MPCC Students Visit North Platte Data Center

Dec. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- On Wednesday, November 30, Mid Plains Community College IT Students toured the Pinpoint Communications Data Center. The recently completed facility is located on East State Farm Road in North Platte.

During the tour, Pinpoint General Manager John Clayton and Technical Services Director Duane Voss discussed the composition of the fortified structure that houses the data center and is built to withstand winds up to 240 miles per hour. Students were also shown the backup battery and power generation capabilities that enable the Data Center to operate in the event of an extended power outage.

The facility includes two 200 kilovolt-ampere power supplies operated by the site’s anchor tenant, a major satellite internet provider, and advanced climate control equipment, including coolers capable of supplying 35 tons of cooling capacity each. Technical questions from the class revolved around the security and redundancy of the facility, as well as a discussion of the relative value to an employer of on-the-job experience versus certifications.

Clayton addressed questions related to the business opportunities the data center brings to North Platte businesses saying, “This installation is the only secure location with a Tier-1 internet connection between Cheyenne and Omaha built specifically for use by multiple customers.” Clayton added, “Choosing to collocate here means that transport costs can be lowered dramatically.”

Clayton anticipates the facility will eventually house major customers from the Financial, Health Care, Government and Carrier industry segments as well as provide an alternative for local businesses needing data center services.

Of the tour, IT Instructor Dora Zeimens said, “The students enjoyed it. They thought it was worth coming to class an hour early.” Tours of Pinpoint facilities are available to educational and community groups by calling 800-793-2788.


Photo: From left to right - Taylor Miller, Sherri Aden, Mike Sellers, Jordan Cheyney, John Clayton, Michael Henry, Schyler Anderson, Jacob Sitorius, Sean King, Faron Morgan, Dustin Anderson, Chris Calhoun, Chris Turner, Zach Schriver

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Pinpoint offers an array of communication services from local telephone and internet services, to a private, non-compromised network that spans 17 states. Services provided by Pinpoint include transport, DWDM, data center services and Internet.