MSA Team Wins "Project of the Year"

The Information Management team with Hanford Site contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) recently received the 2020 Project of the Year Award from the Columbia River Basin chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI). Selected by an independent evaluation team, MSA was recognized for their work on the Hanford Datacenter Modernization & Closure project, led by project manager Dennis Rains. 

Todd Eckman, vice president of Information Management for MSA, accepted the award on behalf of the team. “There is a great amount of pride in receiving this award, especially because of the level of teamwork and collaboration it required. This project increased efficiency and will save the Department of Energy – and taxpayers – up to two million dollars over the next ten years.” 

As the site services provider, MSA manages Hanford’s computer network, including a primary and a backup datacenter. This project included the closure of an old datacenter, which was replaced with a new, more efficient and smaller center, which was moved off-site. Partners included both Benton and Franklin County Public Utility Districts, the Northwest Open Access Network and the Department of Energy. 

During the awards ceremony, Eckman gave a brief presentation on the project and described it in a way that is easy for many to understand. “A datacenter is like a brain – it’s where all the processing and storage of information happens. Like your brain, a datacenter runs an entire network. When you’re moving a datacenter from one location to another, it’s like having your brain taken out and moved to another body and still expecting it to work exactly as it had before. Every single computer and device on our network is connected to the datacenter and we had to ensure there was no lapse in service and that everything was reconnected to work the same as before.”