Internet provider DRFortress has completed an expansion to its data center campus in Honolulu that will be ready for service on June 1. An additional 500kW are slated to be built and installed in the expanded area in early 2024, according to an announcement from the company on Monday.
The 65,000-square-foot facility has added 220 cabinets available for colocation services, for a total of 800 cabinets, according to the announcement. Colocation cabinets are mainly used by businesses for hosting and maintaining their servers and other computing hardware, according to DRFortress' website.
"Basically the gist of it is a major cloud provider that's already in Hawaii is launching kind of a new [content distribution network]," DRFortress Co-president, Founder and Chief Financial Officer Rosa White told Pacific Business News. "So that means we're providing the colocation services so that they can bring in that new edge node."
White was unable to share the name of the provider due to a non-disclosure agreement, she said.
The expansion also includes the introduction of three new customer conference rooms with a training and event space, two multi-purpose customer kiosks, a second loading and delivery area to handle large equipment deliveries, and a cafe break area for customers, according to the announcement. The spaces were designed for customers to have remote office capabilities, the ability to host events or group trainings, and more, as stated in the announcement.
The expansion contributed to a "power blip" at DRFortress on Friday that resulted in an internet outage for clients including Bank of Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines, as previously reported by PBN.
"Some of our customers suffered because they didn't have redundant power circuits, so we're working really closely with those customers," White said.
She added, "The ultimate thing is our equipment acted like it should. The breaker shut itself off to protect human life. ... It's unfortunate that it caused the power blip, but had it not, it's very dangerous high voltage power equipment. We have to safeguard all our employees and have to safeguard human lives."
This is the company's fourth expansion since 2006, according to DRFortress.
