Rich Miller: Social Security Works to Avert Data Center Failure

Nearly two years after $500 million in stimulus funding was earmarked to build a new data center for the Social Security Administration, the project is already a year behind schedule and won’t be operational before 2016. In the meantime, the agency is trying to extend the life of a problem-plagued 30-year-old facility that serves as the primary data center supporting the delivery of $700 billion in payments annually to more than 56 million Americans.

In early February, the General Services Administration (GSA) chose a site in Frederick County, Maryland to be the home of the new National Support Center (NSC) to replace the agency’s aging National Computer Center (NCC) in Woodlawn, Maryland. The site selection was originally scheduled to be completed in January 2010, but was delayed when government auditors expressed concern that the process had not given enough consideration to the cost of electric power.

More of the Data Center Knowledge post from Rich Miller

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.