By Alan Ziechick | Networkworld
Think your data center and IT research facilities are secure? Unless you work for a military contractor, or at Apple, it’s probably nothing like AZ Labs in Mesa, Arizona.
AZ Labs, or Arizona Laboratories for Security & Defense Research, is a cyberfortress. Literally. Like something out of a Cold War drama, the four-building campus is “certified at the highest level” of security.
Dane Mullenix, the director of AZ Labs, declined to define what “the highest level” means, but it’s way, way higher than Top Secret. These building were constructed in the 1980s by the Air Force to serve as an advanced research facility, with 250 scientists creating systems as diverse as pilot interface software for the F-16 fighter jet, advanced night-vision optics, and the command center used by the USAF. The facility is adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which used to be the Williams Air Force Base.
