Switch and Data Still Building in Atlanta

Colocation provider Switch and Data (NASDAQ: SDXC) recently agreed to be acquired by Equinix (EQIX). Today the company is outlining plans to build out a large data center in downtown Atlanta. What’s up with that?

The construction project is moving forward because the Atlanta market figures in Equinix’ expansion plans. Atlanta is one of the five cities Equinix identified as key expansion markets where its existing customers are looking for colocation space and interconnection opportunities. Equinix doesn’t currently operate any facilities in Atlanta, but Switch and Data has a data center at the city’s primary carrier hotel at 56 Marietta, as well as the expansion space it leased last year at 180 Peachtree Street .

The presence at 56 Marietta provides the network connectivity that is central to the Equinix business model, while the 79,000 square feet of space at Peachtree Street adds the larger footprint typical of Equinix’ big-city approach. Switch and Data will interconnect the new site to its 27,000 square foot data center at 56 Marietta, providing immediate access to multiple network service providers. It will also offer its PAIX Internet exchange service in its Peachtree site

NationalNet Blogs Its Building Process

Before and after views of the new NationalNet data center near Atlanta.

Atlanta hosting and colocation provider NationalNet has been building out the first phase of a new 73,000 square foot data center, and has documented the fast-moving process with regular updates on its blog. With a series of photos and videos, NationalNet provides a look at what happens inside a facility while it’s being converted into a data center. The series starts in April and runs through the data center’s completion in late June. The new facility will also serve as the company’s headquarters.

Quality Tech Builds Its Data Center Network

An overhead view of a Quality Technology Services data center in the Atlanta market.

Quality Technology Services may not be a household name. But if you’re looking for data center space in Atlanta, they’re an important name to know.

Quality Technology (QTS) has quietly built a network of 11 data center facilities spanning more than 2.5 million square feet of space. It has built its national footprint through acquisitions of facilities and customers from eDeltaCom, IBM, NTT America and Globix. The company offers both wholesale data center space and managed services.

More than 1.3 million square feet of that space is in the Atlanta market, where Quality Tech operates a 375,000 square foot data center in Suwanee, and a 1 million square foot property in downtown Atlanta. The downtown site, originally a MetroNexus project, features 200,000 square feet of finished raised-floor and acres of space ready for conversion to data center use.

“I think we have a pretty compelling story to tell,” said Dan Kurtz, the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Quality Technology. “We’ve been in the market for a while, but didn’t have space to sell. Now we do.”

Blackberry Maker Plans Atlanta Data Center

Research in Motion (RIMM) is building a large data center in the Atlanta area to expand capacity for the e-mail network for its Blackberry mobile devices, according to local media. The company has acquired 40 acres of land in Alpharetta, and is building a 200,000 square foot data center at the site, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle (subscription).

The new facility continues an expansion of RIM’s data center infrastructure beyond its home base of Waterloo, Ontario. The Blackberry e-mail network suffered a network outage in February 2008 that left its 12 million North American users offline for hours, prompting criticism that the company was overly reliant on data centers in Waterloo that handled all its North American messaging traffic.

AtlantaNAP Gets $7.5M in Expansion Funding

Atlanta-based data center operator AtlantaNAP has raised $7.5 million in debt financing from RBC Bank, reports AtlanTech. The company will use the money to expand its operations, and replace a more expensive line of credit.

AtlantaNAP recently completed an expansion its Enterprise Data Center 2 by adding another 13,500 square feet of available space, the company said today. It previously opened a 12,500 square foot addition last summmer. The 75,000 square foot facility now includes 50,000 square feet of finished data center space. The company also recently expanded into the Dallas market, leasing space in the Telx facility at 8435 Stemmons for its DallasNAP dedicated server business.

AXA Plans $100M Atlanta Data Center

AXA Equitable will invest $100 million in two data centers in the Atlanta area, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle (print subscription needed), which uses the news as an opportunity to take a broader look at the metro Atlanta data center market.

AXA, a New York-based financial services company, is relocating work from six East Coast data centers to about 200,000 square feet of data center space in Suwanee and the downtown Atlanta area, CIO Kevin Murray said. The company will process business transactions and backup data at the Atlanta facilities, and. Expects the consolidation to save AXA about $50 million.

AtlantaNAP Expands Colocation Space

Atlanta colocation provider AtlantaNAP has completed an expansion with the opening of a 12,500 square foot addition to Enterprise Data Center 2 in May. The new space was designed for enterprise clients, with 36-inch raised floors, high-density power capability and hot air containment systems. AtlantaNAP has now completed 37,500 square feet of a total of 50,000 square feet available at the facility. About 4,500 square feet of the new space was pre-sold, with the remaining 8,000 square feet available for colocation customers.

“We believe this will bring in additional enterprise and corporate customers who are looking for Atlanta colocation with the best combination of facility, security and service for their money,” said Jeff Hinkle, President of AtlantaNAP.

Atlanta Data Centers Ride Out Tornado

Last night’s tornado in downtown Atlanta came within blocks of the city’s major Internet connectivity hub, but no major data center service outages have been reported. The tornado, which struck at 9:45 pm, caused damage at the Georgia Dome, CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park. Those facilites are about three blocks from 56 Marietta Street, the carrier hotel property owned by Telx/GI Partners. There are also data center operations at 55 Marietta Street. Photos from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution document the damage in the area, including parts of Marietta Street.

About 15,000 residents in downtown were without electricity, but 56 Marietta reported no interruptions in grid power due to the storm. “We’ve been running on full power,” said Ilissa Miller of Telx. “Everything is up and running and our facilities were not affected. There’s a tremendous amount of glass on some parts of Marietta Street, but we’ve been operating as usual.”

CH2M Hill Buys Atlanta Data Center

The IT management dvision of CH2M HILL has acquired a 10,000 square foot Atlanta facility to support its managed services business, the company said today. CH2M Hill said the expansion was prompted by growth in its client base in the southeastern United States. The company has a 43,000 square foot IT managed services facility in Denver.

The managed services unit of CH2M HILL operates and maintains IT infrastructures and network-based services for clients worldwide. The company also designs data centers, including an Oregon facility that supports power loads exceeding 500 watts per square foot. The company’s primary focus is engineering, and business appears to be booming. The company has hired nearly 900 people during the first quarter and plans to hire 6,000 more people by the end of the year to support a growing number of water, transportation, environmental and industrial projects around the world.