datacenterHawk

Life on the edge can be dangerous. Randy saw it as an opportunity to found EdgeConneX, a data center company built to bring speed to the market. He took some time to walk us through his journey and how his experience shapes his outlook on today. This is an episode of HawkTalk, datacenterHawk’s series of candid one on one conversations with executives and leaders in the data center industry. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check them all out on our blog or listen to them in podcast form. If you’d like to know when we release future episodes, you can subscribe here. On HawkTalk 47 David visits with Randy Brouckman and discusses the beginnings of EdgeConneX, how COVID-19 has changed the industry, it's long term effects, and what the future of the international data center markets could look like. Randy gave us some great insights based on his experience starting and leading a top tier data center provider in EdgeConneX. Check out a few quick takeaways from our conversation below. EdgeConneX aims to bring speed to the market EdgeConneX was founded with a goal of bringing speed to the everyday technology user, or in other words “eliminating the spinning pinwheel.” They planned to do this by bringing the data closer to the user. EdgeConneX recently embarked on a data center building blitz to realize this vision, building 23 data centers over 24 months. The effects COVID-19 will have on the data center industry COVID-19 has acted as an acceleration of the digitalization of businesses. Within the first 30 to 40 days of COVID-19, there’s been tremendous growth specifically in the connectivity to the cloud. Users have been moving towards needing more power and more space with the growth of technology usage. The future of the European data center markets In Europe, there will be no slow down in the expansion of the big core markets: Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, & Dublin. While expansion is going to continue to take place, the data sovereignty in Europe could also be driving the opening of new availability zones in new markets. Adding a second availability zone in Germany because Frankfurt isn’t enough could be a possibility, or opening a zone to service eastern Europe. These availability zones could very well be led by edge data centers. We also talked about… How newer technologies such as autonomous cars & 5G affect the edge What Randy is excited about being a leader in the data center industry Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkTalk's and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry. ------ Thank you for watching this video. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

What is a data center? We dive into the fundamentals of a data center and give a basic overview for anyone who is looking to get into the industry. On this podcast, David and I are going over the first of eight topics on data center fundamentals. We covered this in a blog series as well as an email course. Today, we answer the question “What is a data center?” and discuss some of the defining characteristics of this real estate class. A data center is a facility that houses digital infrastructure. That’s the most basic definition that we could build to answer that question. Data centers are unique buildings with unique purposes. As such, people care about several unique aspects that you won’t always find in other commercial real estate assets classes. Location & Risk Mitigation A data center’s location is important. Every region comes with its own hazards and data centers are designed to mitigate the risks associated within that region. Most are built to withstand winds of 125+ mph, high scale earthquakes, and are located outside of flood plains. Power Consumption is the Key Metric Data centers consume 3% of our world’s electricity, and the best way to understand a data center’s size is to recognize how much power is being utilized at the site. Data centers can be measured in square footage but are more accurately measured in power. Servers consume power at a relatively consistent rate, meaning the overall power needs of a data center is a more accurate indicator of the size of a facility. A single rack of servers in a data center consumes between 2-10 kilowatts (kW) of power, while the entire data center facility can consume between 5-75 megawatts (MW). Connectivity Matters A well connected data center includes a high number of fiber providers located at the site, which provides a company flexibility with the fiber providers they want to use for the business operations. Cooling Is A Concern Servers produce a significant amount of heat. Temperature control is one of the primary limiting factors on how large a data center can be. In theory, power providers can deliver hundreds of megawatts to a data center, but a data center’s size is limited by the amount of power it can cool. It’s standard for a data center’s cooling capacity to range from 2-10 kW per rack, but new technology is now allowing organizations to achieve higher densities with their footprint. High Availability Through Redundancy Having systems in place to handle a negative equipment event is critical for data center success. Data centers typically have redundant transformers, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), backup generators, and cooling systems to keep the facility online at all times. Meeting Compliance For Multiple Industries Most industries have strict methods, procedures, and standards around operations. This also applies to how they store their data, meaning a data center must meet that industry’s requirements for a company to use it. Data center compliance focuses on a range of subjects, but often involve the security, redundancy, and operational risk of a data center. Top Tier Security Planning to reduce risk also means securing a data center from man-made hazards. Most of these facilities are surrounded by high-grade perimeter fencing with controlled access gates. Inside, 24/7 security personnel, man-trap entrances, biometric scanners, card key access and floor to ceiling steel caging all help to ensure a company’s data center environment is well protected. More Expensive Than Office Space Data centers require a high degree of specialization and design, which leads to a higher cost to build and operate a data center. Traditional estimates are 10 times more expensive than traditional office space. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkPodcasts and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry.

