Re: DATACENTER: Mixed Use Facility

[Nathan Stratton <nathan@robotics.net>]

On Tue, 1 Jun 1999, Robert Szarka wrote:

> My idea of a perfect datacenter is one in its own building where no one
> else can set anything on fire, attract terrorist bombings, burst water
> pipes, etc.  OTOH, I note that many data centers are basically in office
> buildings (e.g., MAE-West).  And, besides, NOC staff have to eat somewhere.
>  So, given that a building with a datacenter might include, say, a
> restaurant or office space, what tips can folks offer on ways to avoid
> potential problems?

Well there is a bunch of things. One of the first things I do when I build
a datacenter in a office building is to make sure the walls go all the way
up to the roof. I learned this after a datacenter near mine was broken
into via the drop ceiling. Depending on how paranoid you want to get you
can also build block walls to keep people from bashing their way into your
space for a suite next door.

One of the biggest things you need to work on in a office building is
security. Make sure that you have a card key system with key in AND out
setup. It also is a good idea to install a video system to monitor the
people as they enter and leave the space.

In a shared office building you also want to make sure that your
facilities that run out of the building to your suite are in EMT all the
way down. Don't just run them via the phone closets and forget about the
EMT. Many circuits have been cut this way, many phone closets in buildings
are left open. If you have you stuff in EMT is is hardware to mess with
them. 

Anyway, the list gets longer, but I need to get some sleep.
 
> Am I just being too paranoid?  People say that am I, behind my back...  ;)

No, your not. People pay me and other consultants big bucks to build them
datacenters. They do it because that want security and 0 down time. Many
of the CLECs I work with can't deal with even 5 min of down time a year. 
The  sad part is that from my experience the people that break into
datacenters are competitors and not just people that want to rip off your
stuff, because of this many will go to great lengths to break in.

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><>
Nathan Stratton				Telecom & ISP Consulting
http://www.robotics.net	 		nathan@robotics.net

> -- 
> 
> Robert Szarka
> Managing Partner, Operations
> DownCity, LLC
> +1 860 823 3000