Canberra Data Centers has won the AU$24 million colocation contract with Australia’s Department of Immigration.

According to itnews.com.au, the deal involves relocation from the department’s secondary data center at its offices in Belconnen to a secure facility in Fyshwick. The move will not be complete before 2019, when its current lease runs out.

The need for additional data center capacity was created by the merger of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Department of Immigration into a single “super agency” - the process which began in June.

Political move

Canberra Data Centers owns and operates three facilities: one in Fyshwick and two in Hume, a suburb of the Australian capital.

The data center in Fyshwick was opened in May. It offers 5,000 square meters of raised floor space, and can provide up to 13.5MW of power. The customizable data halls can support variable power densities from 7.5Kw per rack up to 40Kw per rack.

The Department of Immigration has a long-standing relationship with Canberra Data Centers - the company already hosts its primary infrastructure in Hume.

A spokesperson told itnews.co.au that the migration process should be very straightforward, since the majority of the services the department relies on have been virtualized. The move will coincide with a hardware refresh, so new equipment will be shipped directly to Fyshwick and the rest will happen online.