Finding a Pennsylvania data center provider that can deliver service throughout the Mid-Atlantic region can be challenging, mostly because data center operators have been focused more on Northern Virginia or the New York City metro area.
Because of Hurricane Sandy and because of the concentration of facilities in Northern Virginia, some in business have been searching for a provider elsewhere. The right provider can set your company up for success. It'll offer seamless support, allowing you to focus on your business, rather than where your servers are maintained.
The wrong provider, though, could lead to invoices that put you over budget, extended downtimes, and tech teams that are overworked.
But along with everything you need from a data center provider, you'll also want to ensure they can service your surrounding area. Because if they can't, you're limited on growth and the seamless support data centers can provide.
These four data centers in Pennsylvania can provide that support, making your search significantly less challenging.
4 Pennsylvania Data Centers for Regional Service
- Netrality
- Netrepid
- TierPoint
- Quonix
With modern technology, data centers can reach as far as a company is willing to roll out cabling. Of course, this also poses a potential risk. Natural and man-made disasters can damage the cabling and potentially the infrastructure, cutting off your transmission of data.
A safer bet is to find a data center nearby. The risk of damaged cabling is reduced, and with a local data center, your technicians can also gain access to your servers faster than if they had to travel. Additionally, by working with a local company, you can get a better idea of who is actually protecting your information because you can associate the actual people with the actual location. The company becomes less of a faceless phone number you call when there's trouble and more of a professional partnership.
Atlantech has a point of presence (POP) at Netrality's 401 Broad location in Philadelphia. While we don't manage our own data center in Pennsylvania, our POP provides an additional point for the region to access our extensive network.
Working in Netrality's data center allows us to provide top-tier services for companies in the area. It extends the reach of our network, but more importantly, ensures our customers get the best support available.
1. Netrality
Since purchasing their location on 401 North Broad in 2014, Netrality has invested over $50 million in network infrastructure upgrades to the facilities. This building is fiber-rich and provides domestic fiber routes along the east coast.
The building sits outside the floodplain, where it remains untouched by natural disasters. Security-wise, the building is maintained 24/7 by a network operations center. Measures include video surveillance, key card access, and an authorized customers access list from the tenant companies.
The facility maintains an N+1 redundant system for cooling and power. All climates are maintained by a condensed water capacity of 5,400, as well as HVAC and CRAC units in each data room. These ensure your system is kept at the correct temperature, and with the backup generator, even a blackout won't stop your data access.
The infrastructure can bear 200 lbs per square foot, and their freight elevators can handle a 10,000-pound load capacity. This means nearly any piece of equipment you need for your data center can be included in the facility.
Netrality also offers a Meet-Me-Room (MMR) where companies can physically connect to others to exchange data without being charged local loop fees.
2. Netrepid
Netrepid owns multiple locations in Pennsylvania, but their primary facility is a Tier 3-quality data center located in Harrisburg. Based between New York City and Washington, D.C., the data center provides enterprise-level business technology solutions. They carry the mission of helping clients achieve short and long term tech goals, driving new business. The facility is even arranged for companies to expand physical resources as they grow.
The building includes 8,000 square feet and offers colocation spaces, hosted desktops, remote backup, and virtual private servers. These offers enable Netrepid to deliver a complete solution to their clients, backfilling any gaps in their IT infrastructure. They conduct annual SSAE-16, HIPAA, and PCI audits.
Netrepid's redundant features include Gigabit fiber from Tier 1 carriers, a virtual environment running Citrix, HyperV, KVM, and VMware, and a backup power grid with 96 hours of runtime. The system also relies on Leibert Glycol N+1 air conditioning, which reduces the overall cost of temperature control in the facility.
For security measures, the building has key fob controlled access to the building and requires biometric scans to access the data center and racks. Along with IP video surveillance with no dark spots, and a variety of alarms, unauthorized access isn't a worry of tenants.
3. TierPoint
Tierpoint maintains four SSAE 16 audited data centers across Pennsylvania. All buildings are available 24/7 and provide a range of services.
The Valley Forge building offers cabinets, cages, and suites, that can be customized based on business requirements. The facility also offers specific build-outs for a dedicated office workspace or a disaster recovery workspace. And like the other buildings, it's safely outside the regional threat zones for natural disasters.
Security features for Tierpoint's buildings include 24/7 monitoring from both electronic and physical measures. Access requires two-factor authentication, including biometric scanners and CCTV records are maintained for a minimum of 90 days.
Tierpoint maintains a 100% uptime SLA and has a 2N power distribution system. Its custom-built mass air units control the temperature with green energy technology and their N+1 backup generators ensure you'll always have the power to access your data.
4. Quonix
Quonix is a valuable option for your data center. Located in Philadelphia, their building provides both an in-house BGP blended IP backbone and carrier-neutral cross-connect access.
Using Cisco 7600 Routing Platforms with global route views, they deliver dynamic and optimized routing. They also have a Meet Me Case (a smaller version of a Meet Me Room) with over 10 On-net carriers.
Security in the building includes 24/7 secured access by RFID card. They also maintain constant monitoring via DVR cameras throughout the building.
For environment controls, Quonix uses a Liebert cooling system with 100-ton capacity, maintaining the correct temperature for your platform without the higher costs of other methods. Airflows and leads are monitored, alongside the fire suppression system, so you can be sure your equipment is properly taken care of.
If you need to scale, Quonix manages their bandwidth on a monthly commit basis. You can use 1Mbps of commit on a burstable 100 Mbps pipe, or pay for a dedicated 100 Mbps handoff. Either way, you'll only pay for what you need, but have room to grow when necessary.
Choosing From the Various Pennsylvania Data Centers
A local data center keeps your money in the local economy, with a company that's as invested in the area as you are. While these data centers can service the entire state because they're locally based, it means you have a better chance of getting great customer service and accessing them whenever necessary.
By identifying what matters to your company, choosing a data center will become easier. We recommend touring the sites and seeing the package options as you determine which data center you'll use. And don't forget to plan for future growth, as you'll want to stay with your data center for the long term.
If you're interested in our Philadelphia POP, reach out and we'll set up a time to see how we can best meet your company's unique needs.
