tour our datacenter
Introduction
In 1996, as we were getting into the Web hosting business as a natural adjunct
to our successful design and marketing services, Neotrope® wisely chose to develop strong partnerships with companies who were investing millions of dollars in building Network Operation Centers (also called "NOCs" or "DataCenters").
We understood early on that a simple "T1" or "T3" connection running in the "back-office" was insufficient for providing critical e-commerce and small business hosting services. This was amply demonstrated in 1998 when part of the U.S. West backbone went down, and most of the bank ATMs in Southern California, as well as thousands of "back-office" Web servers, were suddenly "off the net."
Like many mid-sized Web hosting providers, Neotrope essentially rents rack space in huge NOCs which we could never afford to equip or maintain. These NOCs do not do business with small businesses or consumers directly, and only provide bandwidth and network services for hosting providers like Neotrope. This gives us the benefit of Telco-grade facilities, security, dedicated power, and very high-speed network connections to multiple redundant Internet backbone providers.
In September of 2000, Neotrope chose to consolidate all of our servers into a single DataCenter which has proved the most reliable for us over the past two years. Our current set-up provides for as many as 30-million hits in a single day per machine.
A Real Hosting Provider
Unlike a simple Web hosting "reseller" who offers the services of another provider under a private-label arrangement, Neotrope is a true hosting provider with our own hardware which we manage and maintain ourselves: we do everything from operating system updates to security patches via secure remote dial-up. What this means to you is that we're responsible for the reliability and functionality of our machines, and we choose what services and options that are installed and run on the actual server hardware.
A "reseller" has no control over the hardware and does not manage the actual equipment. You're at the mercy of a go-between arrangement whenever there's a problem. With Neotrope, we can test and inspect your account instantly while you're on the phone, with no waiting.
DataCenter Features:
- OC-12 Sonet Ring connectivity to multiple backbone providers POPs
- Climate-controlled (temperature, humidity, static and airborne particles) environment designed for maximum server reliability
- Advanced fire-suppression systems
- Diesel powered generators capable of independently sustaining server operations for more than a week
- Surge-suppression and UPS systems for individual servers
- Multiple SCSI data back-up cluster system for data storage and recovery
Network Specifications:
- Flagship data facility equipped with complete state-of-the-art Cisco systems
- 24x7 Network Operations Center
- AT&T, UUnet, Bellsouth, Level3, Internap and Global Crossing Backbones
- Sonet Ring technology with dual OC-12 and multiple DS-3 fiber optic lines for backbone fail-over
- Bandwidth capacity kept at 200% the peak usage rate
Additional Facility Information
The Florida U.S.A. DataCenter is located in the South area of the Broward County business district, outside of the "hurricane zone." The facility was constructed specifically as a 20,000 square-foot-capacity ISP operations and DataCenter. The exterior of the building is designed to withstand winds in excess of 190 m.p.h., and all of the critical building infrastructure meets or exceeds regulations in case of flooding.
The lobby is staffed 24x7 with certified security personnel, a building-wide closed-circuit TV system and "real time" video tape recording. Access to the secure DataCenter area is individually authenticated, so those entering the building must pass through turnstiles. To get to a server with customer data on it, an intruder would have to pass through numerous points of authentication andidentification via key, camera, and/or human approval. The security system provides a record of who has entered a room, and at what time, thus allowingaudited access to the systems.
DataCenter power is run through an APC Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to completely eliminate "brown-outs" and, in the event of a power outage, to provide a bridge until the diesel back-up generators come online (which takes less than 5 seconds, measured). Our diesel generator can provide backup power for up to seven days. One Caterpillar generator (Model 3512, 1040 KW) provides emergency power to the DataCenter and cooling systems, allowing the building to operate at full capacity in the event that external power feeds are disrupted.
Each month, a load test is performed during which the entire building's power is supplied by the generators for at least 30 minutes.
Our backup servers use high-availability IBM model 325 series back-up devices. All data on these servers store customer's back-ups per week. We use SCSI-3 LVD hard drives for fast back-up and recovery. They are kept within their own secure room inside the DataCenter and access is limited to the senior administrators.
The NOC monitor room utilizes 6 stations to administer hundreds of servers in real-time. Administrators and application engineers perform their jobs without physical access to servers. The control center is designed to maintain a high level of security from within the facilities. All servers requiring console access by support and administration groups are accessible from this secured monitor room. This maximizes security and limits the number of people who have physical access to the servers.
Why Choose Neotrope?
We've been in business since 1983 and we did not get into the Web hosting business as part of the "dot com boom," nor did we disappear during the "dot com crash." While hundreds of hosting resellers, and primary providers, have gone out of business, or are operating with a negative cashflow, Neotrope is a diversified and privately-owned company which makes hosting a part of our suite of business services, and not a single endeavor. You get the benefit of working with a marketing communications company that has been in business for nearly 20 years, and will be here into the future. We offer reasonable and realistic pricing, and services that make sense.
We'd love to work with you!
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