Christchurch Airport and Gen-i

Media Release for immediate use

Gen-i partners with Christchurch International Airport and Canterbury-based Data Centre Design and Build to deliver new data centre
New facility to be purpose-built on CIAL’s campus

Auckland – 01 October 2012 – Gen-i has today announced it will partner with Christchurch International Airport Limited (CIAL) and Canterbury-based Data Centre Design and Build Limited (DCDB) to deliver its new $10.5 million data centre in Christchurch.

The new partnership will provide Gen-i with a premium data centre location on the Christchurch International Airport campus, through a lease agreement with landowner CIAL. CIAL will also construct the data centre building to Gen-i specifications.

DCDB will contribute specialist data centre mechanical and electrical design and fit-out services, and testing and commissioning of the new facility to ensure it meets functional requirements.

Gen-i’s new data centre will be built to the latest building code and seismic standards on a site at Perimeter Road, chosen for its geological stability relative to the wider Christchurch area.

CIAL Chief Executive Jim Boult said: “Gen-i is a key strategic partner for information technology across the airport campus, so it is a pleasure to have them located alongside us as well.”

The new 1000m facility is due to open in mid-2013. It will be carrier neutral and have capacity to house up to 180 racks across two data halls.

DCDB Director Ian Falconer said: “We are pleased to be playing a key role in the development of Gen-i’s new data centre. We provided the initial concept design and have worked closely with Gen-i to complete the full building and fit out design. Our focus is on ensuring the new data centre will be as energy efficient as possible, while maintaining industry standards of resilience for the power and cooling supply.”

Enabling clients to take advantage of ICT applications and services that leverage the rollout of UFB, the new data centre will expand Gen-i’s existing nationwide network of 14 data centres in cities and regional centres, linked by fibre, copper and mobile networks.

The new data centre will complement Gen-i’s two existing Christchurch data centres in Hereford Street and Hillmorton, helping to meet increased demand from clients looking to relocate their infrastructure to Gen-i data centres.

Jo Allison, Acting CEO of Gen-i Australasia, said Gen-i is committed to the success of Christchurch as the South Island’s major business hub.

“We’re particularly pleased to be partnering with local businesses CIAL and DCDB to deliver this critical piece of infrastructure for Christchurch,” said Allison. “The new data centre reflects our ongoing commitment to helping Canterbury businesses re-build, and realise the benefits of the new fibre and mobile networks.”

“Exciting new ICT services such as cloud, mobility, video and collaboration are particularly relevant to Canterbury businesses needing to find new ways of connecting with their staff and customers in a post-quake environment,” said Allison.

“By advising clients on the best mix of fibre, copper and mobile networks, we can ensure they get the best value from their existing assets and these new fibre-based products and services,” she said.

-ENDS-

About Gen-i’s data centres

The new data centre in Christchurch will be a purpose-built highly seismic-rated building built to withstand earthquakes. It will feature a highly resilient infrastructure design with a heavy focus on energy efficiency (PUE) and footprint, advanced environmental monitoring and physical security, supported by Gen-i’s 24x7x365 management processes.

The new data centre will provide businesses with a range of data hosting and networking services, particularly for clients who cannot take their data outside New Zealand due to security and regulatory compliance concerns.

Gen-i has over 20 years’ experience providing data centres with proven availability and SLAs.

Gen-i’s existing 14 data centres are architected and deployed to deliver the highest levels of uptime and are co-located in Telecom’s Exchange building infrastructure. During the Canterbury earthquakes, Gen-i’s data centres remained fully operational and received the highest Civil Defence priorities to maintain essential telecommunications services.

IDC ranks Gen-i as number one for data centre revenues in New Zealand, with 31.7% marketshare during 1H 2011 (described as ‘Hosted Infrastructure Services’ in the IDC Asia/Pacific Semiannual IT Services Tracker).

About Gen-i

Gen-i is at the forefront of helping customers take advantage of the convergence of technology and telecommunications, and the new opportunities this makes possible. Gen-i works alongside its 3,000 corporate, government and business customers to deliver seamless hosted and integrated ICT solutions. A member of the Telecom New Zealand Group, Gen-i achieves this with the support of 2,700 highly skilled people in 15 locations across New Zealand and Australia. For more information on Gen-i, visit www.gen-i.co.nz
Christchurch Airport – New Zealand’s Tourism Gateway

Christchurch International Airport welcomes almost six million passengers a year, ranking as New Zealand’s second largest airport. The Airport occupies a unique position economically, as the South Island’s busiest and most strategic air connection to the world’s trade and tourism markets. 85% of international visitors to the South Island are welcomed and farewelled at Christchurch Airport.

In addition, the airport plays an important role as the South Island’s major domestic hub servicing all New Zealanders, enabling passengers to connect to a full spectrum of destinations throughout New Zealand. Christchurch International Airport is a major driver of the regional Canterbury economy, generating airport precinct related jobs for nearly 5000 people.

Visit christchurchairport.co.nz for more information.

About DCDB

DCDB is a boutique consulting company specialising in the design and delivery of data centres from concept to completion. DCDB consults to telcos, ISP's, local government, utility providers and enterprise clients who wish to establish data centres.

DCDB draws from decades of combined data centre consulting experience and our partner ecosystem to deliver innovation and speed - working with each client from concept to completion. For more information visit http://www.dcdb.net/

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