SunGard in $14 million Center City expansion

by Joseph N. DiStefano

"SunGard Availability, the corporate computer backup service run by Wayne-based SunGard Data, has invested $14 million in a 12,200 sq ft expansion of its secure data center in the 1500 block of Spring Garden St.
The new area hosts servers that enable clients to recover their data after power outages and other service interruptions, and to access web-based data through new SunGard cloud-based services.

Besides the new space, SunGard has doubled its electrical generators on site to 8,000 kilowatts, and added electrical and mechanical rooms. Heat-generating units were connected to a "chimney cabinet" system to cut down on cooling needs.

It's the second planned expansion since SunGard opened the site on a 125,000 sq ft floor of the former Smith Kline pill factory in 2009. "We've had a very good upward tick in services orders," said Hamilton Curtis, vice president for managed services. "The growth has been so good, we already have orders for a quarter of the capacity we've just built." Compaines spend a lot on their enterprise software; complexity is increasing at any layer." While cloud-based services cost less than traditional server-based recovery, higher volumes help make up the difference.

Larry Coble, senior vice president and general manager of Recovery Servcies, says a similar expansion is expected at the unit next year, and another in 2013. "After that we'll have to find additional space," said Salvatore.

SunGard Availability employs around 800 at the Spring Garden St site and two other Center City sites, and at its Wayne headqauarters."
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