Data growth defies economic downturn

The economy is reeling, companies are hurting and IT layoffs are the norm, but none of these factors have halted the phenomenal growth in data, and the need to store information.

IBM announced last week that it has been awarded a contract to design and build a new energy-efficient data center for AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah. The organization provides a full range of automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to over 4 million clients.

We report this week that Equinix is building its sixth data center in the Washington, D.C. region to deal with a growing demand for storage space. The project is part of Equinix's $1.4 billion-multi-year expansion program for 15 of it's 18 markets.

There are hundreds of companies offering data center leasing options like Equinix. Some of the other larger firms include CoreSite, 365 Main, Digital Realty Trust, Dupont Fabros, Savvis, SunGard and Terremark. While many organizations want to house and fully control their own data, numerous firms are turning to these service providers, given the high costs of building and operating their own data centers, and the complexity of the operations.

Outsourcing provides room for growth and flexibility. The alternative for some companies seeking to control the bottom line is to try and optimize their existing systems, consolidate burgeoning email files and make other adjustments, but this is not always possible or practical.

At the same time, cloud computing represents a big part of the technology future, and the major players are jumping in with both feet. That means a need for new and bigger storage space, and that has been the name of the game for Google, Microsoft and Amazon.

In July, Microsoft announced that it is building a new data center in Brazil to support the company's software plus services strategy. This past week, Microsoft offered a glimpse at its new 50,000-square-foot data center in Redmond, Wash. that consolidates servers for the technology giant's research unit and labs. Amazon.com recently confirmed that is building a major data center on the Columbia River in Oregon, and Apple is reportedly ready to break ground on a new data center in North Carolina.

Data, it seems, is a growth industry and there is no end in sight. This opens up new opportunities to improve energy efficiency, computer hardware and software to meet a host of new challenges. And all that is good for IT professionals, good for the industry and good for business. - Judi