Depending on where you want to host your server will determine which network you are on. You can be assured that irrespective of which one you are in, it is of the highest quality. In both cases you get full redundancy and connections galore, so simply pick the location you want with confidence that the network can handle the rest!
Global Switch 2 or commonly Global Switch House is Europe's largest purpose built data centre. It covers some 705,498sqft of space over 10 floors. When we were looking for a suitable place to house UK servers redundancy was high on the list.
Having N+1 redundancy on the power and environmental systems was as clearly a winner in favour of Global Switch, couple that with multiple independent fibre connections it put Global Switch ahead of the competition.
Power
* Minimum N+1 redundancy on power supply
* Mains power supplied via 2 x 132kV incoming connections
* Diverse A&B supply, distributed via 11kV ring mains units
* 3.1MW of power per floor plate
* Power / cooling systems backed up by up to 33 no-break Rotary Diesel UPS sets
* On site diesel supply (4x119,000 litres) supporting up to 50 hours use at full capacity with 24/7 fuel delivery contract
Environmental
* Minimum N+1 resilience on chilled water cooling system
* Technical area temperature maintained at 22 degrees Celsius (+/-2)
* Humidity range of 50% (+/- 10%) in technical areas
* Up to 25 air cooled chillers installed, supplying up to 1.4MW of cooling per unit
* Close control units provide conditioned air to technical space
* Diverse chilled water distribution throughout facility
Fire detection & suppression
* Analogue addressable fire detection system in all areas (smoke & heat) with manual break glass units
* Very early smoke detection and alarm systems (VESDA) in the return airflow of CCU's
* Gas suppression system using centrally stored Inergen to technical and selected public areas
* Sprinklers in corridor areas and plant rooms, with water ingress protection and monitoring
* Dry risers to all floors
* Smoke and gas extraction systems
Telecoms
* Access to multiple telecoms providers located in dedicated meet me rooms, via diverse connections
* Diverse entry cable points (x4) with a combination of 110mm ducts and 32mm subs
* Basket trays in three sided format to all data risers - fully access controlled
* Multiple connections to each data suite
* Roof space and structural support for satellite & antennae equipment
Building
* Dedicate 24/7 facilities management team
* Building management system monitors M&E operation within the facility to ensure stability of the environment, monitor electrical/mechanical systems, enable system interface, aggregate data, and interlink the life systems in the event of fire alert
Security
* Premises controllers manager facility security 24/7
* Access control using proximity card readers
* Intruder alarms to all areas with external infa-red barrier
* Exterior and interior CCTV camera systems
* Secure, attended delivery & loading area
The thing that you need to remember when thinking about Softlayer is that it is not one place, it's several different locations spread across the US. So what does that mean? Well it gives you more choice as to where you want to locate your server, from the east to the west of the country!
Dallas, Texas
* Room for 25,000 dedicated servers
* 6,000 amps 480v Input Power
* 6x750Kva UPS battery backups
* 3x2000Kw Diesel Generator with onsite fuel storage
* Redundant Leibert 30Ton HVAC units
* Pre Action Dry Pipe fire suppression
* Proximity security badge access
* Digital security video surveillance
Seattle, Washington State
* Room for 10,000 dedicated servers
* 2000 amps 480v Input power
* 4x500kva UPS battery backup
* 2000kw diesel generator with onsite fuel storage
* Redundant Liebert 30 Ton HVAC units
* Pre action dry pipe fire suppression
* Proximity Security badge access
* Digital security video surveillance
Washington DC
* Room for 10,000 dedicated servers
* 34x 480v 3 phase PDu's
* 8x 750kva battery backup units
* three 2 megawatt diesel generators with on site Fuel Storage
* Redundant 30 ton CRAC units
* FM-200 Fire suppression system
* Biometric security system
* Digital security video surveillance
Softlayer Network (in all DC's)
* Multiple internet backbone connections
* Cisco Systems 10G network
* Cisco Guard DDOS protection
* Tipping point IPS/IDS protection
* Arbor Peakflow traffic analysis
* Arbor Atlas Global traffic analyser
* Automated IP routing and management (self healing)
* 10Gbps connections between DC's
