Alegent Health and CoSentry Announce Commissioning of a Pioneering Electronic Records Management Facility

OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Alegent Health, a top ranked, high quality health care provider and CoSentry, a nationally recognized leader in the Tier IV Data Center Services announced today that they have formally commissioned and are operating a technologically advanced records management facility. The unique partnership creates a powerful combination of facilities, infrastructure and platforms that are otherwise difficult to achieve.  The collaboration will provide patients with a level of information security that is second to none in the country.

The Midlands Data Center, located adjacent to Alegent Health Midlands Hospital, is a 50,000 square foot Tier IV facility that is designed to withstand F5 tornado winds, major power interruptions and carrier outages making it one of only a few six nines (99.9999% availability) facilities in North America.  A six nines facility means that the data center is designed to encounter less than 6 seconds of downtime per year.

"The construction of a six nines data center was possible because the partnership with Alegent Health provided the economies of scale which would not have been available in a smaller data center design," commented Mike Steffan, president and CEO of CoSentry. "Addressing elements such as dual power grids, energy efficient cooling, LEED standards and tornado proof construction is critical to data center design but are often overlooked based on budget considerations.  The relationship with Alegent Health made it possible for CoSentry to meet Client expectations, build to extreme density design criteria and exceed all Tier IV data center requirements."  He continued, "The center was constructed to withstand the region's most rigorous environmental conditions, to operate at the highest levels of availability and deliver on the price points our Clients require to remain competitive in a global economy."

The center capitalizes on the unique electrical power availability of the region as well as important other advantages including a redundant telecommunications infrastructure and a highly trained workforce.  In recent months other key players have built data centers in the area including Google and Yahoo. "The baseline benefits of being located in this region have become obvious to many," stated David G. Brown, president and CEO of Greater Omaha Chamber. "These advantages have been here for some time, but the exceptional quality of this collaboration between Alegent and CoSentry demonstrates the ability to capitalize on them and to deliver the highest levels of technology in a very cost effective manner."

The new center, now in operation, is considered a green data center and was designed to meet LEED Silver Certification criteria.  The building includes several energy saving and efficiency features that lower the impact to the local environment.

Security is also a critical mainstay of the Midlands Data Center.  The facility itself has been hardened with multiple layers of physical and logical security, including the latest technology from Cisco Systems.  

"We needed a 'no compromise' facility that was affordable," said Ken Lawonn, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer for Alegent Health.  He continued, "Electronic security is paramount to our mission of providing high quality care for the body, mind and spirit of our patients while safeguarding the privacy of their protected health information.  The Data Center is ideal because we deliver solidly on that commitment while reducing costs."  

The Midlands Data Center is designed to house critical applications like electronic records management and may also be used by SaaS vendors who are seeking to maintain the highest levels of uptime available. Major utility companies, large ecommerce firms, transportation firms and financial organizations are already using the CoSentry Network, the new facility adds yet another level of service.

The official commissioning ceremony is on January 21st, but firms may register for private tours now at http://www.midlands-data-center.com/rsvp.htm.

About Alegent Health

Alegent Health is the largest not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa with 10 hospitals, more than 100 sites of service, over 1,300 physicians on its medical staff and 9,000 employees. Alegent Health is ranked first in the country in quality and patient satisfaction according to the Network for Regional healthcare Improvement (NRHI). That exceptional commitment to providing patient focused care for the body, mind and spirit of every person keeps Alegent Health faithful to its Mission, which was inspired by its sponsors, Catholic Health Initiatives and Immanuel Health Systems. At Alegent Health, patients and their families find a continuum of care, from women's and children's services, primary care, wellness counseling, and senior care to cardiovascular services, orthopedics, oncology, physical rehabilitation and behavioral health. Alegent Health is online at www.alegent.com.

About CoSentry

CoSentry serves as a one source provider of business continuity and managed technical services.  For over 10 years, CoSentry has provided Data Center and Disaster Recovery solutions.  In today's ALWAYS ON business environment, market leaders benefit from CoSentry's world-class services to keep their businesses running – no matter what. CoSentry is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., with data centers in Omaha, Kansas City, Mo., and Sioux Falls, S.D. For more information about CoSentry, please visit www.midlands-data-center.com

SOURCE CoSentry