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(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web hosting provider and data center operator The Planet (www.theplanet.com) announced plans for a new environmentally friendly 86,000 square foot data center in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas.
Converted from a building that was formerly occupied telecommunications provider Alcatel-Lucent (http://www.alcatel-lucent.com), the data center space will use the latest modular cooling technology from Turbine Air Systems.
Commercial real estate firm Jackson Cooksey represented The Planet in the lease of the building.
The data center will accommodate the expansion of the company's colocation services, along with its private racks and Planet Northstar Managed Hosting services. The Plano site marks the company's seventh data center, bringing its total data center raised floor footprint to 214,500 square feet.
The company says it plans to immediately begin colocation pre-leasing on the initial 12,000 square feet, which has the capacity to hold about 8,000 servers. Expected to open in May 2009, the new data center will meet the same SAS 70 Type II qualifications of the company's existing six facilities in the Dallas and Houston areas.
"We have a long and successful track record in providing colocation services, and continue to receive significant interest from customers looking either to expand their core IT infrastructure or to supplement their operations," says Douglas J. Erwin, The Planet's chairman and CEO. "Dallas ranks as one of the nation?s top five colocation markets based on its connectivity, central location and the availability of its skilled workforce. With the current shortage of colocation space that offers robust power density, we expect substantial interest in our new highly efficient facilities.
The mixed-use facility will feature N+1 cooling and power architectures, with high-efficiency water-cooled chillers from Turbine Air Systems. This ecological-friendly design will cost an additional $2 million to build, but The Planet says it will lead to a planned return on investment in just 30 months.
Additionally, an equipment galley located outside of the data center floor will hold six large air-handling units and all chilled water piping. Since all water is kept outside of the actual data center floor, the design eliminates the potential of an interior water leak.
The new TAS cooling system provides a modular mechanical installation, meaning that rather than securing multiple components from a range of vendors, TAS manufactures an all-in-one system with a single point of contact for maintenance and service.
The building's new cooling system will provide twice the efficiency and use half the energy of The Planet's existing data centers.
The new Plano data center will also feature colocation options, such as dedicated locking cabinets and private-cage rentals, high-speed network options, redundant power, around the clock access and security, remote hands and eyes services, advanced services and professional services.�����
The conversion will span over four years, says The Planet CEO Doug Erwin, who adds that the company plans to transition the data center space.
The company has made significant additions to its data center space this year, expanding its Dallas D6 data center by 12,000 square feet. The new section is able to accommodate up to 10,000 servers.
The Planet has undergone rapid growth over the past five years, and was recently ranked 475 on Deloitte's 2008 Technology Fast 500, a roster of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences companies in North America.
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