4Degres: The Biggest, Most Secure Internet Data Centre Ever Built in Quebec City

QUEBEC CITY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - June 12, 2013) - Over the course of the next few weeks, construction will begin on the largest Internet data centre ever built in Quebec City. 4Degrés, which will be located in the Quebec Metro High Tech Park, is the only centre to benefit from a 14.2 megawatt power supply agreement for a single strategic block signed with Hydro-Québec, enabling it to attain the Tier III level of security. Martin Bouchard, founder of Copernic and co-founder of Coveo, is at the helm of this unique project, which guarantees the secure housing of computer servers in a colocation facility.

"It was high time the greater Quebec City area had its own ultra secure, large-scale, state-of-the-art data centre featuring underground power lines and a very high capacity Internet connection aimed at addressing the needs of local businesses, organizations and government institutions," points out businessman Martin Bouchard, who is one of the 25 leading pioneers of Information Technology (IT) in Quebec.

A BUNKER FOR DATA

4Degrés will be one of the rare data centres in the province to be certified Tier III by the Uptime Institute, the global data centre authority. This certification ensures operational sustainability thanks to a reliable power supply available exclusively to the block chosen by 4Degrés and supported by various redundant systems.

The centre will feature a fail proof backup system. "Nothing has been overlooked in the past two years to ensure maximum reliability and operational sustainability," Martin Bouchard asserts. "Optimized air conditioning, a high-performance fire detection system, top notch industrial generators, a biometric access control system: nothing has been left to chance."

The building will be a genuine "bunker" consisting of modular computer rooms capable of housing around 2,000 cabinets, that is to say a capacity of close to 85,000 servers. Access to the building and server rooms will be ultra secure: multiple access levels, closed-circuit cameras, magnetic cards, biometric control (iris and fingerprint identification) and a security guard stationed around the clock.

The electrical power supply capacity for the first phase of 4Degrés will attain five megawatts. Once completed, the centre's capacity will exceed 14 megawatts, that is to say enough energy to meet the needs of a city of 35,000 inhabitants. The very high capacity power lines and Internet network will be installed underground in order to ensure maximum reliability.

The 4Degrés carrier neutral colocation centre will allow clients to choose the Internet access best suited to their needs, regardless of the provider. It will also offer office space, as well as a workshop available to technicians dispatched to the site.

ECO-RESPONSIBLE

It should be noted that 4Degrés takes its name from the average annual temperature in Quebec City, 4.6° C, which helps maintain an optimum temperature in the server rooms. The data centre will be equipped with a cutting-edge, intelligent free cooling air-conditioning system that uses colder outdoor air to cool computer equipment, resulting in substantial energy savings.

"The building will be constructed with due regard for minimizing its environmental impact. We want to remain at the forefront and be as eco-responsible as possible. The centre will even feature charging stations for electric cars!" Mr. Bouchard asserts.