There's a Hidden Data Center Crisis in the Northeast
Data centers are a dime a dozen. From plain old data centers (PODCs) that combine server space with basic power and network connectivity to major telco hotels lined with server cages and connected to top-tier carrier networks, data centers are everywhere.
That very abundance, however, is masking a serious issue.
Many multi-tenant data centers are running out of space. According to 451 Research, average data center utilization in top US markets is expected to reach around 90 percent this year. And even where space exists, many data centers aren’t built to meet the needs of a modern, web-scale enterprise.
The data center crisis is particularly problematic in areas of the country with large population centers that act as major industry hubs. The northeastern region of the US includes some of the largest hospitals in the nation, the heart of the banking and finance industry, and numerous universities catering not only to students, but to faculty and a world-renowned research community. The Northeast is an economic engine as well as home to a large number of the consumers that enterprises want to reach.
Unfortunately, data center infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with the Northeast’s continued growth.
While it’s relatively easy to build a PODC, or to add a new server room on to an existing facility (if space exists), the reality is that data center requirements have evolved. As enterprises scale up to meet demand for constant connectivity, data centers must also grow in capacity, resilience, and flexibility.
In the Northeast, there is an increasingly urgent need for advanced data center facilities. Advanced data centers (ADCs) – like major network access points (NAPs) in Las Vegas, Miami, and elsewhere – offer extreme power durability and comprehensive connectivity in conjunction with robust colocation services, high-grade security, and massive capacity for future growth. Large enterprises can’t afford to make do with a shared power connection in a data center anymore, or to compromise on broadband connectivity. Many need the support of an ADC in order to maintain operational efficiency and to continue to improve business performance.
The main tenets of an ADC include: power density and durability – dedicated and customizable power connections with built-in redundancy and upgrade capacity; carrier-neutral telecom connectivity with multiple, diverse fiber feeds and options for additional network build-outs; and support services that not only deliver basic maintenance, but also extend into advanced network and application management.
In the Northeast, large-scale data center options are severely limited. Many companies are finding themselves boxed out of existing telco hotels and coming to the realization that those facilities don’t meet their needs anyway. Many others have operated their own data centers, but are reaching the limits of their ability to support the necessary infrastructure.
Into this void comes a new advanced data center: Keystone NAP.
Keystone NAP is the only ADC in the underserved Mid-Atlantic market, and it offers a host of benefits from web-scale power and broadband infrastructure to direct application performance improvements delivered through a wide array of support services. Keystone NAP also takes a modular approach to data center design, giving individual enterprise customers access to private, custom-configured vaults that are securely separated from other data center tenants.
As connectivity demands continue to rise, large companies must find new ways to support growth in critical geographic markets. There is a shortage of viable data center options in the Northeast today, but that only means that the market is ripe for new advanced data centers to emerge. The hidden crisis in the Northeast is also an opportunity to engineer better solutions: data centers that are resource-rich and purpose-built to meet the needs of today’s web-scale enterprise.
Disclaimer: This article was written by a guest contributor in his/her personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of CloudWedge.com
