When It Comes to Data Centers, Chicago Is Second City No More
Hybrid IT, Enterprise Bare Metal, Colocation in Data Centers
Chicago is the fifth largest and one of the most diversified economies and tech hubs in the world. It’s no wonder it’s been nicknamed “the city that works.” Financial services, manufacturing, insurance, health, transportation, and food processing also play critical roles in the city’s economic growth. In fact, the abundance of large national and multinational companies centered in and around the Chicago area, all with huge appetites for data compute and storage, has transformed the city into a hot data center market.
The right place at the right time
But it’s not just Chicago’s economy that makes it a data center hub. It’s also attractive as a back-up center thanks in large part to its lower real estate costs and taxes, not to mention its geographic desirability. For starters, Chicago is at low risk of such natural disasters as hurricanes and earthquakes. Couple that with temperatures that allow data centers to cool their equipment (and keep utility costs down) by piping in cold air from outside for much of the year, and it's no wonder the city has seen explosive growth among data center providers.
That growth has been further fueled by the recent shift to work from home for many businesses. Larger remote workforces mean companies are no longer bound to keep their infrastructure on-prem, and can instead seek out multi-tenant data centers around the country. Our rich network ecosystem allows clients to connect to the provider of their choice with less than 3ms to get them where they need to go.
One, two, three
Generally speaking, companies that need colo data centers want to ensure their new facilities offer cloud connectivity options for distributed, hybrid IT; access to low-latency, public cloud on-ramps; carrier-neutral options; rapid provisioning; and secure, remote access. Cyxtera’s Chicago campuses offer this and more, and with continued investment in infrastructure. To meet the growing need for data and colocation services, Cyxtera offers three purpose-built data centers in and around Chicago, each offering ultra-low latency for the mission-critical production or disaster recovery needs of today’s modern enterprises.
Cyxtera's ORD1 facility (located within Chicago’s 350 East Cermak) offers native connectivity into Digital Realty’s meet-me-room, allowing companies to connect to a rich network ecosystem in the building, including dozens of other companies, brokers, and traders in the financial ecosystem.
Our ORD2 facility is just three miles from O’Hare International and a short drive from downtown Chicago. With access to 13 unique network service providers, cloud-on ramps, and click-to-provision access to Enterprise Bare Metal through our Digital Exchange, it’s a popular choice for enterprises looking to be close to Chicago’s markets without paying downtown prices.
Our newest facility, ORD3, is just minutes from ORD2 and, like its sister campus, provides all the benefits of our Digital Exchange, including access to a host of networks and technology providers and Cyxtera Cloud Connect, which provides a simple, one-step approach to establishing direct, secure connections to leading public clouds or between our colo centers.
Carrier neutral, densely connected
As one of the world’s largest interconnection providers, Cyxtera’s carrier- and cloud-neutral, densely connected global data center footprint and thriving partner ecosystem deliver the local-, global- and cloud-connectivity options enterprises need for their distributed, hybrid IT.
With access to three major financial and future exchanges and less than 3 ms latency from public cloud on-ramp points, our Chicago data centers are second to none. If you’re interested in learning more about our Chicago campus, sales@cyxtera.com.
Views and opinions expressed in our blog posts are those of the employees who made them and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Company. A reader should not unduly rely on any statements made therein.
Share this Post