Keystone NAP, a data center market newcomer backed by prominent Philadelphia investors, with additional investors arranged by DH Capital, has announced the arrival of the first KeyBlock IT module for its multi-tenant colocation site situated on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The custom-designed KeyBlock IT modules were co-developed with Schneider Electric and are configured to meet individual colocation customer needs for power, cooling, and communications network connectivity.
Keystone NAP offers a combination of web-scale infrastructure and advanced data center services. Taking a page from some of the world’s leading hyper-scale cloud data centers, Keystone NAP selected a modular design that would provide maximum performance levels and resource efficiency. Each KeyBlock acts as a private, secure customer vault and offers a customizable colocation environment within the broader multi-tenant facility.
Unlike in other modular data centers, Keystone NAP will deploy KeyBlock modules in stacks throughout the facility, an architecture that allows for more efficient use of real estate. The next shipment of KeyBlocks is scheduled to arrive in February.
Modular Colocation Infrastructure
“The old model of warehousing server racks in padlocked cages doesn’t work anymore,” said Peter Ritz, Founder and CEO of Keystone NAP. “Companies increasingly need to customize their power and connectivity configurations and ensure that data is securely isolated from outside threats. This is what KeyBlocks are designed to do. By deploying these unique modules, we can deliver significant efficiency and performance benefits over a traditional multi-tenant data center, along with the security advantages of a private, customer-owned site.”
At roughly 45 feet by 21 feet, each KeyBlock is pre-fabricated in a factory, and then customized to meet customer requirements for power, cooling, network and security. Each module offers atomic, consistent, isolated and durable (ACID) power services ranging from 100 watts to 400 watts per square foot.
Cooling units in each KeyBlock are complemented by a hot-air containment system designed like two horizontal chimneys situated alongside each server rack aisle. Custom SLAs for power, cooling, and redundancy, are available depending on an individual company’s needs.
