iWeb Announces Plans for New Data Center in Montreal

This fourth data center will consolidate iWeb’s position as the leader in dedicated web hosting in Canada

(Gawkwire.com) iWeb today announced its plans to build a new 31,000 square foot data center Montreal, QC Canada, with the capacity to host 20,000 dedicated servers. This new facility will bring iWeb's total dedicated server capacity to nearly 35,000 servers.

“The new data center will be built with automation in mind; automation is one of the Company’s priority in 2010” declared Cyrille Mertes, who was recently named iWeb’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). “Because we are essentially building a new center, we can design it according to current standards with no restrictions due to previous technologies already installed.”

Scheduled to be brought online in April, the data center will initially have the capacity to host 3,000 servers. Because the building has never been used as a data center, it must be adapted to meet the Company’s strict operational standards. iWeb has signed a 30-year lease agreement, with options to purchase at regular intervals.
The facility will require an initial investment of $3 Million in infrastructure. During its recent fourth quarter results conference call with financial analysts, iWeb confirmed finalising a financing agreement with one of its main financial partners.

Details on the new center:
 
• Size: 31,000 square feet
• Capacity: 20,000 dedicated servers (phase I: 3,000 servers)
• Electrical input: 6,000 Amps
• Network: Redundant Fiber-optic interconnection to two of iWeb’s other data centers; iWeb’s current total network capacity is 76 Gbps
• Investment: $3,000,000 (for phase I)

The new data center, like iWeb’s three current IP hosting facilities, will feature a redundant electrical system which will be entirely run through uninterrupted power systems (UPS), diesel-powered generators and a ventilation and cooling infrastructure. The facilities and the server will be protected by a multi-layered security system, including biometric recognition, video surveillance, secure access and a VESDA fire-prevention system.