data center | frequently asked questions

What year was your Data Center built?: Built under the strictest requirements as a NEBS-compliant telephone central office in 2001, the facility was converted into a 15,000 square foot Data Center in 2003. OnRamp’s Data Center features the highest levels of security, redundancy, reliability, infrastructure and technical expertise.
What type of construction was used to build your Data Center?: Concrete tilt wall.
What certifications does your Data Center have?: OnRamp is SAS-70 Level 2 and PCI Level 1 compliant.
What are the hours of your Data Center?: OnRamp’s Data Center is staffed 24/7/365 by network engineers with expertise all the way through the application layer. 24/7/365 monitoring from our Network Operations Center provides immediate hands-on support during a customer emergency. Any event immediately triggers a response from the on-duty engineer.
How is your Data Center connected to the Internet?: OnRamp is connected to the telephone network through two different fiber entrance facilities provided and maintained by two different facilities-based telephone companies. GigE bandwidth connections with Tier-1 Internet backbones (provided by TW Telecom and Qwest) are carried across both independent fiber entrance facilities ensuring that a backbone failure or fiber/conduit cut won’t affect service.
Does your facility have emergency lighting?: Yes. If power fails, the emergency lights are battery-operated until the generator comes online 10 seconds later.
If one A/C unit goes down, can the data center function on the remaining unit?: Yes, we have N+2 HVAC units
Are there any temperature/humidity recording instruments installed to monitor the computer facility and are they connected to an alarm to warn of near-limit conditions?: Yes, the HVAC units monitor and control this. In addition, OnRamp has a separate monitoring system that alerts us when the temperature of humidity goes beyond acceptable limits. OnRamp employs a hot aisle/cold aisle layout in the Data Center. Cold aisles are maintained at 74 F and alarms notify the Network Operations staff if the temperature goes over 82 F. Humidity is on average 40 – 60%.
Do you have a smoke detection system installed to monitor the facility and is it connected to an alarm to warn of near-limit conditions?: Smoke detectors (photo and ion) are placed every 10 feet on the ceiling. They are tied to a fire alarm panel which is monitored offsite.
Does a central fire suppression system exist?: Yes, OnRamp’s Data Center is protected by a double interlock pre-action fire suppression system controlled by a local FIKE/Cheetah panel and monitored by independent company.
How long does the UPS run?: We have (2) UPS systems in our Data Center. The fully loaded system has a battery run time of 10 minutes. The 2nd unit has an estimated run time of about 1 hour.
Do you have a one-day fuel supply in the place for the backup generator?: The current fuel supply (2000 gallons) has an estimated run time of 40 hours.
How often do you test your equipment?: All critical systems in the Data Center are maintained quarterly with yearly full maintenance performed by manufacturer/vendor approved technicians. The generator and transfer switch are exercised weekly.
Do you handle re-boot requests?: Yes. Few companies provide hands-on support for their disaster recovery customers. In fact, most won’t even touch your equipment. OnRamp is different. Experienced network engineers with application-level expertise are standing by, ready to help with customer installs, configuration, maintenance and repair. In fact, customers often use OnRamp as an extension of their IT department, ensuring that every need is filled and every contingency addressed.
Is your Data Center in a geographically sound location?: Conveniently located in the heart of Texas, the OnRamp Austin Data Center is 220 milles from the Gulf of Mexico, 150 miles from Houston and accessible from all major arterial highways.