RackForce’s state-of-the-art GigaCenter aiming for international clientele
Stuart Hunter
Province
Jerry Caul (left), RackForce’s vice-president in charge of construction, and CEO Tim Dufour inspect the company’s new GigaCenter, which opened in Kelowna. Photograph by: Handout, for The Province
Kelowna‘s business community got a little bit greener yesterday with the opening of Canada‘s first large-scale eco-friendly data centre.
Highlighted by a news conference and facility tour, brass from RackForce Networks Inc., proudly opened the first phase of a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art GigaCenter, which, it seems, has found a well-suited home in the Okanagan community.
The new GigaCenter facility — one of the greenest and most advanced data centres in the world — will provide support to the next generation of IT systems to customers from around the globe.
“We built the GigaCenter here in Kelowna because it’s one of the most stable and eco-friendly areas in North America,” Tim Dufour, president and CEO of RackForce, said in a news release.
“The highly advanced network and scalable infrastructure supports our customers’ most demanding computing needs, today and in the future, while contributing to their corporate environmental goals.” The RackForce GigaCenter will use B.C.’s supply of clean hydroelectric power to produce about 1/50th of the carbon footprint of most conventional data centres, which are typically powered by coal or natural-gas electrical-generation plants, which typically produce significant CO2 emissions.
The GigaCenter’s first phase is roughly 30,000 square feet.
Space can be secured in increments ranging from a single cabinet to dedicated rooms — called GigaVaults — which can vary in size from 12 to more than 170 cabinets.
Moreover, about 120,000 more square feet are slated to be completed in 2011. That will ensure RackForce’s GigaCenter is among the largest North American service-provider data centres.
The RackForce GigaCenter — built using IBM’s data-centre expertise — incorporates innovative design features to support both present-day and future technologies such as large data storage, high-density blade servers, virtualized computing clusters and mainframe systems.
“We are proud to have been involved with RackForce on this exciting project,” John Ostrander, vice-president of IBM Global Services, said in a news release.
“The GigaCenter is a clear example of how Canadian companies continue to innovate and find new ways to improve global business practices, while reducing our impact on the environment.”
RackForce brass said they chose Kelowna due to its location, considered one of the most stable geographically in North America to build a data centre, its temperate climate and relatively low risk of natural disaster.
The airport also played a role in the decision, as did the Okanagan’s tourist industry, with its amenities for the corporate IT traveller.
“I’m very excited about them being in our community — especially with the economy being like it is,” said Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd.
“It’s good to have potential jobs for young people in the city.”
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