TechEDge | California Community Colleges

Delta College Builds Data Center For The Future

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 August 2010 Written by Jen Gednalske Monday, 22 February 2010

Featuring state-of-the-art design and equipment intended for future functionality, the new Delta data center may become the model for new data centers throughout the California Community Colleges.

Using $11 million dollars of a voter-approved $275 million infrastructure bond, Lee Belarmino, Vice President of Information Technology (IT) and Bond Program Executive, and Dave Sartain, Director of IT Services, have envisioned a data center to see San Joaquin Delta College (Delta College) through the next few decades.

“Twenty-three years ago, when I helped design our last data center, you would go to see a new data center and it would be designed like a showplace,” Belarmino said. “Through the large glass windows people could observe all the equipment lights blinking and white coated technicians working on the computers. No one was thinking about physical security. Now security is of the utmost importance, but some people are still designing their data centers to be impressive showplaces. For security reasons, I think the opposite approach should be taken.”

The Delta College data center is perhaps unique in this fashion. Not only is the building specifically designed to allow additional room and wiring to accommodate future technology, but it is also deliberately unassuming. Rather than an ostentatious building in the center of campus, the new data center is located near, and looks like other campus warehouses.

The only difference is the computer rooms are constructed with concrete cinder blocks. Special non-descript steel barriers will also be strategically located. “No bad guy would ever know what is going on inside,” Belarmino quipped. “It would take a tank or a bulldozer to get in.”

Currently, the information systems (IS) staff is housed in three separate areas on campus. The new design brings together all of the IS staff into one location. A centralized staff location should improve customer service communication among the college’s technology staff.

One area in the new data center is dedicated to traditional office space with windows. This area will house the administrators, programmers and helpdesk staff. Beyond these rooms, are network and server rooms, a workshop area and an equipment storage area. Separate areas for electrical control and a loading dock for deliveries ensure greater security by keeping unauthorized persons out of secure areas.

Delta College Data Center Conceptual Rendering

The server and network rooms are kept separate, allowing reduced cost for cooling. Both the electrical power and the air conditioning run on a dual system that can work in tandem or individually should one system fail. To reduce cooling costs, the air ducts are located under the floor beneath each individual server rack, directly cooling the servers and communication equipment. The server and network rooms are lined with a rigorous fire-rated internal wall that also acts as a security barrier to prevent break-in. To accommodate future technology needs, the building has been designed for easy access for any future wiring or cable needs. Access control, such as a fingerprint scanner or something similar, will limit unauthorized access to the server room.

Storage space and work bench areas for working on equipment are included in the design. The storage area includes palette storage to hold new equipment when it arrives and old equipment that has been returned. Equipment can be delivered without compromising security via a truck loading dock located off the storage room.

“It will also be really great to have the workshop area for repairs,” Dave Sartain, Delta College IT director, said. “It will be similar to what you would see in the Geek Squad workspace at Best Buy.”

The network design itself also features security measures. The network was designed to be able to handle the technology needs and systems for the entire college. This will allow voice, video, data, air conditioning, security and other low voltage systems to run through the same network using a method called “structured” cable design. Additionally, dedicated rooms designed specifically for vendor use ensure that they will never need access to the main computer rooms.

The goal for both Belarmino and Sartain was that the center be built two to three times larger that their currently required capacity as a provision for up to thirty years of future growth. Since it is impossible to predict future technology advances, it was important for the network and data center design to be system agnostic.

The plan also included consideration for long-term environmental sustainability. Some green features of the new building include recycled-source building materials, skylights to reduce light pollution, roof cooling, optimized energy-reduction windows, smart building technology and water-use reduction. There is also an area designed to house the electric carts that will be used to move equipment and staff to and from the data center.

The new Delta College data center is scheduled to open in September 2010.<>

Jen Gednalske is a CCC Technology Center and California Virtual Campus Project Manager
and a TechEDge Editor.