GCTU Students Tour ONIX Data Centre
The Level 200 Computer Science students numbering 30 have embarked on a fascinating educational tour to the Onix Data Centre near Katamanso in the Greater Accra Region on Friday, 19th July 2024.
The tour, organized by the Faculty of Computing and Information Systems (FOCIS) aimed at students gaining hands-on experience with technologies and innovative solutions that enable data storage, processing, transmission and insight into the critical role which data centres play in shaping our digital future.
A Lecturer, Mr. Isaac Baffour Senkyire at the Department of Computer Science led the students. He emphasized that the tour is a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practical experiences in the field. “This tour will help students familiarize themselves with most of the things they have seen and heard in class to prepare them for the future,” he said.
The General Manager (GM), Mr. Michael Thompson and Technical Manager (TM), Mr. Kevin Opata warmly welcomed the students and split them into two groups for the tour. The TM, Mr. Opata, noted that Onix Data Centre is a leading provider of Tier four data services and therefore they are in the business of hosting IT infrastructure across industries.
Some of the highlights of the tour include: Exploring the data centre infrastructure including server rooms, network operations centre, and data storage systems. Mr. Opata got students to appreciate what goes on in the background, physical security setup and client infrastructure. He provided an in-depth explanation of the components and functions of the cooling systems and power management redundancies.
Mr. Opata stressed the significance of fire prevention and suppression systems. Additionally, he elaborated on the role of smoke detection in ensuring early warning and quick response to potential fires. He gave an insight into how clients receive connectivity, focusing on the processes and systems in place to ensure reliable and secure connections.
