Disaster recovery part of Sept. 11 aftermath. (Insiders Outlook).

The business and real estate communities are watching with anticipation as a new paradigm takes shape, bringing business continuity and disaster recovery to the forefront of corporate priorities.

The aftermath of Sept. 11 and the incredible loss of life and data has every decision-maker trying to understand what went wrong and how it will impact operations moving forward.

A tremendous groundswell of consulting activity during the past several months is providing recommendations on the "New World" of disaster recovery planning and implementation. Already, the real estate industry in New Jersey is experiencing increased demand for space to house data center operations, and we expect this trend to grow significantly as additional findings and conclusions come to light.

As the specifications for backup and recovery requirements become more defined, the new standards for data centers will evolve accordingly. Already, a number of criteria have been set, including the need for redundant heavy power, diverse communications connectivity, abundant cooling and ample parking. In New Jersey, line of site to New York is also critical.

The most sophisticated type of data centers are attracting a great deal of attention as these new benchmark standards are formed. 480 Gotham Parkway in Carlstadt, N.J., is a prime example of a "plug and play" facility, which enables seamless operation in the event of any type of business interruption, from system outages, to hardware failures, to national disasters.

Occupied for more than a decade by Comdisco, the 58,600-SF building represents one of the only facilities in the New York metropolitan area that can immediately and thoroughly accommodate a medium or large-scale data center operation.

The building's main electrical services include two 13.2 KVA medium voltage switch gear serviced by two diverse Class H PSE&G substations, and four 2,500 KVA pad mounted transformers, as well as two 1,500 KW Caterpillar diesel generators and one 6,000-amp Zenith generator paralleling switchgear. Its UPS electrical support systems and additional transformers are equally impressive. The building also has a 10,000-gallon above-ground fuel tank.

The building's telecom infrastructure includes 1,800 underground copper pairs as well as 36 aerial and 48 underground fibers provided by Bell Atlantic, with access to a number of additional providers including MFN, MCI, AT&T, NYNEX and Ameritech. Three SONET rings with bandwidth equivalent to 6,000 T1 lines surround the building.

480 Gotham Parkway is protected with a lightning protection system and an ADT integrated fire alarm system, and all computer rooms contain pre-action fire protection and smoke detection. Approximately 70% of the building contains 24-inch raised flooring. Packaged Liebert air-conditioning units liberally positioned throughout the facility provide extraordinary cooling capacity; all have attached water detection devices.

Environmental equipment at 480 Gotham Parkway is monitored with a Liebert SiteScan Facilities Monitoring System. Its ADT security system includes proximity card readers and access control, burglar and infrared intruder detection, and closed circuit television with video recording. The property has parking for 160 cars, with the potential for an additional 200-car capacity at a nearby lot.

480 Gotham Parkway's design and construction provide a 'no fault 99999,' an environment, providing the utmost in reliability. The property could truly serve as a prototype for the next generation of data centers. And with the limited availability of facilities of this caliber in the New Jersey market, we expect to see an increase in construction activity as developers scramble to meet demand.

With a lack of raw land available for development and the time constraints associated with new construction, logic dictates that older, well-located warehouse/distribution centers will be targeted for data center conversion. While affordable in comparison to new construction, conversions are still costly, averaging $500 per SF.

Yet despite high costs, this trend will continue to grow as companies of every size and across all industries examine their business continuity shortfalls and establish new solutions to bridge the gap.

Needs will range from simple data backup to the establishment of "mirror image" sites that duplicate "live time" entire operations at remote facilities. Ultimately, the New World of business continuity will materialize in significant, ground-breaking activity over the next several years.