Data Center Tour: The NAP of the Capital Region
Norm Laudermilch, managing director of The NAP of the Capital Region, provides a tour of the ultra-secure data center built by Terremark Worldwide in Culpeper, Virginia (60 miles south of Washington, D.C.). Laudermilch provides a walk-through of the facility, which officially opens June 25, and describes some of the power, cooling and IT infrastructure Terremark has installed to support the data center. See our profile of The NAP of the Capital Region for more information. This video runs about 7 minutes, 30 seconds.
For additional information about Terremark (TMRK), see our Terremark Channel at Data Center Knowledge. For additional video, check out our DCK video archive and the Data Center Videos channel on YouTube.
Posted by Rich Miller 
June 16, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
June 16, 2008
Inside Terremark's Culpeper Data Fortress
"If there were a more secure location, you wouldn’t be able to find it." That's how Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) describes the NAP of the Capital Region, its new $250 million data center project in Culpeper, Virginia.
The data center is ringed with a 10-foot-high fence topped with barbed wire, which stands at the outer edge of a 150-foot security perimeter populated with large earthen berms to slow intruders. The front entrance to the facility is protected by a 14-inch thick wall of solid concrete. All staff and visitors must pass through an enclosed "man trap" and several layers of biometric security before entering the facility.
No cars are allowed into the main campus housing the customer equipment. Vehicles making deliveries must pass through a "car trap" - a pair of concrete barriers that rise out of the roadway to restrict access during inspections - before proceeding to the equipment reception building, a separate facility from the main data center with a facade of bullet-proof glass.
The new facility is the lynchpin of Terremark's push to capture additional market share in the market for ultra-secure government hosting. The 50,000 square foot first phase of the Culpeper data center doesn't open until June 25, but Data Center Knowledge got an advance look at the site last week.
Posted by Rich Miller June 16, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
Inside Terremark's Culpeper Data Fortress (Part 2)
But Laudermilch said that key government clients told Terremark that they wanted to be at least 50 to 60 miles outside of Washington, insulated from regional disasters. Culpeper has a history as a government haven from nuclear disaster.
The NAP of the Capital Region is located across the highway from Mount Pony, an underground Federal Reserve facility that was established in 1969 as a "continuity of government" bunker to oversee the rebuilding of the US economy in the event of a catastrophe. In 1997 the facility was transferred to the Library of Congress, and now serves as a digital archive for the library's electronic records.
That legacy has a major advantage for Terremark - fiber-optic infrastructure to support the Fed's electronic funds transfer, and later the large-file transfers for the Library of Congress. Several fiber providers have recently invested in extending their networks to the Culpeper NAP.
Posted by Rich Miller June 16, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
June 04, 2008
Terremark Launches The Enterprise Cloud
Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) has launched The Enterprise Cloud, a new managed infrastructure service running on Terremark's Infinistructure utility computing platform. The new cloud computing service seeks to marry the advantages of Amazon's utility computing platform - especially scalability and rapid deployment - with enterprise-ready reliability to support mission-critical applications.
Terremark says the Enterprise Cloud will allow customers to "deploy fully configured production servers in minutes, dramatically reducing implementation times usually measured in weeks." The Enterprise Cloud infrastructure is PCI compliant and meets rigorous standards including SAS 70 Type II and HIPAA. Terremark is not publishing pricing info for the new service.
"Terremark's Enterprise Cloud clients buy a dedicated resource pool of processing, memory, storage and networking, from which they can deploy servers on demand," said Randy Rowland, Senior Vice President of Product Development for Terremark. "This 'Gigahertz and Gigabytes' model gives customers more flexibility and agility over the traditional server-based model, allowing for a precise and dynamic allocation of computing resources as needed."
Posted by Rich Miller June 04, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
June 03, 2008
Terremark Ups Guidance, Adds Anchor Tenant
Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) said yesterday that "business is booming" as the company reported strong results and raised its revenue guidance for the coming year. The company also said it has pre-leased 20 percent of the space in its new NAP of the Capital Region data center, which is scheduled to open later this month. The anchor tenant in the new complex in Culpeper, Virginia will be Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), one of the largest systems integrators working with the federal government.
Terremark added 61 new customers in the quarter ended March 31, including Microsoft (MSFT), AOL and The Library of Congress, and now has a total of 983 customers. Revenues for the quarter were $56.8 million, an 85 percent gain from the year-earlier period and a 14 percent increase from the previous quarter. Revenues for fiscal year 2008 were $187.4 million, an 86 percent improvement over fiscal year 2007.
