Colocation
ITSS
The Challenge
Their requirements were straightforward. They required contiguous floor space for multiple racks of equipment, with the ability to re-size hosted space to accommodate future growth. Adequate and reliable cooling was also a concern, due to the high heat density of Avere’s rack environment. The availability of remote “Smart Hands” service, specialized UNIX systems administration support services and other add-in services were additional requirements in the selection process. We had that covered, and more.
What Did MSA Do
Our approach, as it is with every client engagement, was first to listen to Avere Systems’ concerns and understand the company’s unique requirements, and then to develop a customized solution that aligned with their current needs and future goals. As a result of these discussions, we designed a flexible colocation solution, which includes raised data center floor space for multiple racks of equipment at our Evergreen Heights Technology Center in Ross Township near Pittsburgh, PA.
The 65,000 square-foot facility (with 15,000 square feet of raised floor space) features redundant spare capacity for power and cooling systems, including a reliable utility power feed with generator backup, a dedicated fiber network, and state-of-the-art fire suppression and access control systems.
In addition, the solution we developed for Avere Systems features:
- A flexible configuration, supplying abundant power to individual racks to support a per-rack power draw of 5 to 7 kW per rack.
- Two ISPs that provide redundant internet connectivity.
- Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) technology for internet failover, should service from one provider be interrupted
Although Avere Systems manages its own application/server environment, a variety of specialized systems administration and IT support services are available to augment in-house staff, if and when needed. And in anticipation of the client’s future growth, additional, contiguous floor space has been earmarked for their use. We’ll be ready when they are.
The Results
- Stable, secure operating environment for test and development systems, supporting reliable product launches in a fast-moving storage market.
- 24/7 system availability powered by MSA’s redundant electrical infrastructure and resilient network connectivity.
- Flexible, scalable infrastructure that adapts to evolving technical and power requirements without disruption.
- Reliable power and performance consistency ensuring development teams can operate without downtime or bottlenecks.
- Proactive capacity planning that allows infrastructure to scale seamlessly alongside business growth.
- Future-ready technology foundation enabling Avere Systems to continue innovating and expanding its hybrid cloud storage solutions with confidence.
