Data Center 101: The Perfect Location
Location, location, location – a favorite saying among realtors, but for new downtown business Data Center 101, it’s especially true. Data Center 101, a data center locating at 101 E. Town St., will provide secure data and systems back up for companies with valuable data or with true online data collection, such as money generating order taking systems. As a level three classified data center – the highest commercial classification, Data Center 101’s systems simply can never go down. “Our facility is not cheap, but we’re for companies that cannot afford any down time at all. We guarantee up time or pay penalties,” said Bruce Macnichol, channel manager. To make such a promise, each system requires redundancy and the building as a whole requires extensive security. Hence the need for the perfect location. The two key components in locating a level three data center are access to power and “fiber” or cable for connectivity. To guarantee that the power never goes out, Data Center 101 needed to be on the emergency grid of not one but two power companies. And it needed lots of fiber. There are only about three places in Columbus where those criteria intersect, and one of them was the corner of Third and Town, where serendipitously a vacant building stood. “I thought, this is unbelievable, this building has been vacant for several years and all this stuff we need meets in the back parking lot!” added Macnichol. So, the building was acquired and renovations began. While the infrastructure needs were low thanks to its perfect location, the 1970’s era building, resplendent in earth tones and avocado green, required total gutting. Each floor has been completely renovated with an eye toward its use. The top three floors will be used by Data Center 101, while the bottom two will be used by The Goddard School, a daycare and preschool, which is happy to benefit from the building’s extreme security. Once classification testing is completed in June, Data Center 101 will hold the highest classification in the Midwest. Customers will begin moving in around June 15. After the data center is up and running, no one will be getting in who isn’t supposed to – there are three levels of security including a bioscan – but if you want to see the facility, they will be holding an open house around June 20.