Tim and David dive into the Northern Virginia market and look at how the data center industry has evolved over time, and how COVID-19 has impacted it. ––––––––––– This is an episode of HawkTalk, datacenterHawk’s series of candid one on one conversations with executives and leaders in the data center industry. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check them all out on our blog. If you’d like to know when we release future episodes, you can subscribe here. You can also listen to the podcast version here. ––––––––––– On HawkTalk 46, David visits with Sabey’s EVP of Sales & Marketing, Tim Mirick. Together they discuss the Northern Virginia data center market and how it’s become the largest data center market in the world. Check out a few quick takeaways from our conversation below. Why data center operators are drawn to Northern Virginia There are a multitude of reasons why Northern Virginia has become the largest data center market in the world. The region boasts excellent connectivity, a strong power structure, excellent government incentives, a strong labor pool, good transportation, and close proximity to several major airports. With all of that coming together, it starts to become a cycle that feeds itself, and in turn, becomes what it is today. Data center design has changed over time to fit the needs of end users Especially in the Northern Virginia market, data center operators need to have the ability to respond to their customers' requirements as they get bigger. For example, since Sabey deployed their first facility in Northern Virginia, they've needed to triple the size of their facilities in order to respond to users who required a larger environment. The scale of user requirements is a large reason why facilities have changed over the past 5-10 years. COVID-19 is changing how data center operators prioritize their presence Before COVID-19, the world spent a lot of energy focusing on moving physical objects and people around but now we’ve seen a change where the focus is turning toward moving and manipulating more data. This means that the data center industry will have a larger load to carry. From additional virtual meetings, virtual learning, and even tradeshows and conferences that are turning towards a total virtual experience, the data center industry will continue to be a part of the critical distribution system that allows all of these events to take place. We also talked about… • Renewable power will continue to be a main focus in the data center industry • COVID-19 has been a catalyst in a way to making our world more virtual Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkTalk's and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry. ------ Thank you for watching this video. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

JLL’s Senior Vice President Andy Cvengros knows the ins and outs of the Chicago data center market and shares his knowledge with us on the current state of the market. This is an episode of HawkTalk, datacenterHawk’s series of candid one on one conversations with executives and leaders in the data center industry. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check them all out on our blog. If you’d like to know when we release future episodes, you can subscribe here. On HawkTalk 45 David discusses the always interesting Chicago data center market with Andy Cvengros. Andy lives in the Chicago area and is continually active in the data center industry while working from home through COVID-19. Here are a few quick takeaways from our conversation below. Historical growth of the Chicago data center market As a major metropolis, Chicago has always been in a prime location when it comes to being the connectivity hub of the midwest. When the financial market grew so rapidly in Chicago, it brought many other industries up with it, including the data center industry. Now, data center development is spread throughout the city to facilities accommodating both hyperscale and enterprise data center users. Chicago, the tale of two data center markets Chicago can be divided into the downtown and suburban data center markets. The suburban area is composed of larger-scale facilities that attract more hyperscale users, and the downtown area is more competitive at attracting companies with higher latency needs. Recently passed tax incentives expected to boost Chicago interest Chicago was previously known as a market that had higher taxes which made the decision for data center professionals to jump into that market difficult. That changed for last year when Illinois passed a few general infrastructure bills that also included data centers which meant that the industry would receive benefits from these changes. This move made Chicago similar to the Dallas or the Northern Virginia markets when it comes to tax benefits, and has seen a lot of additional activity begin to form since then. We also talked about… •How COVID-19 will impact the Chicago market in the future •What the story of the Chicago market will be for the rest of 2020 •Some of the benefits for Andy since he’s been working from home Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkTalk's and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry. ------ Thank you for listening. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

