DC Alliance – one of only three preferred suppliers for the GovNext - ICT program

DC Alliance (DCA) has always been about connected eco-systems. But besides customers, partners and vendors, the other big parts of our eco-system are also the people who provide the essential services that keep our city, state and country running – the government.

That’s why we’ve worked to be recognised as a Preferred Supplier under the WA Local Government Association (WALGA), allowing local governments to commission our services without having to undergo lengthy tender processes.

We’ve also been a part of GovNext-ICT from the start – one of only three partners selected to facilitate this move.

Meeting GovNext-ICT requirements

GovNext-ICT is a whole-of-government approach Western Australia’s (WA) government is taking to simplify and optimise procurement of ICT infrastructure services. Under this plan, WA government agencies have been moving from a capital-intensive ownership model, to a flexible as-a-service model, paying only for what is required.

This means selected partners have to fulfil strict infrastructure and systems requirements – requirements that we have not only met, but in some cases exceeded.

A robust Data Centre with room to grow

As constructed, our Uptime Certified Tier III facility easily meets the facility requirements. It complies with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and is built and operated on robust principals so we can withstand virtually any problem, be it environmental, technical, organisational or social.

Just look at how our staff is able to keep a customer’s operations running smoothly during this pandemic by performing Remote Hands. That’s just one way in which we’ve evolved our services to ensure that everything continues to work, no matter the situation.

With a technical area of 2,200m2 and power capacity of up to 8MW, DCA | PIER has also plenty of power and connectivity potential to facilitate growth in demand for services. Located at Canning Vale in Perth, it’s also suitably non-descript, in a low-risk area that’s safe from crime and natural disasters, while still having access to reliable infrastructure.

Network and Communications that don’t stop

In terms of connectivity, we work with multiple telecommunications providers like Telstra, TPG, OPTUS and Megaport (to name a few) for our for data communication infrastructure. We remain carrier neutral to bring the best to our customers, and will grow incrementally to meet changing telecommunications requirements.

We maintain diverse cable entry points for fibre to enter the data centre facility to ensure multiple redundant communication connections to the network and customers, and are able to connect dedicated managed data services and/or dark fibre services. 

 Because we’re committed to No-Downtime service, our data centre was built with redundancy in mind, with an automated backup power supply (backup generators) that has a multi-day fuel supply. We’re not stopping there. We plan to grow our power generation capabilities to meet the needs for higher rack power density, growing as our customers’ needs grow.

Of course, testing of the data centre’s power facilities is done routinely, with records maintained for review when necessary.

Protected systems for peace of mind

Because we know how critical our customers’ information is, we’ve spared no cost to implement protection systems at our data centre. These ensure the safety of the facility environment, our customers’ data, and their equipment.

For example, our air-conditioning systems are tested to run for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We use an air-cooled chiller with Adiabatic Freecooling to keep air to our racks at a set temperature range of 25C (±2C), with humidity controlled as per ASHRAE TC9.9 thermal guidelines, so everything runs at optimal temperature.

Physical security is also well taken care of, as we use layered security zones with Multi-Factor Authentication, and the site is manned 24/7, 365 days a year. Information security is ISO 27001 compliant, and we’re ‘Australian Government Physical Security Management Guidelines’ PSPF Zone 4 ready, constructed to ASIO Technical Note 1/15.

If any outage or incident does occur, manual and automated systems are in place to alert both the authorities and our customers without delay.

Maintaining an optimal environment

Having the best equipment in the world doesn’t help if it’s down. That’s why our facility has an integrated DCIM, with electrical, mechanical, access control and fire system monitoring and reporting, so we can pick up and solve faults as they arise.  

Our control system also actively monitors the electrical and thermal conditions within the data centre environment, and we use dedicated Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software for active thermal monitoring and capacity planning to ensure everything runs smoothly and optimally.

Should a fire somehow break out, we have industry-endorsed fire detection and suppression systems in place to quickly put it out. For example, our Oxygen Reduction Fire Prevention system. This uses hypoxic air which is safe for both humans and ICT equipment. Fire management and evacuation procedures are also well-documented and practiced, so everyone knows their roles.

Because our experienced facility management team has its own in-house technical personnel (electrical, HVAC, control system, cybersecurity engineer), we can immediately respond to any issues. Maintenance and testing is conducted regularly on all physical infrastructure of the data centre facilities including power, generators and air-conditioning.

Ready for the toughest demands

As you can see, what we’ve put together is a state-of-the-art data centre that fully meets and exceeds even the strict standards, and we’re only continuing to grow. So, if you have data centre needs, do tell us more. We look forward to working with you to meet your needs.