1102 GRAND Reviews Green IT & Announces Best Practices in Choosing a Data Center

KANSAS CITY, MO--(Marketwire - August 24, 2009) - Data centers across the U.S. are attempting to green their IT operations, and a major Midwest Internet hub and thought leader is reviewing its historic landmark building for opportunities. Data center and Internet hub 1102 GRAND is reviewing green IT solutions for their building, which is not likely to be considered truly green without LEED certification, an unlikely option for a historic landmark.

According to Darren Bonawitz, co-owner of 1102 GRAND, "We have been lowering emissions in other ways as we balance the need to green IT with this historic landmark building. Keep in mind that we are not only dealing with the power needed to operate networking equipment but the power required to cool the generated heat load."

Bonawitz adds that their biggest challenge at 1102 GRAND is owning a building on the historic registry which is unusual for data centers, "We are working to lower energy usage knowing that this building will never be LEED certified and there are not a lot of case studies of companies that have done this before; we are entering uncharted or undocumented territories for a building of our age with the needs and power usage of our tenants," said Bonawitz. "Even with the unusual challenges, the key is that we are making calculated strides when and where we can."

Some of 1102 GRAND's recent solutions to overcome this hurdle have included shifting to newer model computer room air conditioners that are more energy efficient, verifying that areas under raised floors are as free from congestion as possible, monitoring air flow throughout collocation rooms, watching for hot zones and raising the temperature in the data centers the company operates by three degrees as outlined in a recent ASHRAE publication. "Unlike a private data center, we do not have a lot of input into the networking equipment in our facility," Bonawitz said. "So, in order to be more energy efficient, we have to focus carefully on the infrastructure pieces and work to educate our customers about the steps available for their part of the energy efficiency equation."

1102 GRAND is publishing a series of white papers and blogs on www.1102grand.com/blog to educate IT executives regarding data center choices. Weekly topics include power, energy, heating and cooling, green IT and space. To download the newest white paper, go to: http://1102grand.com/blog/1102-grand-whitepaper-on-selecting-a-data-center-space-series-part-1/

About 1102 GRAND

1102 GRAND provides collocation and interconnection services for a diverse customer base ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies spanning nearly all vertical markets and from around the world.

Contact Information: Contact: Valerie Jennings: 913.220.7694 Valerie@jenningspr.net