Baltimore Technology Park (BTP), a premier data center and the largest carrier-neutral facility in the state of Maryland, today announced that it has retained Total Site Solutions (TSS) to provide it with commissioning services. An important final phase in BTP's second build-out in a year entails design review and testing by an objective third-party. In June, Total Site Solutions will examine BTP's design, and then load-test its network, power supply, cooling system, fire suppression, equipment installations and operational procedures to reconfirm that the equipment is capable of handling any potential network, power, or structural challenge.
"The only path to achieving full confidence that your data center's network and infrastructure can handle any burden is through rigorous load-testing and independent review prior to adding critical IT applications," said Jim Weller, president of BTP and a 20-year veteran who has been involved in the design, operation, build-out, site selection and acquisition of more than 50 centers nationwide. "We are pleased to team with Total Site Solutions on this key process in our build-out, because they have evaluated and commissioned some of the biggest data centers and most critical business infrastructure in the world. After their review, we will rest assured that our data center can ensure the continuous operations of our clients who rely on us."
Based in Columbia, Maryland, with multiple locations nationwide, TSS serves a wide variety of organizations in corporate, healthcare, education and government. Its clientele include companies such as Home Depot, WellSpan, GEICO, Comcast, Gannett, Georgetown University, Stifel Nicolaus, and others. TSS' commissioning service for BTP will entail:
Design Engineering Review
Pre-Functional Test Procedures
Commissioning Plan/Script Development
Functional Test Procedures
Installation Inspections
Independent Component Testing
Operating Procedure Development
O&M;/As-Built Drawing Review
Technical Training
Computer Floor Heat Rejection Load Testing
Failure mode analysis
Integrated System Testing (IST)
Once all of the system components are inspected and tested individually, Integrated System Testing (IST) will be conducted at BTP's facility. This test will validate interactions between BTP's systems during all modes of operations. During this process, BTP's Network Operations Center (NOC) will be subjected to a full heat load test to ensure that it can maintain proper cooling ratios in all types of environments. The test will measure the performance of BTP's NOC under normal operations, UPS systems on batteries, on generators alone or during an array of failure modes.
Once the commissioning process is over, TSS will deliver, along with the commissioning documentation, a complete set of operational and emergency procedures that have been fully tested and executed in addition to a baseline recommendation for the site's operational parameters. This will give BTP complete confidence that it can operate and maintain full business continuity for its customers under any circumstances.
BTP's latest build-out, currently underway, was recently expanded from 11,000 square feet to 15,000 to meet strong market demand. Of this, 8,500 square feet will consist of raised flooring available for colocation. The remaining 6,500 square feet will be designed for employee and client workspace, kitchen, break and conference rooms. The build-out is generating additional space for 250 server cabinets, as well as for cages and suites. An extra one million dollars has been added to the construction budget for a total investment of $4 million.
"We appreciate that Baltimore Technology Park knows it can rely on us for meeting the demands of their sophisticated clients. The commissioning process is a crucial, final step in guaranteeing the stability of the facility," says Gerard J. Gallagher, CEO and president, Total Site Solutions. "BTP truly understands the importance of designing its data center based on a modern power design, and is sparing no expense to ensure that critical infrastructure equipment will deliver the required high-availability and reliability."