Behind the scenes at ISG’s Wichita data center

Emily Behlmann

Digital Editor- Wichita Business Journal

I got a chance to tour ISG Technology’s Wichita data center as the company plans to expand some technology it was piloting there for using less energy to keep machines cool.
The 900-square-foot facility, built in 2012, is one of three ISG data centers. A similiar-sized underground facility is in Columbia, Mo., in an area mined out of Baltimore limestone, and a much larger center — more than 16,000 square feet — is in Topeka.
Curtis Mead, who leads sales for ISG’s data center services segment, says many ISG customers turn to one of the data centers for disaster recovery. They run their main operations in-house but use the data center for backup, in case of data loss.
A few do the opposite, calling upon the data center’s storage for their main operations and maintaining a local backup. That’s because, Mead says, the data center includes several safeguards a local system might not have, such as an uninterruptable power system and 24/7 monitoring.
Pricing for data center use varies based on factors like how many storage cabinets a business needs and how much data needs to run in and out of the facility each day.
However, Mead says ISG has found one change it believes will make the facility less expensive to operate. At the Wichita data center, the company has been testing a hot aisle-cold aisle system in which, in alternating aisles, heat coming off the back of servers is captured and sent directly out of the room to be cooled, so it doesn’t spread through the room. In other aisles, cool air is forced up through the floor.
Mead says the limited test has worked well enough that ISG plans to expand the concept to other aisles in the Wichita facility.

The Pros and Cons of Underground Data Centers Tips from Data Bunker Veterans

One of the data halls at Cavern Technologies in Kansas, which offers few clues that the facility is 75 feet below ground. (Photo: Cavern Technologies)

The Pros and Cons of Underground Data Centers

October 9th, 2013 By: Rich Miller

The entrance to the Cavern Technologies data center in Lenexa, Kansas, which houses its customer servers more than 75 feet underground. The company is among a growing number of data bunkers storing data for high-security clients. (Photo: Cavern Technologies)

ORLANDO, Fla. - The data bunker industry is growing, as more customers seek out ultra-secure underground hosting for their IT operations. Operators of subterranean server farms say these environments are similar to above-ground facilities, but they often must address misperceptions about underground sites, many of which are housed in former limestone mines.
The emergence of underground data centers was the focus of a session at last week’s Data Center World Fall conference, in which several experts discussed the advantages and challenges of underground data centers, and offered tips to consider when evaluating a data bunker.

“The underground data center space is experiencing rapid growth due to the efficiency and speed to market it offers,” said John Clune, the president of Cavern Technologies, which operates a data center in a limestone mine in Lenexa, Kansas. “One of the bigger challenges has been the perception of underground data centers. People are imagining a tight cubbyhole with a guy with a light on his helmet. The reality is that we’ve got 18 foot ceilings.”
Cavern Technologies is among a cluster of underground facilities in the Midwest, which also includes SubTropolis,  The Mountain Complex and SpringNet Underground in Missouri; and the InfoBunker and U.S. Secure Hosting in Iowa.

Tips from Data Bunker Veterans

Not all underground data centers are created equal, and potential customers need to shop carefully and be mindful of the differences between traditional and underground facilities, according to architect Kerry Knott of Bell/Knott & Associates. Knott has worked on a number of underground business parks and data centers in Kansas and Missouri, and offers some insights into evaluating a data bunker.
“Data center buildouts are a good use for these kind of facilities,” said Knott. “Once the data center is built, if you take someone in there blindfolded, they’d never know they were underground. You’ve got the same equipment; it’s just been an underground facility.”
But there are some differences. Here are some pros and cons to consider with facilities built in limestone mines:

Speed to Market: Clune says Cavern was recently able to deploy 5,000 square feet of data center space for a client in just 60 days. “The speed to market is impressive in the underground,” said Clune. One factor is that there’s no need to build or adapt a shell, as the underground space has already been created and all that is needed is the framing and buildout of the data halls. Another benefit is permitting from local officials. “In every underground I’ve worked with, we have had a blanket permit” once the initial underground space is created,  said Knott. “It’s one of the advantages of underground structures. That could be an 8 to 10 week savings.” Another benefit is that construction can continue year-round, with no weather delays.

