and camera logging CCTV, dogs, guards, fence Gated, with access control card, biometrics and a 24x7 security guard Security guard, biometric scan, smart card access and motion detection alarms 24-hour armed guards, visitor escorts, magnetometer, x-ray scanner, closed-circuit television, badge access and other physical and electronic measures for securing the mine's perimeter and vaults
Distance underground (feet) 50 100 60 125 220
Ceiling height in data center space (feet) 16 12 to 50 10 16 to 18 15 (10 feet from raised floor to dropped ceiling)
Original use Military communications bunker Royal Air Force military bunker Private bunker designed to survive a nuclear attack. Complex built in 1982 by Louis Kung (Nephew of Madam Chang Kai Shek) as a residence and headquarters for his oil company, including a secret, 40,000 square foot nuclear fallout shelter. The office building uses bulletproof glass on the first floor and reception area and 3-inch concrete walls with fold-down steel gun ports to protect the bunker 60 feet below. Limestone mine originally developed by an asphalt company that used the materials in road pavement Limestone mine
Total data center space (square feet) 34,000 50,000 28,000 plus 90,000 of office space in a hardened, above-ground building. 40,000 60,000
Total space in facility 65,000 60,000 28,000 3 million 145 acres developed; 1,000 acres total
Data center clients include Insurance company, telephone company, teaching hospital, financial services, e-commerce, security
monitoring/surveillance, veterinary, county government		 Banking, mission critical Web applications, online trading NASA/T-Systems, Aker Solutions, Continental Airlines, Houston Chronicle, Express Jet Healthcare, insurance, universities, technology, manufacturing, professional services Marriott International Inc., Iron Mountain, three U.S. government agencies
Number of hosted primary or backup data centers 2 50+ 13 26 5
Services offered Leased data center space, disaster recovery space, wholesale bandwidth Fully managed platforms, partly managed platforms, co-location Disaster recovery/business continuity, co-location and managed services Data center space leasing, design, construction and management Data center leasing, design, construction and maintenance services
Distance from nearest large city Des Moines, about 45 miles* Canterbury, 10 miles; London, 60 miles Houston, 40 miles Kansas City, 15 miles Pittsburgh, 55 miles
Location of cooling system, includng cooling towers Underground Underground Above and below ground. All cooling towers above ground in secure facility. Air cooled systems located underground. Cooling towers located outside
 Chillers located above ground to take advantage of "free cooling." Pumps located underground.
Location of generators and fuel tanks Underground Above ground and below ground Two below ground, four above ground. All fuel tanks buried topside. Underground Underground
*Declined to cite exact location/disatance for security reasons.