In today’s changing times, the way information is relayed, extracted, and communicated is even more vital. The demand for real-time data has increased, and data centers help meet that need. We here at Atlantech Online have seen a remarkable increase in requests for quotes for colo services and many have converted into new clients. A large percentage of those are first time data center users, moving their gear out of the office.
A data center is a centralized physical repository used to house critical applications and data. Several technical elements like routers, switches, security devices, storage systems, servers, and application delivery controllers are housed in the data center.
It takes a lot to run a data center — an operator must account for cooling, backup power sources, which are typically generators, and cabling to connect external networks and cross connect within the data center.
A data center’s primary purpose is to provide access to data such as, well... email, applications, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and database management... and all other 1s and 0s pertaining to "big data". The following are the top five data centers in the US today.
The 5 Top Data Center Companies in America
The capabilities of a data center vary depending on the options available to meet your needs. A few of these considerations are:
- Location - While you can choose a data center that is further away to save money, but having one close by may meet your needs better. We find that many of our customers still like and need to come in and see or touch their gear. It's important to detail fiber routes to insure route diversity and also be aware that signal can degrade over distance. Is the location near a flood plain or other area prone to natural disaster. The local power grid... it is important to avoid regional outages that can impact your data center choice.
- Security - When dealing with any type of data, security is paramount. The data center you use should have security measures in place to protect that data and your applications from any malicious hacking that could compromise customers or end users.
- Scalability - If your business has specific times and dates that attract more traffic, having a data center to provide scalability and flexibility is essential. You need to make sure available bandwidth can meet your needs at any time.
Atlantech maintains Points of Presence (POPs) in many of the nation's largest data centers, so we're well-versed in which center outshine the others. And while we own two of our data centers, located in Silver Spring and Rockville, MD, we wanted to highlight other locations.
1. Equinix DC2 Data Center
Located in Washington, DC, the Equinix DC2 Data Center offers products that support evolving standards for equipment and technology requirements. Their facility is a green data center, incorporating a concrete slab building with a reflective roof, LED lighting, and optimized lighting controls. It uses greywater for cooling and irrigation.
The DC2 data center is certified as a SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53, FISMA, and SOC 1 Type 2. These certifications ensure that Equinix follows federal guidelines for the security and management of data systems.
In addition to its green building initiatives and security certifications, Equinix is located seven miles from Dulles Airport and 33 miles from the Reagan Washington National Airport.
It boasts 147,600 square feet of total space, 118,447 square feet of which is dedicated to colocation. It is powered by 4.9 megawatts of total power, ensuring solid uptimes and speeds for large amounts of transmitted data.
2. Equinix NY4 Data Center
The Equinix NY4 data center is located in Secaucus, NJ. It provides low-latency access to the massive electronic trading ecosystem of Equinix Ad-IX, an advertising exchange and one of the major cloud service providers.
Like the DC2 data center, NY4 is also a green building with a single-story steel frame and concrete slab with additional preparedness construction, enhancing flood resiliency.
The NY4 data center has 338,967 square feet of space, with a total of 151,772 square feet of raised floor space for colocation. Just 12 miles from Newark Airport, 17 miles from LaGuardia Airport, and 24 miles from John F. Kennedy Airport, it is a prime location for companies looking for an easily accessed colocation data center.
It has the same certifications as the DC2 data center, being certified in SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53, and SOC 1 Type 2.
3. CoreSite LA1 Data Center
CoreSite’s LA1 data center provides businesses the most options to meet their evolving needs in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
With the termination of multiple subsea cables at the One Wilshire data center, CoreSite creates industry-leading connectivity so businesses can have a gateway to the global marketplace. CoreSite’s LA1 data center is a hub for international companies from the West Coast to Asia-Pacific markets.
The LA1 data center is certified for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, SOC 1 Type 2, and NIST 800-53, ensuring that your data is secure up to the standards of federal regulations. You can have peace of mind that not only is your data secure, but it is being transmitted as fast as you need it.
4. Digital Realty 350 E Cermak Data Center
One of the largest data centers globally, Digital Realty boasts 1,113,739 square feet of space, with a total of 535,000 square feet of raised floor space for colocation.
The facility is ready to support rapid deployment for fast-growing business requirements and provides multiple scalable offerings and flexible design options. The 350 East Cermak data center is the most interconnected, multi-tenant data center in the Midwest.
Ensuring that your data is secured up to federal requirements, Digital Realty 350 E Cermak Data Center is certified in PCI-DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC 3, and NIST 800-53. They have 24/7/365 onsite security, CCTV with a 90-day backup schedule, biometric, and photo badge access, ensuring that your data is secure at all times.
5. Netrality 401 N Broad Data Center
The Netrality data center is a world-renowned international gateway. Situated in Philadelphia, it is home to extensive long-haul and metro fiber routes for the north-south domestic fiber routes on the east coast.
This location provides you the long-term stability and premier data center services to keep your data moving quickly and effectively.
In addition to its renowned data gateway, it provides a carrier-neutral Meet Me Room (MMR), allowing cable companies, ISPs, and providers to interconnect with tenants in the data center. The MMR eliminates the round-trip that traffic takes and keeps data inside the facility.
401 North Broad data center has 1,400,792 square feet of data center space and is just seven miles from the nearest airport. With access to 40 megawatts of power, it ensures stable uptimes and speed for any big data needs.
The data center is certified in HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SSAE-16 Type 1, SSAE-16 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, and SOC 1 Type 2, meeting federal regulations on data security.
Picking the Top Data Center for Your Business
There are many things to know about deciding on the right data center provider for you. It’s important to know the right questions to ask to make sure you’re making a sound investment and getting the power, security, and scalability you need.
Atlantech has researched and compiled the list of questions to ask in one place. Our guide gives you the 10 most vital questions to ask before deciding on the data center you want to use. Download our free guide to learn more and make the right decision for your business.
