Given its status as the owner of the world’s biggest search engine, not to mention the dozens of other web services that it provides, Google has gathered up quite a lot of data since it first went into business in 1998. To store all of that data it’s collected, it’s had to develop some of the largest and most advanced data centers known to man, and now, for the first time, it’s welcoming everyone inside to have a good look around.

Google’s virtual tour of its data center in Lenoir, NC, is pretty interesting, given the fact that at one time it had even refused to acknowledge their existence and forced all visitors to sign a non-disclosure agreement before letting them step inside.

Now though, it seems that Google has finally decided to come clean about what it gets up to behind closed doors, displaying dozens of fascinating and visually stunning photos of its inner nerve center. The images provide just a taste of how vast Google’s data center really is, showing mile upon mile of Ethernet cables, thousands of feet of colorful pipes connected to its cooling systems, and endless arrays of data server racks.

Google also lets us meet some of the people who keep everything ticking over, and provides a glimpse of the exterior of the 12 data centers it currently has up and running across the world.

As well as the virtual tour, Google has also made its Lenoir, NC., data center visible for the first time in Street View. Enjoy the show!