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Old Target to get new life as data center [The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.)](News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 19--An Indianapolis-based company is about to breathe new life into the long-shuttered south-side Target store, but don't expect another retail entity. "We are a high-tech landlord," said Curt Smiley, vice president of business development for Lifeline Data Centers. Essentially Lifeline is used by companies that want to outsource their data centers. About three weeks ago the company closed on the property at the intersection of South Anthony Boulevard and U.S. 27. The Target store at that location closed at the end of 2004 and the building has sat empty ever since then. Lifeline has two buildings in Indianapolis. The Fort Wayne facility will be its third. The company's data centers provide secure data storage for its clients. And by secure, we mean buildings with backup power supplies, environmental controls and other security features. Lifeline also helps companies stay on top of data-center compliance issues. "We provide reliable power and power backups and cooling, because heat will kill a server, too," Smiley said. "Essentially that's what we do -- provide a secure environment." The Fort Wayne facility will be a Tier IV data center, meaning it meets the highest level of standards for electrical and mechanical systems. "Having a Tier IV data center in the city of Fort Wayne is another great reason for a corporation or business to locate in Fort Wayne," Smiley said. Security features include a new roof that will withstand 130 mph up-force winds and new concrete exterior walls to reinforce the existing walls. The building will be a 100 percent secure access facility that is monitored 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Six to eight telecommunications companies will bring in fiber-optic bandwidth for Internet services and the capabilities to offer 10 Gig data pipelines for large data transmission capabilities, Smiley said. The infrastructure will include redundant power sources with several backup generators to keep power flowing and air-conditioning keeping servers cool. Lifeline provides 99.995 percent uptime, which means that's the percent of time the data center is fully operational. But why did Lifeline choose the south-side location for its ultra-secure data center? "It's not really a high-crime area," Smiley said, referring to a common misconception about south Fort Wayne. And the property fit the requirements for the data center. "It's a large building on 10 acres," he said. It also has several geographical factors in its favor. It's not within a half-mile of an interstate or a railroad switching yard, it's not near a large sports venue and it's not in a floodplain. "From a geographical perspective it fits the requirements for a Tier IV (facility)," he said. The data center probably won't open for about a year, but Smiley said "we could speed that up" if they get a large customer. It is not going to be a high-volume employer. He predicted initially eight to 12 people will work at the data center, but that could grow over the years as the business expands. And he noted the company will spend several million dollars over the next year to pay for the construction work. ___ (c)2014 The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Visit The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) at www.news-sentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |