Lucent's Aurora center a space-age marvel.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: Lucent Technologies Inc. - Brief Article

Hank Fore emerges from a room lit only by dozens of computer screens, assorted desk lamps and back-lit, floor-to-ceiling maps and globes. The Lucent Technologies NetworkCare Center in Aurora is tranquil now. But Fore, a Lucent vice president, has just completed a meeting with his "jedi Warriors," his affectionate term for an elite team called in to fix extra difficult problems when alarms sound throughout the room. "We get about 12,000 alarms a day," he said, looking over what he calls "the bunker" -- a cross between a corporate lab and the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. The center, which has 23 miles of cable strung underneath it, gets 300 visitors a year, and Fore said most leave awed by its space-age decor. "We look high-tech because we are high-tech," he said, "even down to our artwork."

Fore's center provides remote management and round-the-clock support for computer networks of companies ranging from start-ups to...