Cervalis, one of Connecticut”™s largest technology and information technology service providers, recently opened its high-security, 168,000-square-foot data center to the public. This is the company”™s fourth office complex and first in Norwalk. Powered by two utility companies, Connecticut Light & Power Co. and the Third Taxing District Electric Department, the Cervalis center provides co-location, disaster recovery, hosting and cloud computing for clients.
With businesses trying to recover from the impact of recent snowstorms and recurring natural disasters over the past few years, Cervalis is adding another layer of protection and extra storage space for companies carrying highly confidential information, said Catherine Smith, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
“After Sandy and other weather-related disasters, we need a good disaster recovery center,” Smith said. “We”™re more vulnerable to weather now more than ever.”
The two-floor building has surveillance cameras in every hallway and room as well as fingerprint scanners in front of each door. The downstairs serves as the data center, and the upstairs is built out with cubicles and open areas to function as a work recovery space for businesses ranging from startups to hedge fund and asset management companies.
Fortis Property Group L.L.C. paid for the construction of the shell, and Cervalis hired construction workers and architects to line the interior with cubicles and heavy duty storage rooms built to endure extreme heat and cold.
Connecticut government officials lauded Cervalis”™ expansion into Norwalk as a necessary move to provide cybersecurity for businesses and grow the city”™s economy.
“Every dollar companies put into data infrastructures, they get a $7 to $10 return,” said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. “For any company that loses its data, there”™s a 70 to 85 percent chance that the company goes out of business.”
The Norwalk data center opening has created about 20 to 25 new jobs in Connecticut. The company, which has been serving as a data backup center for 14 years, works with more than 200 businesses, said Michael Boccardi, president and CEO of Cervalis.
“The economic impact of this business is huge,” Boccardi said. “People who are attracted to this service are highly regulated and have highly stringent and rigorous needs.”
The construction project totals $50 million and sits on what used to be an abandoned 5-acre parking lot. The data center”™s infrastructure can hold up to eight trailer-sized generators worth $1.5 million each.
With leak detection systems and highly monitored air temperatures, no water from a busted pipe can penetrate the highly-sensitive, electronic computing systems, the company said. Backup battery systems also provide additional protection in the event of a power outage.
