The Southern Union Data Center

The Data Center

31,000 square foot, hardened data center with
15,000 square feet of raised floor space.

August 2008 EYP Mission
Critical Facilities Report

In August 2008, EYP Mission Critical Facilities® Inc. (EYP MCF) was engaged by Southern Union Data Center (Southern Union) to complete a gap analysis of the Southern Union Data Center facility in Houston, Texas. The goal of this assessment is to evaluate the facilities critical electrical, mechanical and fire protection systems in order to determine the facilities ability to support a continuous 7 x 24 x 365 operation per the Uptime Institute's Industry Standard Tier Classification.

The report produced by EYP documents EYP MCF's findings and recommendations; the Southern Union Data Center was rated at a Tier 3 level design data center.


Services Provided

  • 7 x 24 x 365 days a year on-site security service provided by Wackenhut Security
  • Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) connectivity
  • Local and long distance telephone service through Verizon
  • Offsite tape storage service provided by VeriTrust
  • Dark fiber connectivity provided by Abovenet

Location

  • Approximately five miles south of downtown Houston, just off State Highway 288
  • Originally built as a corporate data center, capable of withstanding major natural disasters
  • Situated on 4.7 acres of land

Facility

  • Approximately 31,000 square feet of space in the facility; 15,000 square foot raised data center floor
  • Full size dock, equipment receiving area and hardware setup room located in the rear of the building
  • Technician office space with workspace for 65 individuals
  • Conference room
  • Closed-circuit security camera system (interior and exterior)
  • Extensive mechanical and electrical infrastructure
  • Parking for up to 140 vehicles
  • ADA-compliant parking spaces, entry and restrooms
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Building Automation and Monitoring

  • Provided by Computrols, Inc.

Security

  • Property is surrounded by an eight foot' security fence
  • Retractable security gate is the only entrance to the property
  • Security badge access control system to the property and facility provided by Computrols, Inc.
  • 7 x 24 x 365 security staff
  • Monitoring and intrusion alarm system provided by Computrols, Inc.
  • 44 cameras located inside and outside the facility; outside cameras pan/tilt/zoom and inside cameras are strategically positioned
  • The 7210 Ardmore street address is the only identifying sign on the property
  • Remote monitoring by ADT

Power

  • Utility power is supplied by CenterPoint Energy and is purchased through Gexa Energy
  • Two uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are located in the facility; two each 1200 KVA UPS consisting of four 400 KVA modules. 2N+1 UPS redundancy provided to the facility
  • Three diesel emergency power generators are located in the facility; a 1400 KW unit, a 1350 KW unit, and a 900 KW unit. The 1400 KW unit or 1350 KW unit could individually provide power to the facility, in the event one or more generators would not start
  • One 10,000-gallon double wall above-ground diesel fuel storage tank located in the rear of the facility provides diesel generator fuel for approximately four days
  • A 6,000-gallon diesel tanker can be parked at the rear of facility during an emergency situation – hurricane, etc.
  • 2N redundant power whips and power distribution units (PDUs) to server racks
  • Lightning arrester system throughout the facility roof and cooling tower
  • Transient voltage surge suppression (TVSS) equipment throughout the building
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Water Cooling

  • Primary water supply is through the city of Houston
  • Backup water supply is a private well located on property, which is a potable water well
  • 2N redundant chillers (two 250 ton and two 200 ton Trane chillers), water pumps, compressors, and cooling towers
  • 2N computer room air handling units (CRAHUs)
  • Water drains and water detection sensors and alarms located under the raised floor

Fire Detection and Suppression

  • Ionization particle sensors in entire facility; in computer room raised floor below floor and in ceiling
  • Dry-pipe, pre-action sprinkler system
  • Fire panel monitored by ADT
  • Halotron clean agent hand-held fire extinguishers located throughout the facility

Communications

  • OC48 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) service – 100% buried cable; two separate, redundant routing paths; dark fiber is installed to the Data Center
  • Dedicated Mitel telephone switch
  • Space for multiple satellite dishes on the roof
  • Address "7210" address painted on the south side of the roof for aerial identification
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