Throughout 2018, data center experts have been heavily focused on the impact of the cloud on the future of data center design. In fact, many in the industry wonder if cloud providers have become the trend-setters, placing providers like Stream in a reactionary position, but our knowledge and experience tell us just the opposite.
With a recognizable brand stretching back almost 20 years, traditional enterprise and modern-day hyperscale customers from across the US continue to come to Stream Data Centers with their mission-critical needs. As a result, we are uniquely positioned to shape the future of the data center industry by leveraging both our real estate and data center infrastructure management expertise to satisfy the growing needs of our hyperscale and enterprise customers. Here’s how.
Technology & Real Estate
To understand our position, it’s important to remember that Stream started out as a real estate company that evolved quickly into a specialized data center provider. As a result, we understand that data center investments are both real estate and technology investments. While cloud computing users may have different requirements than traditional enterprise customers when it comes to space, security, power and cooling, a data center is still defined by the supportive infrastructure it comes with. Customers of all sizes not only need customized colocation space for their IT equipment, but they also need peace of mind that comes from working with the right data center partner, along with secure infrastructure that includes ample redundancy in generators, chillers, insulation, fire protection equipment and more.
Of course, it must be recognized that cloud computing does influence how data center providers tailor their solutions and services. Hyperscale customers value proximity to abundant power and leading-edge design options that can help lower capital and operating costs. Such options include the use of renewable energy and containerized, or modular, designs for electrical and mechanical systems as opposed to conventional stick-built designs. At Stream, we recognize all the different variables that go into meeting the needs of hyperscale customers. That’s why our approach offers:
In the end, however, our customers choose us as partners to safeguard the reliability and accessibility of their data. For them, it is a major cost and time saving. After all, a seemingly ideal data center location can be disastrous without the right infrastructure. Fortunately, we have the capacity and knowledge to help both our hyperscale and enterprise customers formulate the best data center strategies for their requirements.
The Stream Differentiator
With the flexibility to help our partners build, buy or lease data center space, we help convert costly capital expenditures into manageable operating expenses. As well, together with our infrastructure management expertise – in the form of our Critical Environments and Energy Procurement services – we can leverage core teams of highly trained technicians to safeguard the mission-critical IT equipment of our customers against unplanned downtime.
Essentially, the question facing the data center industry today is not whether cloud computing or any other emerging technology is affecting facility design. No matter how advanced computing technology becomes or how stringent a customers’ needs are, everything hinges on how well-designed and run a facility’s supportive infrastructure is, based on any customer’s business need. With best-in-class data center design, construction, technologies and operations services, we are influencers and partners for customers of all sizes needing optimum performance for their mission-critical IT applications.
