House of Representatives weighs its data center options

Extensive criteria
ZDNet pointed out that while the RFP released by the House will receive countless applications, only a few will be considered for implementation. Proposals will have to simultaneously meet the requirements of the House and every agency that works directly with the Legislative branch. Any proposals must provide separate, unique environments for each agency, as well as a means for seamless communication between each data center. Additional requirements include a 100 percent uptime and availability guarantee, which may be difficult to facilitate if the federal government continues to press for more bare bones resources. The data center must be located within 350 miles of Capitol Hill, less than 100 miles away from a military facility and more than 100 miles from the coastline. Meaningful communication between government agencies and the implementation of redundancy technology like remote console servers will make huge strides in solving the government's IT problems.