Every August there’s an exciting event that happens in theatres all across the Twin Cities: The Minnesota Fringe Festival. The Fringe Festival is a ten day event of fine art performances… created with an average budget of $425! It amazes me that these talented folks are able to create such quality performances using those small numbers. If you have trouble deciding on which of the many shows to attend, you can view video trailers online at http://www.fringefestival.org/2011/trailers/. Last year VISI ran a contest for the best trailer dubbed the Fringey Awards. Below is a video of last year’s winner:

VISI is also a sponsor of the Fringe Festival and provides hosting for their web presence. This is a fun event and we hope all of you can make it out. Visit the Minnesota Fringe Festival site to learn more!

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I had the opportunity to speak with Jake Anderson of the Twin Cities Business Magazine today.  He was putting together a story on the heat wave and how it has affected local businesses.  I was disappointed that I couldn’t provide him with a bigger scoop.  The reality is that our data centers have continued to operate as planned and we’ve been able to cool our facilities to the ideal temperatures for computer equipment as specified by the ASHRAE guidelines. 

As I look outside my window, I have a perfect view of our cooling towers hard at work.   If you look closely, you can see the footings for the next cooling unit we’re working on adding as part of our Eden Prairie power and cooling expansion project.

You can read the full article in the online edition of Twin Cities Business Magazine to hear about how the heat is affecting other local businesses.

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Our data centers are in the Midwest, far from ground zero for earthquakes. So although we don’t have to worry much about the effects of these natural forces, after the recent earthquake off the coast of Japan, we thought it was time to take a look at how data centers are evolving to survive seismic activity (Image at right courtesy of DatacenterDynamics).

Emerson Network Power, the makers of Liebert data center infrastructure equipment, recently developed an air handling unit for businesses in earthquake-prone areas like California. The idea behind the unit is simple. If an earthquake hits, control systems can be damaged even in a building designed to withstand strong seismic activity. What’s needed, then, is a control system that can “roll with the punches,” as it were, and keep a data center at the right temperature even after it’s shaken up.

To be recognized as seismically sound by international and California standards, Emerson Network Power had to subject their air handler to pass shake tests at an independent testing facility.

Emerson Network Power designed their air handling unit with buildings like hospitals, which often have their own data centers, in mind. If a hospital data center were to overheat and go off-line after an earthquake, thousands of lives would be endangered.

Of course, it’s easy to see how an earthquake-proof air handling system could also protect servers in data centers in universities, businesses, and colocation centers – and the millions of people who depend on connectivity for the livelihoods. So kudos to Emerson Network Power for making data centers in California and other places subject to earthquakes more secure than before.

Right now, our data centers have the best protection possible against fire, flood, and severe Midwestern weather. Some geologists think that, in a few hundred million years, the North American tectonic plate could split in two and make the Midwest a seismic hotbed. By then, we’ll be ready for earthquakes and lava flows too.

Is your business protected? We invite you to take a virtual data center tour to learn how VISI’s colocation services can protect your company’s data from the elements.

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The VMware Forum is back in Minneapolis again this year on July 21st, 2011. Don’t let the fact that this is a free event scare you away. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from some of the most recognized companies in the IT world and network with other cloud computing and virtualization professionals. Registration for the event is free and available online. If you attend, please stop by the VISI booth and say “Hi”.

The Details:
VMware Forum 2011 is a free, interactive, full-day event where you will learn about accelerating IT, so that your business can respond more effectively to markets, competitors and customers. Hear VMware, industry analysts and IT professionals discuss virtualization and how it helps organizations to reduce capital and operating expenses, improve agility, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. You will also hear how to enable “your cloud” to meet your company’s specific business needs, while dramatically lowering costs and enabling a flexible, agile IT service delivery model. Engage with speakers from companies of all sizes as they share best practices for preserving existing investments as they move to virtualization and develop a cohesive, secure and compliant cloud strategy in three core areas: infrastructure, applications and end-user computing.

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