HawkTalk 44 - Bill Cory offers his insight into the growing Portland/Hillsboro data center market Flexential’s Regional Vice President Bill Cory, is an expert on the Portland data center market and gives us an inside look as to why it’s seen as a hot spot in the industry today. Here are a few quick takeaways from our conversation: On HawkTalk 44 David dives into the Portland data center market with Bill Cory, who oversees the western coasts of the US and Canada for Flexential. He currently lives in the Portland area and has been there since 2000. Starting in the telecom industry and transitioning to Flexential (then ViaWest Data Centers) in 2015. Why data center users find the Portland data center market attractive. With the growth of all the SAAS companies, Portland’s location, being that it’s close to both the bay area and Seattle, played big part in why operators and users have become more attracted to the market. Portland has a much cheaper cost of real estate than what you would find in the bay area or Seattle, without being too far away from either. The government, both at the local and state levels in Oregon, have incentives for data center operators to build facilities, while also offering no sales tax which is a benefit for the users to look at the Portland market. Portland’s subsea cable access is one of the major benefits of the market. The amount of data creation is increasing more and more which is making the connectivity of data centers just as much of an important factor as the data itself. Oregon has become a diverse access point for subsea cables crossing the pacific with a favorable and easy coastline to build on. These cables not only are adding a new POP (point of presence) but also add resiliency to the west coast of the United States. What the Portland/Hillsboro market will look like in the coming years. The most recent change in this market has been the increase in large data center facilities. Hyperscale users with larger deployments typically prefer these larger facilities compared to the traditionally smaller facilities that were built years before. There are currently individual facilities planned that are larger than the entire capacity that the Hillsboro market has had for the last 20 years. We also talked about… –How COVID-19 had effected the data center industry –What makes Bill excited to be in the data center industry moving forward ------ Thank you for listening. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

This is an episode of HawkPodcast, datacenterHawk’s internal conversations about the data center industry. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check them all out on our blog. If you’d like to know when we release future episodes, you can subscribe here. On HawkPodcast 27 David and I look back at HawkPodcast 20, where we made our predictions for 2020, and see what we got right, and what we missed, and how COVID-19 has impacted them. (spoiler: we didn’t predict a global pandemic would occur.) Here are a few quick takeaways from our conversation as well as links to what we talked about below. Data center facilities continue operating despite COVID-19 challenges Data center operators have figured out how to move forward in the midst of the pandemic. We feel bullish on the amount of activity that has already taken place in the 2Q 2020 and believe that COVID-19 hasn’t materially impacted data center operator’s ability to bring supply online.​ Virtual tours and remote monitoring highlight flexibility as data center operators look for new ways to attract and service customers​ COVID-19 is changing business as we know it and it’s caused data center operators to take a different approach to some of their norms. For example, some major operators have created virtual tours for their major data centers, such as Aligned Energy, Stream Data Centers, & Equinix. Operators with robust remote monitoring systems in place are seeing usage increase dramatically and those who do not are moving to implement them. ​ A look toward the second half of 2020 in the data center industry Toward the end of the episode, David & Mike discuss where the data center industry is headed in 2020. A couple of predictions that we discuss are, large cloud service providers leasing activity will be increased when compared to 2019, due in part to COVID-19. A little less M&A activity in the first half of 2020, but we expect there to be more in the second half. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkPodcasts and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry. ------ Thank you for watching this video. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterH... ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterh... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidligg... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488... Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

