Infomart Dallas: Five Key Upgrades
Planned upgrades include a secure perimeter fence, modernizing the interior, and a new freestanding building

By David Liggitt · 7/20/2015
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A multi-stage expansion at Infomart Data Centers' flagship location in Dallas, TX promises significant upgrades to the facility's capacity and security. We reviewed the Dallas Infomart's plans with Scott Mitchell, Executive VP of Sales, to learn about the benefits to the market's data center users.

Here are the five planned upgrades for Infomart Dallas:

  1. Robust connectivity options – Originally a 1.5 million SF self-contained office building, the Dallas Infomart morphed during the 2000s into "the most connected building in the southwest." Colocation users in Infomart Dallas can take advantage of high-performance fiber connectivity to all major U.S. carriers coming into the building. The obvious low-latency benefits gained from physical proximity cannot be overstated.
  2. Proven experience with large data center transactions – The Dallas facility is one of four in major data center markets built by Infomart Data Centers. Lessons learned from the construction of their new, state of the art facility in Hillsboro, OR (a suburb of Portland) will be leveraged when upgrading the Dallas Infomart. One of those upgrades, an innovative wholesale colocation suite is available now. The renovated 4th-floor data hall delivers 3 MW of critical load and 24,000 raised floor square feet (RFSF) and is adjacent to Infomart Dallas' two new meet-me rooms.
  3. Upgraded physical security – In the next twelve months, Infomart Dallas will reinforce the exterior windows, build a perimeter fence, and redesign their lobby and atrium. Unlike most data centers purpose-built with anonymity and security in mind, Infomart Dallas is a feature of the city's landscape. "The Infomart is an iconic Dallas building," says Mitchell, noting the upgrades require a combination of investment and cultural finesse. Infomart Data Centers designed the Dallas facility's security upgrades to control access to the data center 24/7 without altering the building's distinctive exterior.
  4. Physical expansion – The Infomart Dallas' current site plan allows them room to grow outside their current building. Expansion plans include a new 330,000 SF freestanding data center building with the ability to provide 180,000 RFSF of space by 2018.
  5. Operational expertise – Infomart Data Centers build facilities to meet stringent industry certifications. During the first phase of the upgrade, Infomart Dallas will achieve all major standards for physical/information security such as the Uptime Institute Management & Operations (M&O) Certification. In addition, the Infomart's updated designs meet industry standards for environmentally-sustainable construction.

What's most interesting about Infomart Dallas' expansion is that it's happening downtown. In the past 3-5 years, the large colocation providers have developed in the city's northern suburbs of Richardson and Plano. However, the Infomart Dallas makes a compelling option for any data center user evaluating the Dallas/Fort Worth market due to its focus on connectivity, security, and flexibility.

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