"Our fiscal 2008 results were exceptional," said Terremark chairman and CEO Manuel Medina. "We were operating cash flow positive and expect to generate significant cash flow from operations in fiscal 2009. Our pipeline is very strong and our Q4 bookings were the best ever. In short, business is booming and based on our strong contract executions to date, we are raising guidance for fiscal year 2009."
Posted by Rich Miller June 03, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
May 22, 2008
CSC, Terremark Team on Federal IT Deals
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) will partner with Terremark (TMRK) on IT infrastructure and hosting deals with its federal government customers, some of whom will be hosted in Terremark's new NAP of the Capital Region in Culpeper, Virginia. CSC, which is among the largest IT outsourcing and systems integration firms working with the government sector, selected Terremark following an extensive vendor review.
CSC said it anticipates continued strong demand for IT infrastructure services. The NAP of the Capital Region, which officially opens this June, will offer Terremark’s complete suite of managed services, its Infinistructure utility computing platform, and diverse connectivity options to Tier-1 network providers. The facility is located in Culpeper, 60 miles from Washington, D.C. and was designed to exceed standards for Federal data protection and physical security.
Posted by Rich Miller May 22, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
April 30, 2008
Terremark to Host 150 Terabyte Database
Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) will host a 150 terabyte database for street-level imaging company Blue Dasher Technologies, the companies said today. The Blue Dasher database - said to be one of the world's largest - includes high-density geo-coded images of public streets of major metropolitan areas in North America. The company’s spherical images and data are delivered as a GIS platform that is licensed to enhance commercial and government applications.
Blue Dasher plans to provide coverage of every public street in the Top 50 U.S. markets by year-end, and was seeking an infrastructure provider that could accommodate its scale and delivery requirements.
"Because we offer high-density photos and routing technology as a hosted solution, it’s critical we have a partner that we can rely on to deliver the performance our customer sites need and their users demand," said Michael Reidbord, CEO of Blue Dasher Technologies. "Terremark’s track record of supporting leading global Web 2.0 companies and its global data center footprint weighed heavily in our selection of Terremark. Down the road, we anticipate that we’ll leverage their facilities in Europe and South America to support our efforts in those regions."
Posted by Rich Miller April 30, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
April 03, 2008
Terremark to Host Library of Congress Portal
In a high-profile win showcasing its growing government business, Terremark (TMRK) will host the Library of Congress’ new interactive Web site, myLOC.gov, the companion to the new onsite Library of Congress Experience, which launches April 12.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, maintaining over 138 million items on more than 650 miles of shelves. myLOC.gov, an immersive site with interactive features that mirror the Library of Congress Experience in the Thomas Jefferson Building, will be powered by Terremark’s Highly Managed Hosting. The will provide visitors with an interactive educational experience while also serving as a central repository for engaging digital content. The Library of Congress is expecting the newly redesigned Web site to support more than 3 million new user accounts on myLOC.gov within the first year.
"Technology and interaction with historical artifacts are crucial to engaging the imagination and critical-thinking skills of young people, which is why this partnership with Terremark is so important to our mission of making our unparalleled collections more broadly accessible and creating lifelong learners," said James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress. "They will meet the richness of the past, spark their own curiosity and imagination, and continue the adventure of learning online, at home."
Posted by Rich Miller April 03, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
March 10, 2008
Terremark Wins $135M Federal Contract
Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) has recorded a big win in its push for business from the federal government. Terremark Federal Group said Friday it was awarded a "multi-year contract with a ceiling of $135 million." No additional details on the contract were provided.
"Our ability to provide the federal sector with top-quality services and excellent customer care was a major factor in the awarding of this contract," said Jamie Dos Santos, President and Chief Executive Officer of Terremark Federal Group, Inc.
A floor of Terremark's NAP of the Americas is customized for high-security hosting for government agencies, and federal business is a key driver in Terremark's decision to build the NAP of the Capital Region in Culpeper, Va. The new facility is expected to open in June 2008.
Posted by Rich Miller March 10, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 20, 2008
Chinese Gaming Firm Hosts With Terremark
The Chinese gaming portal CDC Games will host its U.S. online infrastructure with Terremark Worldwide (TMRK), the companies announced today. The deal positions Terremark to benefit from the enormous growth of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) and virtual worlds in China. CDC's gaming operation will be hosted on IBM hardware in Terremark's facilities.
CDC Games is part of CDC Corporation (CHINA), which has 120 million registered users in China for its online and mobile games. CDC Games is now expanding into the U.S. market, and has just launched a Manga-style online portal that allows American players to access its online games with a single login.