Construction Costs: Underground data centers can also be cheaper, Knott said, since there’s no expense to construct a concrete shell. Subterranean structures also offer potential savings on disaster-proofing, especially in the Midwest. “To build a tornado-proof building above ground can cost an extra $100 a square foot,” said Knott, who added that customers often inquire about other types of disasters. “People are concerned about collapse, and they’re worried about earthquakes,” he said. “An underground space, unlike the building above ground, doesn’t move and doesn’t need to be reinforced. An earthquake doesn’t affect the enclosure at all, but you do have to brace the improvements.”

Facility History and Origin: Recently-built underground facilities are usually appropriate, but those that were mined in the 1960s and earlier may not be. “To be an acceptable space for a data center, it has to have been mined for commercial development,” says Knott. “The limestone has to be preserved in the proper thickness and have structural integrity. The room size is also important, because the columnar support will be rock columns that may be 25 to 30 feet in diameter.”
The size and placement of these columns impacts the technical space. “Optimizing the layout within the property is essential,” said Knott. “It’s tough to get 90-degree corners with underground columns, so you have to be creative, since almost all your equipment is square. With the restrictions of the columns and placement of the corridor, you have to work with what you have. It can be awkward if these are haphazardly shaped.”

Cooling and Ventilation: Underground spaces are naturally cool, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way once you fill them with servers. “Heat rejection is the biggest concern and the biggest challenge,” said Knott. “Most underground spaces have their own fresh air and ventilation system, but that’s generally for comfort rather than the kind of heat we’re putting into the space with the data center. Your options are to drill (ventilation) holes up through the top or horizontally to the exterior.”

Placement of Mechanical Equipment: Some mechanical and electrical equipment requires ventilation and must be housed in an exterior yard. There are several options to address this, which customers must consider if their goal is disaster avoidance, as this equipment will be more exposed. “Generators and air-cooled chillers can be placed against an exterior wall or protected with an outside wall,” said Knott. “You can also build another underground chamber to house them.” Another issue to consider is fire suppression systems, and what happens with water in the event the system is ever discharged in part of the facility.

Staff Considerations: There won’t be any daylight in an underground data center, but that’s not different from many above-ground data centers, Knott says. A bigger concern for staff might be parking, as underground facilities can be large, and that sometimes means that parking areas are a significant distance from the data center.

John Clune, President of Cavern Technologies, a Midwestern underground data center, talks about the pros and cons of underground data centers. While the underground temperature is a consistent 68 degrees, the data center engineers do have to accommodate for waste heat from servers and other gear. (Photo by Colleen Miller.)

About Rich Miller

Rich Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Data Center Knowledge, and has been reporting on the data center sector since 2000. He has tracked the growing impact of high-density computing on the power and cooling of data centers, and the resulting push for improved energy efficiency in these facilities.

Europe Data Center Provider The Bunker Opens New High Specification Data Hall in Kent

The Bunker News – KENT, UK – The Bunker, provider of ultra secure Managed Hosting, Cloud Computing, Colocation, and Outsourced IT from within Europe’s most secure data centres, is pleased to announce that it has successfully opened a significant new high specification data hall in Kent.
The former military operations room at its South East facility becomes the latest high specification data hall to open in Europe’s most secure data centre. The new data hall has been fitted out with state of the art power and cooling infrastructure, providing up to 32 amps of UPS power per rack and N+1 fully redundant power and air conditioning.


The facility also benefits from hot and cold aisle separation, dual power feeds, generator back-up and over 150 ISP connections available.
The new data hall in Kent is part of The Bunker’s continuing investment programme, to meet the growing demand for high specification, ultra secure data facilities for fully managed and colocation customers.
Simon Neal, Director of Data Centre Services at The Bunker, said: “I’m delighted with the new data floor at our Kent facility. The ongoing investment allows us to expand our business and provide security conscious organisations with the reassurance of knowing that their hosting and managed services needs are being met in an ultra secure, high specification environment.”
Growing awareness of limited power availability and high prices in London is driving up demand for high power density, out-of-London locations. The Bunker is an obvious choice for organisations that require secure, high specification, managed services and colocation hosting facilities.
“The first customer has already moved in and we anticipate a rapid take-up of space and the opening of phase 2 in the near future.” continued Neal.

