T5 Insight: Frank Lyles Discusses Data Center Point of Entry Rooms

At T5, we’ve made it our priority to keep all of our facilities carrier neutral. We maintain standards and processes, which make our facilities attractive to both end-users and carriers. T5 does not show preference for any one carrier over another and we believe more providers serving our facilities only increases the resiliency of our customers’ network and our facilities. Steadfast security, reliable redundancy and customer control are three key reasons why T5’s data center facilities are top tier, bottom line.

First and foremost,the telecom facilities are secure.  Within our secured, bunkered shells,our Point of Entry rooms, or “POE’s,” are access controlled with state of the art two-factor authentication and monitored by surveillance cameras 24×7. If any carrier needs to perform work within a POE, an on-site T5 personnel escorts the carrier to their individually locked cage. T5 personnel remain present throughout the course of a technician’s work.

In addition to security within the T5 facilities, there is redundancy. Each T5 facility has two POE’s and each POE is fed via buried, concrete-encased conduit from opposite ends of the property.  Likewise, the two POE’s in each facility are interconnected with concrete encased conduit. Two electrical circuits feed each carrier’s cage. Each of those circuits is backed up by a separate electrical lineup including UPS and generator.

Lastly, there is control for T5 customers. Our customers get to select their preferred fiber providers. After our customers designate a fiber provider, the fiber providers then extend from the POE’s to the customer’s individual suite through diverse tenant conduit and to their dmarc, which is within the their suite. T5 customers also get to select when and how they perform cross connects.  At T5, we don’t charge for cross connects so this is an expense they will never see throughout their tenancy.

For a closer look at our Atlanta POE rooms and inside our data centers, watch my video below.