In This Issue
There’s a lot of data in those ‘Woods’
Picotte’s Corporate Woods attracts large data centers.
What sets Corporate Woods apart?
Picotte takes ‘curb appeal’ seriously – and takes Class A space to the next level.
Picotte honors employees
The annual awards luncheon recognizes leadership and longevity.
Congratulations, Karen Carpenter-Palumbo
OASAS commissioner receives prestigious award.
Conferencing center available for rent in Corporate Woods
Three rooms are available at 7 Southwoods Blvd.
625 Broadway featured on ‘Google Earth’
LEED-certified building developed by Picotte is a model of energy efficiency.
There’s a lot of data in those ‘Woods’
What do data about banking customers, teachers and patients have in common?
It’s all stored in Corporate Woods in Colonie.
For more than 20 years, Corporate Woods has hosted data centers for numerous organizations, including KeyBank, WellPoint (Blue Cross/Shield) and New York State Teachers’ Retirement System.
“Corporate Woods is one of the most technologically advanced office parks in the Northeast,” said Joe Miller, Picotte vice president of asset management.
That profile is what attracted the Empire BlueCross (now WellPoint) data center to Corporate Woods in 1990, according to Walt Weglinski, regional senior facilities manager, East region. At that point Empire had another data center in New York City. But after 9/11, the Corporate Woods center became the hub.
It now serves as WellPoint’s primary data center for New York State, he continued, adding that the center occupies about 15,000 square feet. He also pointed to Corporate Woods’ dual power supply feeds as absolutely critical for operating a data center.
KeyBank has several operations in Corporate Woods where data is processed. Interestingly, according to Key, it became the first bank in the U.S. to be 100 percent check-image enabled, a huge step forward in the world of banking; a team at Corporate Woods helped make that happen. Also in Corporate Woods Key provides services that prevent fraud from impacting its customers and provides video stills and clips to corporate investigators and law enforcement officials dealing with bank robberies.
Picotte’s Joe Miller explained that Corporate Woods is an ideal location for any organization dealing with large amounts of data for numerous reasons. Electric power is provided by three separate substations, which means that during a power outage, there is a comprehensive back-up system. And there is a communications loop with four PVC conduits with redundant entrances into the office park, one at Albany-Shaker and one at the I-90. Water service, provided by the Latham Water District, is capable of being looped to provide redundant water services as well.
In addition, the office park has redundant teledata services from Verizon, AT&T, FiberTech (dark fiber), Time Warner Telecommunications and Time Warner Entertainment. It also has immediate access to the fiber corridor adjacent to I-90.
To develop data centers, Picotte has assembled a stellar professional team.
As the landlord/developer, Picotte has decades of experience working with large corporate tenants, particularly in lease-purchase projects, and has developed more than 3 million square feet of commercial space in the Capital Region.
EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc. is a recognized leader in the design of data centers throughout the world and serves as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers on these projects.
The architect is Woodward Connor Gillies and Seleman, which has designed most buildings in Corporate Woods and scores of others, including 625 Broadway, the headquarters of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany.
Corporate Woods also provides a suburban location and ideal setting for operation of robust diesel generator packs. Currently there are more than 12 generators that run routinely without complaint about noise and fumes.
For more information about Corporate Woods as a data center, please contact Picotte at www.picotte.com or call 518.465.4747.
Why Picotte?
“As a landlord, Picotte is very responsive. Picotte is not all about the bottom line. They are more about their tenants, which makes them very different from other landlords. I manage facilities in six states, and Picotte is the easiest landlord to deal with.” – Walt Weglinski, regional senior facilities manager, East region, Cushman and Wakefield of NY, which manages the WellPoint data center in Corporate Woods