The CDC deal marks the second major customer win in international gaming for Terremark, which on Jan. 31 announced that it would host the Latin Interactive Network, the first Spanish-language MMO platform. Late last year Terremark launched an Interactive Entertainment Group to provide managed infrastructure solutions for virtual worlds and social networking sites.
"With Terremark's advanced network topology, our gaming infrastructure will be located at the core of the North American Internet, which will help to deliver the best user experience for our gamers," said Jeff Longoria, president of CDC Games International, a unit of CDC Games. "IBM offers us very reliable, competitively priced products built on innovative energy-saving green initiatives that will help us become one of the premier publishers of online games in North America.
Posted by Rich Miller February 20, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 08, 2008
Santander Expands with Terremark
Santander Consumer USA Inc. (formerly Drive Financial Services) has selected Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) to provide disaster recovery services for its managed infrastructure. Santander’s managed dedicated servers and storage solutions in the NAP of the Americas in Miami will be supported by Terremark’s Infinistructure utility computing platform.
Terremark’s connectivity was a key factor in Santander's decision, providing the ability to easily move data between Terremark facilities throughout the world and Santander Consumer USA’s remote international call centers.
Posted by Rich Miller February 08, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 06, 2008
What's In Those Globes Atop the Miami NAP?
When three large white globes first appeared on the rooftop of the NAP of the Americas in Miami, the flagship data center for Terremark Worldwide (TMRK), the Miami Herald held a contest asking readers to guess what was hidden inside them. The enormous bubble-like structures, which tower above Terremark's Ben Stewart in the photo above, have aroused curiosity among neighbors of the NAP. The structures house three large satellite antennas to provide Internet connectivity should the NAP ever lose its fiber connections. Stewart, the senior vice president of the Terremark Federal Group, notes that a connectivity outage is unlikely, but that the facility's federal customers wanted to address all scenarios, just in case. Those customers include the US Southern Command, which oversees American military operations 31 countries.
The globes house two 16-meter satellite dishes and a 14-meter dish. At left is a photo from inside the protective structure showing the rear assembly of the satellite antenna. The covering provides cover from high winds, a critical consideration in Miami. The protection was tested in 2005, when winds from Hurricane Wilma reached 135 miles an hour, and the satellite dishes remained operational. Recent construction in the area may make future hurricanes more challenging, as several new residential towers are significantly higher than the six-story NAP of the Americas, creating the potential for wind-blown debris.
The company's new NAP of the Capital Region data center campus in Culpeper, Va. will feature a total of nine covered satellite antennas, according to site plans.
Posted by Rich Miller February 06, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
January 17, 2008
Leading With Security
Security may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to finding new customers. But Internet security consulting services have become an important channel for Terremark (TMRK). "There's no better way to start a relationship with the customer than to resolve a security incident," said Manuel Medina, chairman and CEO of Terremark.
The security business at Terremark has been boosted by its relationship with Kroll, one of the world's leading risk mangement companies. "Kroll has a stellar reputation in the computer forensics and e-discovery market," said Christopher Day, Senior VP of Secure Information Services at terremark. "Where they typically bring us in is on a compromise or intrusion where we actually have to figure out what happened."
Day's team will use server logs and disk images to deconstruct the incident and do a root cause analysis. His team's mandate often includes "being able to explain to regulators what happened and how they fixed it. You have to know exactly what happened to be able to fix it properly."
Posted by Rich Miller January 17, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
ALL STORIES FROM THIS CATEGORY:
- Data Center Tour: The NAP of the Capital Region
- Inside Terremark's Culpeper Data Fortress
- Inside Terremark's Culpeper Data Fortress (Part 2)
- Terremark Launches The Enterprise Cloud
- Terremark Ups Guidance, Adds Anchor Tenant
- CSC, Terremark Team on Federal IT Deals
- Terremark to Host 150 Terabyte Database
- Terremark to Host Library of Congress Portal
- Terremark Wins $135M Federal Contract
- Chinese Gaming Firm Hosts With Terremark
- Santander Expands with Terremark
- What's In Those Globes Atop the Miami NAP?
- Leading With Security
- Terremark: 2007 Moves Are Paying Off
- Terremark Secures GSA Approval
- Terremark Targets Gaming, Social Networking
- Terremark Buys Properties in Santa Clara
- EarthLab Picks Terremark Grid Infrastructure
- The 'New and Improved' Terremark
- Terremark Gets $250M for Expansion