When the average person connects to the Internet, all he or she wants is to see a message saying, “You’ve Got Mail.” Most people don’t know or care how the message got to them, how many miles of cables and lines it traveled through to get to their computer, or how many times it was switched from one carrier to another before it got there. They just want to get information quickly and reliably.
One Nevada firm dedicated to helping Internet companies make better and faster connections is Colocation Gateways. “Everybody has to be hard-wired to the Internet at some point,” explains Phil Ohler, Chief Operating Officer. “Messages don’t just float around in space-they have to travel through phone lines, fiber optic cables or other means to get from one computer to the next and on to another. There have to be physical connections. What we do is provide a secure place for those connections to happen.”
As the telecommunications and Internet industries continue to grow, there is an increased demand for places to house telecom switching, routing, multiplexing, transmission and Internet web hosting equipment. Many high-tech companies choose to locate their highly sensitive equipment at a remote location offering redundant fiber optic connections, abundant electrical power and emergency power, and state-of-the-art security systems. This process, known as “colocation,” ensures that the equipment and the data it transmits and stores will be safe. Colocation facilities provide racking space, power and network connectivity (frequently referred to as “power, ping and POP”) to servers supplied by clients. Locating the equipment close to major fiber optic lines speeds up transmission time.
Colocation Gateways opened its facility this spring on the east side of Las Vegas in what is rapidly becoming a major telecommunication corridor. For security purposes, the 5,000 square foot business is camouflaged behind an unmarked door in an assuming strip mall. In order to enter the steel-lined building, a client or visitor must first swipe a card in an access box, then pass through a “man-trap” anteroom and have fingerprints verified by a biometric fingerprint scanner. Only then is access granted to the storage facility, which contains banks of cabinets for secure storage of equipment such as servers, routers and data switchers. Clients may lease one or more cabinets to house their sensitive equipment; they may also lease floor space surrounded by a steel mesh cage for larger setups. Entry into each cage is controlled by another fingerprint reader. Security is further assured by state of the art digital security systems, centralized monitoring of all critical systems and surveillance cameras with digital video storage. For those who pass all the security checkpoints, access to the facility is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Two fiber optic entry points handling all major carriers lead into the building. Telecommunications service providers include Sprint, GTE, Williams, Enron, MCI, Qwest, espire, ELI, Nextlink, and Broadwing (IXC), with others available within one half mile. A satellite dish on the roof provides clear lines of sight for wireless services. A system of overhead racks carries power lines and fiber lines to each cabinet and cage. Colocation Gateways’ facility has a Telco Grade dedicated grounding system. An uninterrupted power supply is guaranteed by redundant systems including large banks of batteries and a 500 horsepower backup generator. Ohler says in case of a major power outage, clients “won’t even notice a blink” in their power supply. Fire suppression is handled by a FikeIntellScan FM-200 tank filled with Halon gas; a pre-action water system sends water into overhead fire sprinkler pipes only when needed. Controlling static electricity is another concern when working with electronic equipment. Again, every precaution has been taken to keep static at a minimum, including using anti-static floor wax. Humidity and temperature are controlled by two 20-ton HVAC units designed to keep the temperature at a constant 68 degrees and humidity at 48% year-round.
Forrester Research estimates that U.S. business Internet hosting services will grow from a $2 billion market in 1999 to $14.6 billion in 2003. With 500,000 new Internet companies and 100 million new wireless customers per year, the colocation industry is anticipating a phenomenal growth curve. Phil Ohler and his partner, CEO Rob Roy, plan to take advantage of this trend by opening another facility in January 2001. The new 55,000 square feet location is under construction just east of the present building.