![Inside one of the U's better-kept secrets: The Downtown Data Center](/_resources/images/node4/_thumbs/2018/oct2018-DDC-thumb.jpg)
Chris Pedersen swipes his key card, taps his finger on a biometric scanner, and takes a step back. With one well-rehearsed lunge, he fights the door open against a blast of air. Welcome to the University of Utah's Downtown Data Center, home of a significant portion of the U's storage and server capabilities.