Data Center Links: GoGrid, Phoenix NAP, Peak 10

Here’s our review of some of this week’s noteworthy links for the data center industry:

Phoenix NAP selected by Main Advantage Technology.  Phoenix NAP announced that Main Advantage Technology, a leading IT provider, has selected the data center for its hosting needs. “We succeed as a Managed Service Provider and IT consultants by tailoring the most reliable and effective solutions for each of our clients,” said Scott Barclay, President of Main Advantage.  “There are great benefits to virtualization and colocation, and large enterprises have been enjoying those benefits for some time now.  We needed the right mix of cloud services, physical servers, and data center services to bring those same benefits to our small-business clients.  Phoenix NAP provides all that and more.  The projects we’ve built around Phoenix NAP solutions have been stunning successes, and we have plans for many more.” The company will leverage the Phoenix NAP Secured Cloud, to assist its clients with their IT needs and to support mobile workforces without the need for large capital expenditures.

GoGrid provides cloud for ScaleArc iDB.  GoGrid announced the availability of ScaleArc iDB in the GoGrid cloud. By transparently deploying ScaleArc iDB with their cloud or hybrid cloud infrastructure, GoGrid’s customers can take advantage of real-time visibility and analytics to solve problems in minutes, instant horizontal scaling, up to 24x faster query response times, and the ability to change database architecture on-the-fly without modifying applications. ScaleArc iDB is a Layer 7 SQL Traffic Engine that inserts transparently between applications and databases and provides SQL-aware load balancing and high availability. It can be used for MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server instances hosted on GoGrid’s cloud or hybrid cloud infrastructure. "Combined with GoGrid’s cloud infrastructure, ScaleArc iDB can solve relational database issues that have plagued the industry for decades,” said Varun Singh, founder and CEO of ScaleArc. “GoGrid customers can now take their MySQL or MS SQL Server environments to the next level of performance combined with the flexibility and scalability of the GoGrid cloud."

Peak 10 validated for PCI Compliance.  Peak 10 announced that its data centers and cloud infrastructure have been validated for PCI DSS 2.0 Level 1 compliance. The company recently underwent a rigorous audit by an independent Quality Security Assessor (QSA) to ensure that it meets best practices and security controls needed to keep credit card data safe and secure during transit, processing and storage. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a proprietary information security standard for organizations that handle cardholder information. In addition to the PCI DSS audit, Peak 10 successfully completed annual company-wide compliance audits for SSAE 16 (Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act for its data center and cloud infrastructure operations. “While customers remain responsible for many aspects of the compliance of their technologies and applications, their use of Peak 10’s cloud infrastructure can help meet many of the requirements for compliance with PCI DSS and HIPAA/HITECH,” said David Kidd, Peak 10’s director of quality assurance. “The successful completion of this most recent series of audits is part of our continued commitment to maintaining a well-governed, high-quality IT service environment.”