Bunker 2

State of the art and military grade
 The Bunker is expanding its Kent operations. The Bunker² maintains the highest standards set by The Bunker by blending state of the art M & E infrastructure with military grade security. The new data centre facility provides an alternative highly secure, low risk Internet hub outside London servicing clients who wish to establish systems in the UK, but who also require access to the World Wide Web without entering the high risk London zones.

The Bunker² offers 12,000m² Tier 3 data floor within the existing defences of The Bunker’s facility, along with 2,000m² of office and support accommodation, staffed 24/7/365 by security and technical personnel. The development will be of a modular low profile design, cut into the landscape with a grass roof. Each module of 2,200m² blends into the surrounding environment with minimum visual impact.

London is the second largest Internet Exchange in the world. Unfortunately London is also one of the highest risk cities in the world.



The Bunker² is a Carrier Neutral Data Centre, situated at a strategically important location on the cross roads of the main Internet fibre routes leaving the UK towards Europe, Asia and the USA. For our clients this affords peace of mind that traffic can be routed via the traditional channels across London, however in the event of a catastrophe, disabling the main Internet hubs in the London Docklands and the City, traffic can still route to any location in the world via the main Internet exchanges in Europe.
The next step for a trusted brand

The Bunker² facility
The Bunker² is owned and developed by The Bunker Secure Hosting Limited. The Bunker delivers secure Managed Hosting and Data Centre solutions from within Europe’s most secure Data Centre and has done so since 1994. Our technical leaders are recognised experts in security and cryptography, renowned for their work on Apache-SSL. Our management team includes Data Centre experts with over 10 years experience. The Bunker is ISO 27001 accredited, are recognized experts in Open Source technology, we are Microsoft Gold partners and practice Prince 2 and ITIL standards.

About The Bunker
The Bunker delivers Ultra Secure Managed Hosting, Cloud Computing, Colocation, and Outsourced IT from within Europe’s most secure data centres.

Our data centres, which are outside the M25 yet within easy reach of London, are military-grade nuclear bunkers purpose built to house the UK’s air defence systems. We run 24x7x365 – our NOC monitors systems both nationally and internationally and is staffed around the clock by system and network engineers and security staff. The Bunker is ISO 27001 and PCI DSS accredited and follows ITILv3 best practice and PRINCE2 project management standards.

Our clients are financial services organisations, technology companies, healthcare, government and other regulated businesses that value a premium service built around security.
For more information visit www.thebunker.net
 info@thebunker.net

The Worlds Greenest Underground Data Center

Helsinki:The Worlds Greenest Underground Data Center – Planetsave.com: climate change and environmental news (via Planetsave)

Iron Mountain finds limestone a natural fit for data center efficiency

Iron Mountain

 Twenty-two stories below ground, deep within the secure confines of a former limestone mine in Pennsylvania, resides Room 48, Iron Mountain's state-of-the-art underground data center. Designed by Iron Mountain vice president of engineering Chuck Doughty, the facility takes advantage of the natural properties of the subterranean location to help the data storage and security company put a dent in its significant energy costs.

"A major challenge was helping our engineers and equipment suppliers understand the basic physics, thermodynamics, and electrical transformation and distribution of this unique location and how they could be leveraged -- and not just apply typical data center designs that have been used for the last 25 years," said Doughty.
The location's geothermal and subterranean conditions open up opportunities for energy reduction that you wouldn't find in a traditional data center. For starters, the natural temperature of the facility is between 55 and 65 degrees, so Room 48 benefits from free cooling. Ducting above the servers pushes air down naturally, using far less power than would be necessary to blow air upward, as a traditional data center would.
Iron Mountain also employs a cold-air containment strategy, which uses the limestone walls and ceiling vents to cool wires and cables hanging above the server racks to increase cool-air distribution by up to 20 percent. At the same time, air pressure differentials force warm air from the servers up and out through perforated ceiling tiles. Room 48 (which gets its name from its location on the underground facility map) has no need for raised floors found in traditional data centers, thanks to the natural limestone walls' ability to absorb 1.5 BTUs per square foot per hour.
Geothermal and subterranean conditions of former limestone mine yield significant savings on cooling
Mother Nature alone isn't responsible for the efficiency gains of the facility. As part of the design, Iron Mountain located the power distribution and air conditioning equipment outside of the facility, resulting in a further reduction in heat while freeing up 30 percent more space for racks.
Room 48 uses motion-sensor, low-power, low-heat lighting to further reduce temperature and costs. Additionally, Iron Mountain opted to purchase run-of-the-mill K-rated transformers and electrical load centers in the data center, the kind you'd find in an everyday electric supply store, rather than pricey electrical equipment typically used in data centers. The company also incorporated readily available, energy-efficient T8 fluorescent bulbs into its lighting scheme.

