Data Center Site: How Deep Can You Go? Efforts to retrofit subterranean bunkers into functional data center space have been underway for years. But as power requirements and security considerations have intensified, selecting underground sites that are specifically designed from day one to house mission critical infrastructure is a new trend. Ultra-secure underground data center space is being fueled by projected energy, security and regulatory benefits relative to above ground alternatives.
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 |
No comments:
Post a Comment