The Planet Begins Construction on Dallas Data Center Expansion

HOUSTON, June 24, 2008 – The Planet, the world’s largest privately held dedicated hosting company, today announced the expansion of its Dallas D6 data center. The addition will add 12,000 square feet to the company’s operations, bringing The Planet’s total data center footprint to 167,000 square feet. The company expects the new data center to open in November.

The new space will feature an enhanced energy-efficient design that utilizes improved measures to completely separate hot and cold air. The company expects to improve the data center’s “coefficient of efficiency” to approximately 1.5. The coefficient of efficiency is an EPA- and Uptime Institute-recognized measurement of the total power necessary to operate a data center divided by its critical power, which is the energy required to operate its computers. An “ideal” ranking is 1.6.  

The enhanced energy-efficient measures include extending the returns of the computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units through the ceiling and utilizing the space above the ceiling as a return air path. By using CPI (Chatsworth Products Inc.) ducted exhaust cabinets in the new phase, The Planet is taking the next steps beyond traditional “hot aisle-cold aisle” setups to completely isolate the hot and cold air in the data center. 

“As energy costs continue to climb, operating our data centers at peak performance is absolutely critical, both to our company and to our customers,” said The Planet’s Vice President of Facilities Jeff Lowenberg.  “Our goal is to use best practices and a practical approach to optimize our operations.”

The company operates six world-class data centers, with four located in Dallas and two in Houston.

About The Planet

            The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 6.7 million Web sites worldwide.  By offering the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched network connectivity, The Planet helps turn information technology into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to successfully grow their businesses.  For additional information, visit http://www.theplanet.com. 

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