Network Operations Center Construction in Oklahoma

People sit in a network operations center through the night, and that single fact separates it from every other building on a data center campus. A data hall is built around machines and tolerates a technician only now and then. A network operations center, or NOC, is a room where engineers watch screens for hours at a stretch, take calls and make decisions that affect the network, and they need to see and hear clearly, stay comfortable and feel safe when the weather turns.

In Oklahoma the last point carries weight. About 150 tornadoes have struck within Oklahoma City limits going back to 1890, thirteen of them violent. The May 20, 2013 Newcastle-Moore tornado was rated EF-5 with a path of about 14 miles and 24 lives lost, and on February 26, 2023 a high-end EF2 tornado passed within a mile of the National Weather Center in Norman. A building that will hold staff overnight in this state has to answer a question that a warehouse can leave open: where do the people go when a warning sounds?

We build network operations centers as stand-alone buildings, as wings of administration buildings, and as rooms inside larger campuses. The design details vary, but the pattern is consistent: a quiet, well-conditioned workspace with redundant power, a video wall, secure access, and a safe place to shelter.

The building code treats a NOC as an occupied building, not as a utility structure. Egress, fire alarm, life safety and accessibility all apply. In public buildings, state law requires facilities for people with disabilities following the codes adopted by the State Fire Marshal, and a public-sector NOC falls under that requirement. We design the room, the restrooms, the parking and the approach with that in mind, whether the owner is public or private.

Shelter is a separate decision. An interior room with reinforced walls and a reinforced roof can serve as a storm refuge, and some owners choose to build a dedicated shelter to a recognized standard. We help the owner decide what level of protection is appropriate, price it, and place it where staff can reach it quickly. We do not make claims about tornado-proof buildings; we describe what the design is intended to resist and what it is not.

Warning is the other half of safety. A NOC is the one room on the campus where someone is always watching a screen, which makes it a good place to receive weather alerts and to start the shelter routine. We provide power and data outlets for a weather radio and alert display, and we route a clear, lit path from the operations floor to the refuge so a shift can reach it in under a minute without crossing a data hall.

A NOC runs all day and all night, so the mechanical and electrical systems must be reliable and quiet. We separate the room from the data hall noise, add acoustic treatment to walls and ceilings, and route the air so it does not blow on people at their desks. Power comes from a UPS-backed circuit with generator backup, and lighting is designed to minimize glare on screens.

We also plan for growth. A video wall may double in size, a desk count may increase, and cabling will change over time. Raised floor or accessible ceiling pathways, spare conduit and clear wall space allow those changes without tearing out finished rooms. Our security perimeter and access control work covers badge readers, mantraps and cameras at the NOC door.

A typical package includes a structure and envelope, a main operations room, a break room and restrooms, a small conference room, an equipment room for network gear, mechanical and electrical rooms, and secure vestibules. We install the video wall support structure, backing for monitors, and the cable pathway that connects the room to the data halls and the carriers.

The carrier hotel and meet-me room is often nearby and shares fiber with the NOC, so we coordinate entrance facilities with the telecom provider. For owners adding a NOC to an existing campus, our enterprise data center page describes how we build beside live operations.

A NOC needs people, and people choose where to live. The metros that supply a skilled workforce include Edmond, whose largest employers include the University of Central Oklahoma with 1,372 employees, and Norman, where the University of Oklahoma employs 11,085. Owners who locate a NOC near a university find a pool of graduates and a supply of interns. The FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City trains more than 76,000 students each year, which indicates the scale of technical training already present in the metro.

Those facts affect design. A NOC in a metro can be a modest building with ample parking and easy access, while one at a remote campus may need accommodation for shift changes and for staff who must stay if roads are closed. Our pages on Edmond and Moore describe what we know about building in those cities.

Many NOCs are built by telecom and network carriers, which have strict requirements for network diversity and power. We follow the carrier's standards for equipment rooms and take care with entrance facilities and demarcation points. If the NOC is part of a data center campus, we coordinate it with the master schedule so it is ready to occupy when the first hall is energized.

Tell us how many people will be on shift, whether staff must remain during severe weather, and where the room sits on the campus. We will respond with a layout, a shelter option and a budget range.

Does a NOC need its own generator?

It needs backup power, but it can share the campus generators. We design the circuit to transfer automatically and test it with the building's other critical loads.

Can we put the NOC in the same building as the data halls?

Yes, in many cases. The NOC then needs separation for noise, fire and security. Some owners prefer a separate building for easier occupancy and a clearer storm refuge.

What storm protection should we build?

That depends on the staff count and the owner's risk tolerance. Options range from an interior reinforced room to a dedicated shelter. We help the owner price each and review them with the engineer of record and the building official.

How do you handle the video wall and monitors?

We build the support structure, wiring, and power. The owner's integrator supplies the display system and controls. We coordinate the schedule so that the integrator can start when the room is clean and dry.

How close to the data halls should the NOC be?

Close enough that staff can reach a hall within minutes, far enough that noise, vibration and fire risk stay out of the operations room. On a large campus, the NOC is often at the front of the site, next to the security building, so visitors and shift workers do not need to cross the hall areas.

Is the NOC an occupied space for code purposes?

Yes. It is treated as a business occupancy, with egress, fire alarm and accessibility requirements that a data hall may not carry.