Supposedly invincible communication hub crashes in Seattle
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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