‘Always on’ the name of the game for HD’s data centre
In today’s online world, even the slightest interruption to business computing isn’t acceptable.
It’s more than a mere annoyance, too – when the lights go off, it costs money.
That’s why New Zealand’s network specialist HD has invested so considerably in ensuring that its Albany, North Shore data center delivers the ‘always on’ capability required by demanding companies today.
That’s according to HD CEO Ben Simpson, who says attention to detail in terms of power, cooling and connectivity means the systems housed in the company’s facility are assured of an optimum environment.
“With multiple redundant systems for electricity, connectivity and cooling, our data center ensures delivery of the continuous computing depended upon by businesses in an always-on world,” he says.
The secure single-story building housing the HD data center features concrete perimeter walls surrounded by security mesh, while reinforced door frames, walls and ceilings at all entry points ensure that only authorised persons gain access.
This is bolstered by the man-trap entry, monitored proximity card access and personnel control which includes 24x7x365 video surveillance and remote monitoring throughout. A dual path monitored alarm and glass break system further guarantees security.
Key features of the HD facility include:
Electricity:
The HD data center is powered by a 500KvA feed with three in-line UPS devices delivering A, B & C power feeds to racks. This arrangement is backed by a 500KvA diesel generator housed inside the facility with a 24/7 SLA for repairs and refuelling. The generator can power the entire data center indefinitely
Connectivity:
Discrete 10GbE internet connections are provided by independent suppliers, providing redundancy and failover should any one suffer an outage. Fibre carriers have multiple redundant paths of fibre entering the data center from different ducts
Cooling:
Three fully-redundant and intelligent HVAC CRAC units feature POD-based temperature monitoring and flow control with micro particle air filtration. The units deliver a maximum of 20kw of cooling per rack.
The data center operates within strict thermal guidelines for data processing environments (temperature is 21 °C, humidity of 49% with a maximum dew point of 15°C).
“In short, our facility is state-of-the-art. It was built with reliability, redundancy and resiliency in mind,” Simpson says.
By building the data center from the ground up with these directives, using only the highest quality, proven technology, he says HD’s facility that ensures military-level ‘mission critical’ uptime and redundancy.
"This means reliability that you and your end-users can bank on," he adds.
It is this attention to detail that has resulted in HD achieving its position as New Zealand’s largest supplier of dedicated servers in a wide variety of differing configurations and specifications.
“We’re also network specialists offering superior infrastructure for services such as UFB and VDSL, combined with the highest standards of performance, reliability and support,” Simpson adds.
The impressive construction and technical specifications are matched by a local team of professionals, he continues.
“Our highly skilled, 100% New Zealand based support team makes sure any issues are addressed as soon as possible.
From custom-built broadband services to complex IT infrastructures, our highly-experienced, customer-centric staff take pride in designing innovative, high performance solutions to fit the varied needs of our customers,” Simpson concludes.
