FAQ
Glossary
In our glossary, you will find explanations of individual technical terms from the data center environment.
Frequently asked questions
We operate five data centers in the Zurich region. The rack types and availability vary between the locations. Our Sales team would be happy to clarify the availability for you (between a few days and several weeks).
Yes. Accessories for data center racks (such as cable catch rails, shelves, drawers etc.) are available. We look forward to receiving your request.
A subscription can be upgraded at any time. We will invoice the difference. Free downgrades are possible at the end of the invoicing period in compliance with the notice period.
How can we contact you during and outside operating hours to answer questions or for support issues?
For support and administrative inquiries you can contact us by telephone by calling +41 44 330 3535. The normal working hours of the Support team are Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. (local time in Switzerland, not including public holidays).
Tickets for technical or administrative inquiries can be submitted around the clock via the online ticket system at my.greendatacenter.
Technical inquiries are processed within the framework of your support contract, while administrative inquiries are dealt with during normal office hours.
We do not intervene in any way in the administration, operation or configuration of your infrastructure in the collocation rack; this lies solely within your responsibility. We are responsible only for the operation of the data center infrastructure such as the physical security and the safe provision of your IT equipment with power and appropriate cooling.
The customer is responsible for maintaining its own infrastructure in the colocation rack. For this purpose it has 24/7 access to the rack. We carry out periodic maintenance and failover tests for all power networks, cooling systems, fire detection and extinguishing systems, burglar alarms and water detection systems in accordance with the applicable standards. These are announced in advance at status.green.ch. These maintenance tasks generally have no impact on the customer infrastructure as all our systems are designed redundantly.
Management can be carried out via the high-availability data connection – Internet or leased lines. For tasks requiring on-site presence, you can go on site yourself or make use of our professional Remote & Smart Hands services (subject to charge).
The personal badge, accompanying PIN code and biometric access control allow the customer to gain access to the data center at any time. These access devices are personal and not transferable. Each individual rack is additionally protected by at least another code for the rack lock.
Please note that a badge is personal and may not be transferred. Additional badges can be issued if required (e.g. for external technicians) within five working days. Our security staff can alternatively accompany third parties subject to charge.
Our standard racks comprise at least one Gbit/s of (shared) Internet access. We would be happy to install further dedicated Internet or fiber optic connections for leased lines. Please contact our Sales team.
The power utilization effectiveness factor is a measure of the data center’s efficiency. Power consumption is a significant cost driver at data centers. The consumption of your IT equipment only accounts for some of this. Energy consumption to maintain the climate in the data center rooms in the defined area, light, security equipment and lifts must also be taken into account. The PUE compares the energy consumption of all IT equipment (IT load) with the overall energy consumption of the data center. A score of 1.7 – considered good – means that where energy for the IT equipment is 100%, another 70% has to be added on for all other consumers. The data centers of GDC have scores between 1.6 and 1.19 – something our customers benefit from financially.
Data are becoming more and more valuable and IT is becoming more and more important for us all. Being unable at times to access data or applications or a total loss of data are horror scenarios.
Your IT equipment is optimally secured physically at the data center. We have no fears about fire, flooding, earthquakes or intruders – our data centers are built and equipped to cope with these. The power supply, cooling and Internet access are multiply protected and therefore enable us to guarantee availability of up to 99.99%. Servers and disks will also operate more reliably and live for longer in the stable climate of the data center.
Colocation – or co-location – means that multiple customers house and operate their IT equipment at the same place. Customers therefore share the space at a data center. At the same time, each customer has its own enclosed area, either its own lockable rack or even its own room. They share the well-secured building and complex facilities to ensure high availability. These include redundant electrical connections that are in turn backed up with batteries and diesel generators, redundant and efficient cooling systems and a large selection of network connections.