- Dan McGrath, president of NewAge
Data Center Solutions, LLC (
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin is soon to be host to a best-practices model that for many years has
been an option only for huge metropolitan cities. They are called Multi-Tenant
Data Centers (MTDC) and they are for many the solution for meeting the needs of
an economy increasingly dependent on huge datasets, managed and
"cloud" services and the growth of "big data", an
information source for companies that takes tremendous power to
"mine".
There
are a number of key components that a multi-tenant DC must have. These features
are a great part of the value these facilities offer their tenants. Not the
least of these is the size, scope, level of security, number of tenant comfort
and use features, and finally Tier III+ power and network access. The later has
an emphasis on redundancy, stability, and in the case of access, a wide array
of robust carriers facilitated so that connection to them is easy and cost
effectively managed.
The Data
Holdings, LLC facility now under construction in Milwaukee is being design
utilizing these critical components. This will be the first facility in the
southeastern Wisconsin area of this scale and its close proximity to Illinois
will make it attractive to Chicago and other Northern Illinois based
businesses.
The Data
Holding's facility will differ from
hosting or colocation services currently available in the area, because the
tenants place their own equipment in the facility and operate the data center
IT portion themselves. Clients no longer have to concern themselves with
running the facility, as it is managed by Data Holdings expert staff.
The
location was selected based on its relative low risk from potential external
incidents; considerations include the
proximity to airport flight paths, major highways, active rail spurs, flood
plains, lakes or rivers, utility substations, and hazardous businesses. As
these "mega data centers" become increasingly the "malls"
within which the world's commerce is conducted, security from even natural
disasters becomes a critical matter.
It will
also be LEED certified and include a high efficiency chilled water system to
provide tenants with year-round free-cooling when ambient conditions are
suitable and a blended "power usage effectiveness" of 1.32 PUE. 1 PUE
= 100% usage effectiveness and is the standard for Tier lll data centers.
Data
Holdings will also have a 2N electrical system configuration, providing fully
redundant power sources from the utility substation to each IT equipment
cabinet. Electrical utility rates have been negotiated that are lower than any
in the region, allowing tenants to benefit from the facility's "economies
of scale".
The
Milwaukee facility's design also features a "Meet-Me Room" (MMR) that
will allow telecommunications companies to physically connect to one another
and exchange data without incurring local loop fees from the ILEC. The MMR is
the heart of the facilities "carrier neutrality" and allows for a
broad selection of providers, giving tenants far greater flexibility to control
both carrier costs, redundancy and access.
Just the
physical presence of such a large number of fiber based carriers, wireless
providers and content/IP service companies provides the facility's enterprise
tenants with multiple connectivity solutions.
The Data
Holdings structure itself is huge with plans for future expansion already on
the table. The facility's multi-tenant configuration will deliver dedicated
data center suites starting at 1,500 SF plus secured IT staging and storage
with single tenant configurations capable of accommodating a 22,000 SF user.
All providing future tenants with more than enough flexibility to adjust
rapidly when necessary to meet new demand.
Finally
the Data Holdings facility will be secured, manned, monitored, and operated 7 x
24 x 365 by experienced data center facilities experts. Most corporate
facilities departments are often challenged by the unique needs of a DC, and IT
personnel are also not equipped to manage facilities. This provides the perfect
solution to an age old dilemma.
There
are however four key benefits that Wisconsin businesses and those in nearby states
will get now that the Data Holdings facility is becoming available.
- · There is no capital investment in the facility itself, eliminating CapEx concerns.
- · It creates for the tenant long-term operating cost stability.
- · Custom, flexible power and space configurations address planned and unplanned growth.
- · Multi-tenant space, as opposed to building a data center, eliminates facility obsolescence.
One
thing is for certain. Now that virtually all companies are face with a "data-deluge"
that most are unprepared for, facilities like the one being built in Milwaukee
offer a powerful new option for businesses seeking to grow in the new data age.
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