Far More Than Lock & Key: WebPT’s Data Storage

Ever rush back to your house to double-check that you remembered to lock up? You care about security, about having all your belongings safe and sound. So do we. In fact, we’re a bit obsessed. But you can never be too cautious when it comes to your clinic’s data, right?

Enter IO Data Centers, the crème de la crème of data storage. With centers in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona as well as Edison, New Jersey, IO is home to some of the most profitable and security-conscious companies in the world, including us. Not only do we house all your WebPT data here, but we store all our own data, too.

How secure is IO?
The WebPT marketing team ventured to IO Phoenix, one of the largest data centers in the world and the largest commercially available data center in the United States to achieve Tier III Design Certification from the Uptime Institute, for a behind-the-scenes tour.

Upon entering IO’s parking lot, we had our first taste of their intense security. IO has 24/7/forever entrance patrol with a could-easily-take-out-a-Suburban hydraulic security gate. IO always requires badge access; so after logging a current photo state ID with the front desk, we each received a visitor’s pass allowing us chaperoned access into the belly of this uber secure beast.

To enter or exit the center unchaperoned, clients must swipe their access badge and enter a “mantrap.” Upon entering what essentially looks like a hi-tech glass cage (see image below), trapped clients stare into a retina scanner to verify their identity. If their eyeballs pass the test, the mantrap opens. But let’s say you “borrowed” someone else’s ID badge and can’t pass the retina scan, the mantrap would lock you inside until the authorities arrived. Oh, and there’s also digital video surveillance everywhere.

Think accessing the center as a client is intense? Imagine the verification employees must go through (think FBI/CIA type stuff).

Example of a mantrap from Cloud Times.

Cue the ooohs and aaahs. After our chaperone passed his retina scan, we entered the 538,000-square-foot facility. Yup, you read that right—538,000 square feet. Talk about huge. 

Walking through the facility, we were overwhelmed by the sheer power. IO Phoenix has its own dedicated, on-site substation, access to 56 MW of utility power, and diesel as well as battery backup generators, meaning your data is always on and super secure. Additionally, the carrier-neutral center boasts over 22 carriers, all transmitting data (including your clinic’s data) to and from the cloud.

Even with all this, IO Phoenix is an energy-efficient data center. It employs variable frequency drives, ultrasonic humidification, LED lighting, and sealed server racks to efficiently remove server-generated heat from the data center and reduce energy consumption. Energy conservations makes WebPT happy. How about you?

Of course, what makes us even happier is secure data, and IO definitely performs that task well. IO does more than double-check the locks. They are the lock—and the key, the vault, the guard, the safe. You get my drift. They’re the whole security shebang and then some.

To put it as succinctly as possible, if you’re a Member, your data is gold-standard safe. If you’re not a WebPT member (yet), can your server or data center offer this level of security?