US House of Representatives on lookout for new data centre
Mon 3 Nov 2014
The US House of Representative has called for a new data centre, based outside of Washington, DC, to support multiple agency operations, as well as disaster recovery and continuity strategy.
The colocation facility will need to meet the needs of the House of Representatives, in addition to other legislative branches of the government such as, U.S. Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, and the Government Printing Office. The proposal for data centre space and operations requests that a secure cage is provided for each individual agency.
The data centre request for proposal (RFP) reflects a typical agreement, looking for 100 per cent uptime and availability with graduated penalties for dropping below fives nines. Other typical requirements include standard rack power needs (5kW-20kW) and environmental monitoring. However, other criteria fall in line specifically with government concerns such as hot aisle containment for the separate cages, and security requirements such as 24/365 armed security, 24/365 authorised access, as well as compliance with NIST-800 standards and internal audits.
The proposal compiled by the House of Representatives requests that significant outdoor space is necessary for the installation of exterior satellite dishes and protective domes. Room will also be needed for the placement of long term staff on site, in case of emergency disaster recovery actions.
Furthermore, requirements state that the site is located within a given distance of local police and fire services, as well as highway access points. It has also been requested that the facility is located within 300 to 350 miles of Capitol Hill, 100 miles of the nearest military facility, and at least than 100 miles from the coast line or known flood plain. These criteria would therefore rule out many of the latest colocation developments in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Access the full proposal here.