Iron Mountain's efforts paid off in spades. The company estimates that Room 48 cost about 30 percent less to build than a traditional data center because of its energy-efficient design and use of standard equipment instead of specialty gear. The various efforts to slash cooling save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Moreover, the natural cooling allows Iron Mountain to boost power in the room to 200 watts per square foot, 50 percent above the 125 watts per square foot used in data centers located in the same underground facility.
"Room 48's design and construction provided a powerful lesson in discarding prior data center design templates and leveraging the natural advantages this unique location provided," said Doughty. "Future Iron Mountain data centers will use the lessons of Room 48 to help design, construct, and operate the most cost-effective data centers, utilizing the geothermal cooling of the underground."

Hunt Midwest seeks tenant for SubTech underground data center space Read more: Hunt Midwest seeks tenant for SubTech underground data center space -

SubTech Data Center is a ground-level facility built inside solid limestone,
offering security unmatched by any other data center facility. SubTech is located in Kansas City, which provides one of the lowest utility costs in the country and is ranked #2 in the United States for enterprise data center operating affordability. SubTech's data center solutions are reliable and flexible, offering maximum power and connectivity for your robust data center needs. Site plans by

http://www.totalsitesolutions.com/
Expanding or needing data center space? SubTech has millions of square feet available for IT and raised floor area. The facility provides clients with data center space ranging from 5,000 - 100,000+ square feet with 16' clear ceiling heights throughout. The initial 100,000 s.f. can be built out in 20,000 s.f. modules. Click here to download our site plan. http://www.subtechkc.com/site_plan.pdf

Ora Reynolds (left), president of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, and Tammy Henderson, director of real estate marketing and governmental affairs, are preparing for when a portal (background) will be the front door to an underground data center.

Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development Inc. is getting into the data center business — or rather, under it. Subtechkc

The Kansas City-based company plans to build a 40,000-square-foot data center in Hunt Midwest SubTropolis. The massive underground business complex is roughly northeast of Interstate 435 and Missouri Highway 210 in Kansas City.
Construction on the estimated $30 million SubTech project will begin once Hunt Midwest signs a tenant or tenants for the first 20,000 square feet, company President Ora Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the company originally planned a 100,000-square-foot project but scaled back after an unsuccessful attempt in the summer to add state tax incentives for data centers to a bill aimed at retaining automotive jobs. Missouri is at a disadvantage, she said, because Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma offer financial breaks for data centers.
“The investment in a data center is so much more expensive than a regular building,” Reynolds said. “The investment is so large you can’t do ‘If you build it, they will come’ if you don’t think you can compete.”
Reynolds said the company envisions a Tier 3 facility, meaning it has redundant power and cooling systems, with the ability to expand in 20,000-square-foot increments.
“The thing that we’re saying is the biggest advantage, and what makes us different, is we have 8 million square feet that has been mined out and has not been developed at the present time,” Reynolds said. “Somebody who’s out there and says, ‘I need 20,000 square feet now, but I know I’m going to grow and need 100,000 square feet in the next five years,’ we can accommodate them while somebody who has an office building wouldn’t let half the building stay empty.”
She said Hunt Midwest would be strictly a landlord, preferring to find a managed services/collocation firm to become the main tenant, subleasing rack and cabinet space to smaller companies or leasing entire data suites or powered shells — where the tenants install most of the technical infrastructure themselves.
The data center business has taken off in recent years as companies have looked for options to remotely operate or back up data networks.
New York-based Tier 1 Research said in a Sept. 23 report that demand has outstripped supply in many markets because the economy has slowed construction and financing of new data centers.
The underground data center is relatively new in the industry, despite the obvious increase in security and resistance to natural disasters.
Tier 1 analysts Jason Schafer and Michael Levy said in a separate report looking at the SubTech project that so-called data bunkers have had trouble attracting tenants in other markets because of the added complexity of supplying power and getting rid of excess heat and moisture.
They said that SubTech does have size and the ability to grow in phases going for it but that it will run into the same skepticism other operators encounter.
“This isn’t to say that there isn’t a market for a secure underground data center facility,” they wrote. “It just fits the needs of fewer types of tenants that are likely comparing all data center providers.”
Cavern Technologies operates a 40,000-square-foot data center in the underground Meritex Lenexa Executive Park. Cavern President John Clune said the company has grown from four customers three years ago to 35.
“Our market has really taken off,” he said, adding that not having to construct an actual building and underground’s cooler air temperatures let Cavern compete on cost. “The economics of the underground allow us to provide more space for the money.”
Clune said that data centers typically charge as much as $1,200 a rack but that he charges $2,900 for 250 square feet — enough room for four racks.
“It’s when people come down here that the light goes on,” he said.
Numerous area companies operate their data centers, including some in underground space.
Overland Park-based Sprint Nextel Corp. has three data centers supporting network operations, with two built into earthen embankments, spokeswoman Melinda Tiemeyer said.
Other companies use underground caves to store computer data tapes.