Dallas is a major data center market, but how did it get there and what does it's future look like? Anthony Bolner of Stream Data Centers has been in the industry for 20+ years. On this episode he breaks down his view of the current Dallas data center market with our CEO, David Liggitt. ––––––––––––––––––––––– This is an episode of HawkTalk, datacenterHawk’s series of candid one on one conversations with executives and leaders in the data center industry. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check them all out on our blog. If you’d like to know when we release future episodes, you can subscribe here. ––––––––––––––––––––––– If you’re short on time, you’ll find a few quick takeaways from our conversation as well as links to what we talked about below. Recent hyperscale activity indicates a healthy outlook for Dallas Dallas has always had a healthy enterprise demand but in the past two to three years we’ve seen multiple hyperscalers and cloud service providers enter the market. It certainly isn’t at the scale of other markets but we view it as a strong indicator of future growth. Comparatively low economic costs in Dallas make it an attractive market The cost of doing business in Dallas makes it an attractive market for data center operators. Electricity in Dallas can run under $0.045/kwh which is among the lowest in the nation. Oncor is the primary electricity provider in the market and has made good paths to renewable resources, which continues to grow in importance particularly for cloud providers. The cost of living, labor market, and availability of land also make Dallas attractive. Dallas suburbs are seeing more data center development than downtown Twenty years ago the Dallas data center market centered around the carrier hotels. Lately though it’s become a suburban development game as the industry seeks larger sites and bigger floor plans. Campuses continue to grow in popularity because it provides additional flexibility around the scale and timing of bringing capacity to market. Hyperscalers are creating large dark fiber paths which leads providers to build data centers based off the proximity to these key players. Even with extensive land in the suburbs, Dallas is starting to see two story designs come into the market, which was previously unthinkable. Stream continues to expand even during COVID-19 Stream has continued to expand by leaning heavily on their processes and procedures. They’ve continued with construction on 4.5 MW in Phoenix with an eye to eventually scale up to 200 MW. They’re under construction on 3.5 MW in Chicago and for end users, currently have product available in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Minneapolis among other markets. We also talked about… How the Dallas data center market has changed over the years How data center users think about the facilities they will go into What the key indicators will be in Dallas moving forward Don’t forget to check out the rest of our HawkTalks and don’t miss out on our latest release of market data for the data center industry. ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

Data Foundry knows a thing or two about Texas data centers. They're a data center provider and know how to produce a great product! Data Foundry began in 1994 and owns 6 data centers in the Austin and Houston markets. They’ve focused on the Texas data center markets and as discussed in the video have honed their product to offer a high quality service. Their Chief Technology Officer, Edward Henigin made time to sit down with David and talk all about the different Texas markets. Edward was Data Foundry’s first employee 20+ years ago and has been an integral part of Data Foundry’s evolution over the years. Here’s a break down of what we talk about in the video: 10:30 - Why Data Foundry has chosen to focus on Texas markets 12:20 - Specifics about the Houston data center market 15:45 - Specifics about the Austin data center market 20:00 - How companies today can get the colocation process right 25:00 - Why connectivity has become so important to the data center business 27:30 - The typical day of a CTO in the data center industry 29:15 - The biggest electrical and mechanical changes in the data center industry 33:00 - What’s going to impact the data center market in the next 3-5 years We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. If you would like any more information on the Houston, Austin, or any of the other US & European data center markets check out our site, datacenterhawk.com. We provide information about data center providers, and their specific facilities as well as market overviews. ------ Thank you for listening. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk

David gets the opportunity to sit down with Peter Jones, CDO at Yondr Group. Yondr in based in Amsterdam so dcH loved getting Pete's input on the data center market in Europe. Let us know some of your thoughts on the European data center market in the comments below.

Join the conversation as David and Corey dive into the data center industry and some of Digital Realty's strategic decisions. Great talk with a ton of info to take away from it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. ------ Thank you for watching this video. I am appreciative of your thoughts and comments - and thankful for the opportunity to serve the industry through datacenterHawk. ------ Learn more about the data center industry and receive insight to US and European markets at https://www.datacenterhawk.com ------ For more exclusive content with data center professionals, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/datacenterHawk?sub_confirmation=1 ------ Receive the latest information on US and now European data center markets by staying in touch with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datacenterhawk_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidliggitt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9488532/admin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/d_liggitt Twitter: https://twitter.com/datacenterhawk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/datacenterhawk/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/datacenterhawk