Cleanliness, it turns out, is next to Godliness in the virtual world, too.
Spec-Clean in Brookfield was founded four years ago to accommodate a growing need to keep mission-critical server rooms spotless and working. It”™s a service those with computer rooms put off at their own risk, though most have gotten the point and Spec-Clean is expanding.
While attending Western Connecticut State University, Rich DeBlasi, president and founder of Spec-Clean who is originally from Pleasantville, N,Y., began working as a clean room technician. He spent 20 years in the business before founding his own.
“I”™ve cleaned and worked myself through the ranks,” said DeBlasi. “I started this business to serve Connecticut, Westchester County and now pretty much the whole of the Northeast.”
DeBlasi said Spec-Clean”™s territory now stretches into New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“We”™re moving out of this space to an industrial condo five times the size in March,” said DeBlasi.
The business will remain along Federal Road in Brookfield; it currently employs 12 technicians and 16 staff members and has more than 150 clients.
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Spec-Clean”™s clients include large clean rooms such as Purdue Pharma and RBS-Sempra in Stamford, Gartner in Trumbull, Cannondale in Bethel, Webster Bank in Bristol, Swiss Re in Armonk, N.Y., and Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., among others.
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“We”™re a security blanket for the IT managers who basically do not want anyone in their data center who doesn”™t know what they”™re doing,” said DeBlasi.
“If your computer systems overheat and go down for even a day that can mean millions of dollars,” said DeBlasi. “It”™s always been important, but companies are more-and-more reliant on their data systems. The individual technicians who do the cleaning need to be trained to use the equipment properly, understand the sensitivity of the equipment in the room, where they don”™t go in and mistakenly unplug anything. Starting from day one, any financial institutions, banks, insurance companies, colleges and pharmaceuticals all want a credible organization in there cleaning this equipment.”
Frequency of services can range from monthly to semiannually and can be scheduled through the company website, specclean.com. DeBlasi said data centers must be consistently cleaned because the equipment can be very sensitive to any type of dust and dirt.
“It can make them overheat,” said DeBlasi. “It”™s proper preventative maintenance. They can”™t use the regular cleaning supplies that they use for the bathrooms and offices.”
DeBlasi”™s company uses tack mats, hepa-vacuums, microfiber clothes and neutral cleaning solutions that lack ammonia, abrasives and alcohol.
“They need to do things like spray properly, never at the equipment, or lift the floor tiles in an order that doesn”™t let all of the cool air up; it”™s about understanding the sensitivity in the room,” said DeBlasi.
