E3 swaps primary Brisbane data centre

E3 Networks' primary Pegasus data centre will shift from Brisbane's CBD to Milton this week, a facility with double the floor space and power capacity.

The company has been running the purpose-built Milton data centre as a back-up site for disaster recovery purposes for the past six weeks, but has now decided to make it the primary facility after running out of space in the CBD.

Chief executive Jon Eaves told iTnews the company had started using the Milton data centre as an expansion space for Dedicated Servers, E3's hosting and co-location business.

Any remaining customer gear in Brisbane CBD was expected to be migrated across to Milton this weekend.

"All racks in the [CBD] facility will be relocated on the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of January 2011," the company said in a customer note sent late last week.

"The moves will be staggered to minimise downtime. Most equipment is estimated to take no more than one to two hours to fully relocate."

Eaves said there would be 280 square metres of data space in Milton from day one – and the company had 800 square metres in total on the site, to be used for expanded office space, storage, warehouses, loading docks and 14 car spaces.

"Being in the CBD was fantastic but at times there was a lack of parking," Eaves said.

"It's just nice to have [parking space] as an add-on."

The Milton data centre site was expected to receive a mains power upgrade from Energex within the next six months.

The new facility was also located "on top of a hill" which was "nowhere near" flood waters that had affected parts of Brisbane last week, Eaves said.

Milton is located south of the Brisbane central business district.

The company's original facility in the CBD had escaped flood damage.