Features “Green” Chilled Water Energy System with 11MW Power

HOUSTON (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) December 15, 2008 -- The Planet.com Internet Services, the global leader in IT hosting, today announced plans for a new environmentally friendly 86,000 square foot data center in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. This facility, which will use the latest modular cooling technology from Turbine Air Systems, will accommodate expansion of the company’s highly regarded colocation services, along with its popular private racks and Planet Northstar Managed Hosting services. The new operation – the company’s seventh data center – will bring its total data center raised floor footprint to 214,500 square feet.

We have a long and successful track record in providing colocation services, and continue to receive significant interest from customers looking either to expand their core IT infrastructure or to supplement their operations

Despite today's difficult economic environment, which provides its own set of challenges, we believe there is an extraordinary market opportunity

“We have a long and successful track record in providing colocation services, and continue to receive significant interest from customers looking either to expand their core IT infrastructure or to supplement their operations,” said The Planet’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas J. Erwin. “Dallas ranks as one of the nation’s top five colocation markets based on its connectivity, central location and the availability of its skilled workforce. With the current shortage of colocation space that offers robust power density, we expect substantial interest in our new highly efficient facilities.

“Despite today’s difficult economic environment, which provides its own set of challenges, we believe there is an extraordinary market opportunity,” Erwin continued. “Over the past two years we have aggressively expanded our footprint, with considerable strategic investments in our core infrastructure and product portfolio. Our broad spectrum of services offers customers the power to choose precisely what they need, combined with our world-class network and data centers. With the downturn, companies are looking to reduce IT costs, and The Planet’s hosted model offers a 75 percent cost savings compared with the do-it-yourself alternative. Finally, we continue to have a very strong balance sheet. Our recent $45 million credit facility underscores the stability of our business and augments our ability to execute on our growth plans.”

New Data Center Features

The mixed-use facility will feature N+1 cooling and power architectures, with state-of-the-art, high-efficiency water-cooled chillers from Turbine Air Systems (TAS). This “green” architectural design, which costs an additional $2 million to build, provides a planned return on investment in just 30 months. An equipment galley, located outside of the data center floor, will hold six large air-handling units and all chilled water piping. Because all water is located outside of the actual data center floor, the design eliminates the possibility of an interior water leak.

The new TAS cooling system provides a modular mechanical installation. Rather than securing multiple components from a broad array of vendors, TAS manufactures an all-in-one system with a single point of contact for maintenance and service. In addition, TAS guarantees the energy efficiency specifics of its systems.

The new data center’s cooling system will provide twice the efficiency and use half the energy of The Planet’s existing data centers. The company expects to achieve a 1.3 “co-efficiency of efficiency” ranking, which is well below the 1.6 “ideal” rating. This score, recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Uptime Institute, measures the total power necessary to operate a data center, divided by critical power, which represents the energy required to operate its servers.

Colocation Capabilities

The Planet provides a broad range of colocation options, from dedicated locking cabinets to private-cage rentals. The company’s colocation configurations and service options offer customers the optimum solutions for their business, as well as the flexibility to expand and scale as required. Among the options customers can select from are the following:

Locking Cabinets – In the highly secure storage environment, servers receive proper cooling and power. The colocation cabinet provides the ideal solution for small and growing server installations.

Private Cages – Customers are offered the option of private cages that can be built to their exact specifications, with maximum flexibility and the proper secure environment. Private cages are ideal for customers who require multiple cabinets and guaranteed floor space for future expansion.

High-Speed Network Options: The Planet provides ultra high-speed network connections through either direct network feeds or blended feeds using the company’s world-class network. This enables customers to bypass the local loop and tie directly into the Internet.

Redundant Power: Customers can select redundant circuits as optional services in The Planet’s current and new colocation facilities. Redundant circuits provide a second circuit path that can mitigate the potential for power outages within the cabinet or cage area.

24x7x365 Access and Security: Backed by state-of-the-art physical on-site and online security, customers can take advantage of both online and in-person access with a wide range of self-service tools for reboots, monitoring and bandwidth graphs.

Remote Hands and Eyes: Every customer is provided with remote hands and eyes services. Certified colocation engineers can access equipment immediately to rapidly address emergency hands-on needs when speed is critical, which minimizes technician visit costs.

Advanced Services: The Planet offers customers the flexibility to add special Advanced Services as required. Colocation Advanced Services modules -- monitoring, security and server administration -- conveniently supplement the administration and maintenance of colocated equipment. Customers can create the optimal management plan for their business to lower operational costs, and improve the security and availability of their colocated environment.

Professional Services: An experienced staff of certified engineers is available to help with specific projects or tasks to troubleshoot or manage issues in the colocated infrastructure. Services are billed on an hourly basis through a service contract customized to each customer’s specific requirements.

Representation

The new building, owned and leased by Northwestern Mutual Life, is located on Plano Parkway in the 190 Business Center. Susan Singer of The Bradford Companies represented the owner. Andy Iversen and Chris Mason with Jackson-Cooksey represented The Planet.

About The Planet

The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 25,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 14.1 million Web sites worldwide. The Planet Alpha division provides the widest array of self-managed dedicated servers and advanced services backed by 24x7x365 support. The Planet Northstar Managed Hosting division combines a proactive methodology and seasoned IT experts to deliver a fully managed hosting solution. With the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and an enterprise-class network, The Planet turns IT into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to grow their businesses. For additional information, visit www.theplanet.com.

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