Supposedly invincible communication hub crashes in Seattle

Published 17 August 2006

A major communication hub in Seattle, claiming to be among the most
secure centers in the world, was built to withstand earthquakes and run for weeks on its own power; yet, two weeks ago it crashed

One of the most advanced communication hubs in the world crashed

unexpectedly in Seattle two weeks ago. The reason: A string of malfunctions

in the facility’s electrical power system. The facility, called Fisher

Plaza, claims to be one of the most secure data centers and

telecommunications hubs in the Northwest, capable of surviving major

earthquakes and running for weeks on its own power. It consists of two

buildings, Fisher Plaza East at 197,000 square feet and Fisher Plaza West at

99,000 square feet.

Ten different telecommunications carriers bring fiber into Fisher Plaza,

which serves as a major telecommunications hub and is home to several

commercial ISPs and Tier-1 bandwidth providers. Mission-critical equipment

areas within Fisher Plaza were built to exceed seismic zone 4 standards, the

highest protection level achieved by any data center or collocation facility

in Puget Sound. There are six multi-megawatt generators on site, and three

twenty-two-ton redundant HVAC environmental cooling systems. The facility

boasts of an elevator capable of lifting a loaded truck. Two emergency wells

can supply water to Fisher Plaza’s cooling towers if city water is

unavailable.

A rooftop helicopter pad supports KOMO 4 television’s studios, which are

located onsite along with the KOMO 1000 AM radio station, and both stations

ceased broadcasting during the events of 30 July.

-read more in Anthony Mitchell’s CRMBuyer report

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