news-record.com

GREENSBORO UNCG and N.C. A&T officials want to build a data center that will meet the information technology needs of both universities for the next decade.

UNCG Chancellor Patricia Sullivan and N.C. A&T Chancellor Stanley Battle said the joint venture will save the UNC System upward of $60 million and will meet the increased demands for computing power at the universities, especially in the research fields.

"In the long run, I think it will set a good example for the other universities in the system," Battle said.

The $46 million center will also serve the future needs of Gateway University Research Park, a collaborative effort by the universities to attract businesses and other high-tech research organizations to the Triad.

"If we want to attract private companies there, they are going to want to know what is the power of your computing support," Sullivan said.

Sullivan and Battle, who have put the data center at the top of their lists of priorities, hope to propose the effort to the General Assembly this year.

"There is an insatiable demand," Sullivan said.

Both UNCG and N.C. A&T have small data centers that run the universities' computing needs, such as Web-based educational software and e-mail service.

The data centers also are responsible for serving university researchers, whose computing needs often require something more secure and more powerful than your average laptop.

Meeting those research needs, as well as adding programs such as a virtual computing lab, which will allow students to access specialized software from any location, means the universities need a bigger and better data center.

"It places an enormous burden on central computing," said James Clotfelter, vice chancellor for information technology at UNCG.

UNCG officials estimate they will run out of computing capacity by 2012. Vijay Verma, N.C. A&T's vice chancellor for information technology, said his university is running out of space now.

Officials plan to build the new data center on the research park's southern campus, located off Lee Street near Interstate 40. As envisioned by university officials, it would be built to sustain hurricane-force winds.

The center would also include 10,000 square feet of unused space that could allow for future expansion.

When built, it would be the main data center for both universities. The data centers located at the two universities will stay online as backup, Clotfelter said.

Battle said if the two universities and the research park built individual data centers, it would cost more than $100 million.

If all goes according to plan, Sullivan said, the data center could be up and running in three years.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.