Axon Birch: Data Centre Colocation Hosting Manchester

Colocation Data Centre:

Our new colocation factility comprises of 25,000sq.ft of space on the third floor of Reynolds House (see picture above). The facility itself is owned and operated by Manchester University and houses their own IT equipment and super computers, they also lease space on a wholesale basis.

Data Centre Location Manchester Technopark, Archway, Manchester M15 5RN - find it on multimap.

Electrical Supply Externally the colocation data centre facility is supplied by diverse routes from a main electricity board substation This power supply can provide us with up to 1.3MW. Two transformers in the Energy Centre allow us to provide n+1 capability. A 2 MW Generator with a weeks supply of fuel provides us with full capability to sustain long power outages and UPS in n+1 mode will provides us with power to sustain load until the generator starts up as well as ensuring a clean electrical supply.

Air Conditioning in the new colocation facility is provided by under floor cooling using in room air handling units, the air flow directed appropriately by grilles in the floor. The capacity of the equipment is such that a failure of one unit can be handled by the other units

Fire Detection and Suppression Our colocation data centre is protected by a full VESDA system that provides early detection of smoke so that any potential fire is detected before it can develop. In the extremely unlikely event that a fire does develop a FM200 fire suppression system is in place (FM200 is heptafluoropropane, an alternative fire suppression system agent to the ozone depleting Halon).

Security The new colocation facility is based at Manchester Technology Park and has guards on site 24 hrs a day with offsite backup to deal with any major event. CCTV cameras, motion detection and a “key fob” access system will ensure a high level of security with multiple layers of defence.

Network Connectivity There is a dual routed multi fibre network connecting the new facility to the Manchester Internet Exchange and Network Access Point (www.manap.net) using CWDM to provide multiple wavelengths and a 10 Gbit/sec data transfer rate. There are also Telcos providing connectivity directly to the colocation data centre thus providing choice and redundancy if required.