18 Sep Zain Jordan launches ‘The Bunker’ – first of its kind data centre in the Arab world
Jordanian telecoms company Zain has opened the region’s first military-grade high security network data centre at the King Hussein Business Park in Amman Jordan. Called ‘The Bunker, the facility aims to give local, regional and international organisations the opportunity to host their IT infrastructure and disaster recovery (DR) offices.
The facility is said to provide the highest levels of security and sustainability and has been built with the same specifications as a military-grade underground facility. Its area measures approximately 4300 sq. metres and it is located 12 metres below ground level.
It has dedicated rooms protected by high security two tonne iron doors and two metre-thick reinforced concrete walls, giving it the capability to withstand natural disasters, missiles and fires. Furthermore the cooling, power and connectivity systems are redundant and can be sustained for long periods without any outage. The facility has 24/7 onsite security personnel and advanced surveillance cameras security systems (CCTVs).
Fahad AlJasim, chief executive Officer at Zain Jordan says, “We see this as a turning point and a milestone in Zain’s journey to be the most advanced telecom operator, to meet the long-term aspirations of our partners, and to help them with a range of services that are at the core of their business, contributing to their aspirations for further success in their organisation.”
“The technological advancements of IoT, big data analytics and cloud services, require substantial computing power, resilient networks and, most importantly, security. The value proposition of The Bunker adds AlJasim, is that it provides a colocation space as well as a designed cloud, heavily protected underground and powered by Zain’s resilient network.
Companies can avoid the large TCOs of building data centers and alternatively adopt an OPEX model through yearly payments. The facility’s location in the heart of Amman is very convenient to IT staff of any company to reach The Bunker where their servers are hosted.
“The Bunker is not just a data center. Other than its variety of colocation options, it consists of various DR offices. Customers can rent dedicated or shared offices as well as ‘hot seats’ which can serve as business continuity units in cases of disasters or day to day activities related to their data center. These spaces span from 20 sq. mts. to 100 sq. mts. and can cater to various customer needs,” adds AlJasim.
“The Bunker hosts a NOC (Network Operation Centre) to monitor and protect data centre-related infrastructure (UPS, generators, firewalls, switches, chillers, etc). It also hosts a SOC (Security Operations Centre) to monitor and protect colocation customers and our existing cloud infrastructure, cyber security threats and other preventive operations.
The facility is Uptime Tier III certified. This certification is only given to data centers that are secure and provide cooling, power and connection redundancy to the users of the facility to ensure continuity of service.
Zaid Jordan’s chief operating officer, Yousef Abu Mutawe adds, “Zain has transformed from providing services to individuals to becoming a leader in providing services to the business sector. We are extremely proud to introduce the Zain regional centre for data storage, information and disaster recovery which is the first of its kind in the Arab world. We will continue to expand and enhance our ICT portfolio and introduce innovation to the market.”