There are few things more reassuring than hearing the story of a data centre build told by the people who actually built it. At a recent event held at our Manchester site, Tom Blundy, Senior Technical Director at Salute, spoke to attendees about the development of MCR2 and the engineering thought and standards that have gone into creating a facility genuinely worthy of the enterprise label.
What enterprise-grade colocation really looks like
Posted on in News
More than a label
Physical security: multiple layers
Security at MCR2 begins well before anyone reaches the data hall floor. The facility operates an automated access control system across the entire site, with locked-down permissions configured for different user groups and comprehensive audit trails maintained throughout.
Video surveillance runs continuously, actively monitored by a staffed security office operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
A Grade 3 intruder detection system provides a second layer of protection across all ingress and egress points within the building, adding an additional barrier that meets rigorous industry standards.
For clients who require delivery and logistics management, MCR2 also provides secure goods storage – a dedicated, segregated area for receiving deliveries on behalf of clients, keeping assets protected and organised without disrupting wider site operations.
Power resilience: continuous availability
Power infrastructure is an area that tests the credibility of any data centre claiming to be enterprise grade. At MCR2, the approach is built on diversity, redundancy and depth.
The facility is served by a private 11kV ring feeding into fully rated power streams and house transformers, providing a robust and independent upstream supply. From there, N+1 block redundant power streams ensure that no single point of failure in the distribution architecture can compromise service delivery.
Standby generation is provided by dedicated 2.5 MVA generators, housed within acoustic enclosures fitted with integrated fire protection. To ensure those generators are ready when needed, 72 hours of onsite fuel storage is maintained (complete with integrated fuel polishing that keeps fuel in optimum condition at all times).
Bridging the gap between mains supply and generator takeover, N+1 1.2 MW double conversion high efficiency UPS systems provide five minutes of full load backup. These systems use VRLA batteries, a considered choice that carries a significantly lower risk profile than lithium alternatives. Each power stream benefits from its own segregated electrical plant and battery room, further reducing interdependency.
At the rack level, clients receive active A and B UPS-backed power feeds providing genuine dual-feed resilience at the point of consumption.
Cooling performance: precision control across all critical areas
Thermal management at MCR2 is designed to maintain the right conditions across every part of the facility, not just the data hall.
The whitespace is cooled by N+1 fan wall cooling units, with the data hall environment maintained within the ASHRAE recommended temperature and humidity range. Operating within these parameters protects hardware longevity and supports consistent, reliable performance.
Segregated electrical plant and battery rooms are served by their own dedicated N+1 CRAH cooling units. This segregation offers a dual benefit: it isolates thermal risk between areas and allows those environments to be maintained at the specific temperatures most appropriate for electrical and battery equipment.
Meet-me-rooms are equally well served, with segregated and diverse spaces fitted with N+1 CRAH cooling and active A and B UPS-backed power supplies to ensure full resilience from both a power and cooling perspective in these critical interconnection spaces.
Network connectivity: built for Tier III and beyond
Connectivity infrastructure at MCR2 has been designed to Uptime Institute Tier III standards, with diverse fibre service entry routes that eliminate single points of failure at the point where external networks enter the building. In a number of areas, the implementation exceeds Tier III requirements, reflecting a commitment to going beyond the baseline where it adds genuine value for clients.
The meet-me-rooms provide clients with access to a broad carrier ecosystem within an environment that is physically secure, thermally managed and power-resilient, giving network-dependent organisations the foundation they need to build robust, high-availability connectivity strategies.
Fire protection: early detection and controlled suppression
Fire protection at MCR2 combines two complementary technologies to deliver both very early warning and precise, damage-controlled suppression.
Highly sensitive smoke detection (HSSD) is deployed across all critical areas, including data halls, plant rooms and battery rooms. Unlike a standard fire head, HSSD systems continuously sample the air for smoke particles, offering detection sensitivity approximately 1,000 times greater than conventional alternatives. This means that in the event of a developing fire, the team has maximum time to assess and respond before conditions escalate.
Where suppression is required, a double knock water mist system is installed throughout all critical areas. The design is deliberately conservative: the pipework remains dry until the system is activated, and even then, individual mist heads only release water once the temperature at that point reaches the required threshold to ensure that water is only ever deployed, quickly and effectively, in a genuine fire situation.
See ‘enterprise grade’ in action
Every design decision made during the construction of MCR2, from the choice of VRLA over lithium batteries to the dry pipe configuration of the fire suppression system, reflects a deliberate approach to managing risk and protecting client operations.
For organisations evaluating colocation partners, the difference between a facility that claims enterprise grade and one that delivers it is significant. Come and see our facilities for yourself by booking a tour of our London edge or Manchester sites.