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November 26, 2001 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — A Michigan-based technology company has built a new data center in a 100 year-old mine to host computer equipment 85 feet below the Earth’s surface. Underground Secure Data Center Operations (usdco.com), a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based data center, launched its operations in an inactive gypsum mine, deep underground and secure from disasters, both natural and manmade.
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USDCO says the facility has advantages over traditional data centers, such
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as increased security, lower cost, scalability and ideal environmental
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conditions. USDCO said its economic model works, despite the proliferation
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of data center providers, thanks largely to the natural qualities inherent
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in the mine.
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With 750,000 square feet available, there is lots of space to be subdivided
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to accommodate the growth needs of clients. In addition, the data center has
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an unlimited supply of naturally cool, 50-degree air, providing the ideal
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temperature and humidity for computer equipment with minimal HVAC cost.
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“We are one of the most secure data centers in the country and unparalleled
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in terms of square footage, scalability and environmental control,” said
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Irvin Wolfson, USDCO partner. “Yet, while the physical and cost benefits of
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being underground make us attractive, we have also invested heavily in
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high-speed connectivity and redundant power and fiber systems to ensure our
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operations are not just secure, but also state-of-the-art.”
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USDCO said it is initially focused on providing co-location services.
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Clients lease space for their own servers, while USDCO provides secure
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facilities, power and bandwidth. USDCO offers redundant power sources and
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multiple high-speed Internet DS-3 connections through an OC-12 SONET ring
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linked to outside connectivity providers through redundant fiber cables.
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Through its alliances, the company augments its core services to include
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disaster recovery solutions, wireless connectivity and more.
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Strategic partners like Analysts International, a national information
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technology company, enable USDCO to offer technology solutions ranging from
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system design and implementation to the sale of software and equipment. “The
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data center market is over-built with pricey Class A space or cut-rate Class
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C space that lacks true redundancy, capacity or security,” Wolfson said.
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“The natural qualities of the mine allow us to offer the best of both worlds
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- premier services and security at highly competitive rates.”
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USDCO was established in Sept. 2000 when its founders realized the former
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gypsum mine offered optimal conditions for a data center. The mine, which
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was being used to store food and other cold-storage products, offered
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superior environmental conditions for electronic equipment, almost
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invulnerable security and was located between two power grids. The facility
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became operational in July 2001.
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Adam Couture, a Mass.-based analyst for Gartner Inc. said USDCO could find
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itself a niche serving businesses that want to reduce vulnerability to any
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future attacks. A company fact sheet said that the mine would protect the
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data center from a cruise missile explosion or plane crash. “Every company
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that I’ve talked to all are going back and re-evaluating their
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business-continuity plans,” Couture told Associated Press. “This doesn’t say
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everybody’s changing them, but everybody’s going back and revisiting them in
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the wake of what happened.”
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