What is SubTropolis?

SubTropolis was created through the mining of a 270-million-year-old limestone deposit. In the mining process, limestone is removed by the room and pillar method, leaving 25-foot square pillars that are on 65-foot centers and 40 feet apart.

The pillars’ even spacing, concrete flooring and 16-foot high, smooth ceilings make build-to-suit facilities time and cost efficient for tenants. A tenant requiring 10,000 to one million square feet can be in their space within 150 days. SubTropolis is completely dry, brightly lit, with miles of wide, paved streets accessed at street level.

Hunt Midwest SubTropolis sets the standard for subsurface business developments.

Read more: Hunt Midwest seeks tenant for SubTech underground data center space - Denver Business Journal

DataChambers Underground Data Center

Nicholas L. Kottyan

With more than 25 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries, Nicholas Kottyan is especially well-versed in the critical information technology challenges facing today’s businesses. He helps clients develop business continuity plans that ensure seamless customer service… manage growing electronic records…and find cost-effective ways to monitor, manage and maintain critical data networks.

Mr. Kottyan has led DataChambers through two significant expansions of its data center facilities to meet growing demand.

Before joining the company, he was president and CEO of Peak 10 Inc., a data center services company he co-founded. He also has served as senior vice president for CT Communications Inc., a publicly traded local telephone company in Concord, N.C., where he led an expansion into new long distance, wireless PCS and Internet services markets.

In 1991 Mr. Kottyan founded Teledial America of North Carolina, which he sold to LCI International (now part of Qwest Communications). He also has served as president and CEO of Phone America of Carolina.

Mr. Kottyan is currently chairman of the N.C. Technology Association, the primary voice of North Carolina’s technology industry.

Patrick Craig

Patrick Craig is chief technology guru for the DataChambers team – experienced in the hardware, software and industry protocols that underpin successful networks and data centers.

Patrick Craig

Mr. Craig was instrumental in the design of the high-availability infrastructure DataChambers uses to support mission-critical business functions for its clients. He also leads the company’s Network Operations Center (NOC). The NOC team monitors and manages client systems around-the-clock to detect and resolve potential issues before they impact performance.

Before joining DataChambers, Mr. Craig was managed services administrator for Divine Inc., a software and technology company. He also served as vice president of IT technologies and as lead systems administrator for NetUnlimited, a voice and data solutions provider. During his tenure with NetUnlimited, he managed three of the company’s divisions and designed the infrastructure needed to support thousands of users.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – MAY 6, 2010 – DataChambers, a North Carolina-based technology firm, today announced it has secured financing from NewBridge Bank to support construction of a new data center on its 80-acre campus in Winston-Salem.

Work is well under way on the 20,000-square-foot, $9 million project, which was announced last spring. When completed, it will more than double the company’s capacity to house data networks for its clients, including more than 110 firms in 28 states.

“We’ve been pleased with the progress of the project, which positions us for significant growth,” said Nicholas Kottyan, CEO of DataChambers. “We expect to be up and running by early summer.”

Construction of the new facility involves the demolition and rebuilding of a section of the former office building where DataChambers is headquartered. The space is located 18 feet underground in a secure, blast-resistant bunker.

General contractor for the project is Landmark Builders.

