But no one can get into either facility without a corporate laser-reading entry card or if a guard electronically unlatches the door. Or, if they're company employees or authorized construction workers, they have to again display their electronic card or have their finger and palm prints read on a hand scanner after they've entered a personal identification number. Similar security is in force throughout other portions of the facilities. Security cameras are everywhere. Local officials, even though they're mindful of the Web hosters' security needs, typically insist on the false windows for aesthetic reasons.
Companies take all sorts of things into consideration when planning a data-center site.
Jay Adelson, chief technical officer and a co-founder of Equinix, said some Web hosters prefer to be under airline flight paths, on the theory that air traffic controllers would know when a terrorist had entered the airspace. Other firms prefer the opposite, thinking it will limit the chance that a plane might crash into their building. He declined to say which way Equinix has come down on the issue. Some of the racks of computer equipment in the data centers are in common areas shared by several companies, while others are securely locked behind black wire fences or even enclosed in bulletproof enclosures. System failure is not an option, and Web hosters like to tout their redundant power sources.