While most businesses make regular use of data center infrastructure, many people have reservations about data centers built nearby. Some communities have embraced technology and the positive business outcomes of local networking infrastructure centers. They have begun to enact legislated incentives to attract data centers to their area. Unfortunately, some have decided to hesitate, or even outright fight against the placements of data centers and have allowed politics to inhibit the growth these centers would otherwise provide. Local businesses that rely on data centers are suffering the consequences.

While many people may believe data centers don’t positively affect the community, data centers do create many employment opportunities.

Starting day one, data centers can offer tremendous benefits to the surrounding community. Networking services, such as a public cloud (open wifi channels that allow clients and customers to access faster internet) or enterprise data centers (single tenant data centers), can create a digital transformation in an area that may otherwise be a “technological desert.”

Data centers can improve local infrastructure as well! The construction of roads, power plants, and water treatment are all industries which can become more efficient with the utilization of data center infrastructure. Furthermore, the existence of a locally based network can be a draw for other businesses to relocate to a community.

The construction of a data center can generate over one hundred million dollars over its typical lifespan. The estimated number includes the revenue generated by collateral tasks. For instance, construction costs, equipment, and power consumption all generate revenue for the community. Skilled trade and construction jobs, as well as vendor services and support jobs, are either positively impacted or created when data centers are built within a community.

As more communities embrace the new digital era, the construction of local data centers aide the advancement of industries that were previously not feasible. Maintaining a modern, state-of-the-art data center positions that community to compete with metro areas.

Any community will be benefit from data centers, they are an invaluable resource for small business owners.

For most businesses building and maintaining a private data center is simply not within their company budget. Average costs of private data centers run about two hundred dollars per square foot. The estimate does not include the cost of installing fiber-optic cables, which can run into the thousands. Lack of access to a data center, particularly in a rural area, can be a death knell to the opportunity for growth.

Fortunately, data center networking via a software-defined network can be the answer to your networking infrastructure needs. Whether your company chooses to host local networking hardware or rely solely on cloud computing solutions, the digital transformation that results from adding a data center to your business is staggering. Data center networking allows quick and efficient scaling of data processing and storage, allowing your company to grow with minimal added investment.

Some of the positives of utilizing data center networking include:

• Creating a stable, secure, and reliable method of data transmission.
• Keeping in line with industry regulations for security.
• Better meeting customer and user needs.
• Creating an easily scalable storage environment which can seamlessly grow as the company grows.
• Being able to fully support modern technologies, such as cloud computing and virtualization.

With communities transitioning into the digital era, data centers will continue to assist in the advancement of industry initiatives. They will also position themselves to compete with metro areas, providing rural areas with robust infrastructure in a secure environment.
Data centers are pivotal to helping a community transition into the digital mainstream. They will also help small businesses thrive within their industry and community!