“DataChambers is a great success story in our region, and we could not be more pleased that they have chosen NewBridge Bank as their financial partner,” said Terry Freeman, Senior Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager for NewBridge Bank. “This locally owned and operated business is the ideal client for NewBridge Bank to help move forward.”

About DataChambers

DataChambers is a full-service information technology and managed services provider specializing in electronic data storage, 24×7 managed information technology solutions, secure co-location services for mission-critical information technology infrastructure, secure tape vaulting, and offsite records storage and management. The company is SAS 70 Type II audited and meets rigorous national standards for safeguarding client systems and data. DataChambers’ 140,000⁺-square-foot headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C., is based on an 80-acre campus owned by the firm’s majority shareholders. For more information, visit www.datachambers.com.

About NewBridge Bank

NewBridge Bank is a full service, state chartered community bank headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. NewBridge Bank offers financial planning and investment alternatives such as mutual funds and annuities through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., a registered broker dealer. NewBridge Bank is one of the largest community banks in North Carolina with assets of approximately $2 billion. The Bank has 33 banking offices in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, the Wilmington, N.C. area and Harrisonburg, Va. The stock of NewBridge Bancorp, the Bank’s parent company, trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “NBBC.”

http://www.datachambers.com/2010/05/06/datachambers-secures-financing-for-major-data-center-expansion/#more-571

Underground Data Center: design, construction, commissioning

http://www.dataspecialtiesinc.com/index.html
Phil Rafferty, President and Co-Founder, has more than 27 years of experience in the data center and cabling industries. Prior to co-founding DSI in 1990, he was the General Manager for a Los Angeles data center electrical contractor. In addition to running the company, Phil leads DSI’s key projects from design through completion. He also leads the company’s efforts to expand its geographic presence.
Underground Data Center: design, construction, commissioning
Data Specialties Inc. was founded in 1990 to serve the electrical and communications systems needs of U.S. corporations. We have stayed abreast of the dynamic technology, climate and security control, reliability assurances and political realities that our clients face—and have become a leader among data center design-build and cabling plan/install specialists. Today we manage all aspects of site selection, design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of mission-critical data centers. We also continuously anticipate future developments, ensuring that our designs deliver the reliability through redundancy that clients expect now and the scalability and flexibility to accommodate future moves, adds and changes.

Baltic Data Center to build underground data center in Lithuania

Baltic Data Center to build underground data center in Lithuania Information technology service provider Baltic Data Center, a member of TEO Group and Hewlett-Packard (HP), have announced they will implement and maintain the IT infrastructure for DnB NORD finance group, which will interconnect the group's banks which currently operate in six countries. The bank's IT infrastructure, which is claimed will be the most modern in Eastern Europe, will enable DnB NORD group to provide seamless banking services to customers in Denmark, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. "We are very pleased that this important long-term contract has been signed with a well reputed and highly professional Lithuania-based company and internationally highly esteemed partners. We believe that this 38 million litas deal will not only help us provide top banking service to our customers but will also contribute to Lithuania's drive to attract new modern technologies and facilitate knowledge economy growth, NORD Bankas Werner Schilli said. According to Justas Dargužas, director of UAB Baltic Data Center, the fact that the international finance group selected Baltic Data Center, a member of TEO Group, as the most suitable partner for the project's implementation is an extremely high evaluation of the competences of the company's specialists and of its capabilities. "We think that this project will significantly contribute also to improving the image of Lithuania as a technologically advanced country, VbCrLf Justas Dargužas, director of UAB Baltic Data Center commented. Baltic and foreign architects of Hewlett-Packard systems have been designing the bank's new IT infrastructure solution for four months. "Since we have been designing the IT infrastructure of the bank's central operations system, on which will depend all the services provided by the banks, it had to meet the highest reliability and security levels, Egidijus Andriuškevičius, CEO of UAB Hewlett-Packard, says. Baltic Data Center will install an underground data center facility in Vilnius that will ensure compliance with the highest security requirements, including also protection against electromagnetic pulse. The company will employ new high qualified IT specialists to maintain the infrastructure and will invest in its employees' training. Virtualization has been applied in implementing the system. The use of virtual servers will allow the bank to make optimum use of available IT resources, save energy, space and the system's support and maintenance costs, which usually constitute from 60 to 80 per cent of total IT infrastructure maintenance costs.