SingleHop Launches Its Largest Enterprise-Class Data Center In Chicago Area To Meet Heavy Demand For Hosted Private Cloud Solutions

$30M State-of-the-Art Data Center Features Heightened Redundancy, Security, and Key Capabilities Designed For Specific Needs of Hosted Private Clouds 

SingleHop, a leading provider of on-demand hosted private clouds and managed hosting, recently announced the launch of its newest and largest data center facility in Franklin Park, Illinois. SingleHop custom-built a network from the ground up and a data center to meet the growing demand for SingleHop’s most popular infrastructure product category: hosted private cloud solutions.

The Rapid Rise in Demand for Hosted Private Clouds
Demand for SingleHop’s private cloud offering has grown steadily since last year, making it the company’s fastest growing product segment. Enterprises deploy hosted private clouds as an alternative to on-premise private clouds, colocation and even large-scale deployments within public mega-clouds because they offer a faster time to market, a superior blend of features and better economics than traditional infrastructure options. Hosted private clouds are especially preferable for a wide range of enterprise workloads from ERP systems to large-scale HIPAA and PCI compliant environments.

“Enterprises are adopting our hosted private cloud service at a rapid rate because it offers the same level of agility and control as a public cloud services do, but with fixed economics and the white glove service that enterprises have come to expect from SingleHop,” said Zak Boca, Chief Executive Officer of SingleHop. “We’re committed to meeting this demand at every level, which is why we have invested tens of millions of dollars and extensive planning into this new facility.”

Not All Data Centers Are Created Equal – Security, Efficiency, Redundancy, Density
SingleHop recognized that a larger, more sophisticated data center and network design was required to meet the specific needs of hosted private cloud deployments while maintaining a laser focus on excellent service for all its customers. Every detail of the data center and network creates increased redundancy, operational efficiency, and the state-of-the-art security that private clouds require. Some important custom details include the centrally located Network Operations Center (NOC) just feet from the data center floor, high-density power configuration and an upgraded and enhanced network configuration. Even the open cabinet design and specially fabricated metal server brackets add to efficiency and better operations.

"In the world of outsourced cloud services, enterprises are asking for a growing list of capabilities to deliver the control, consistency, performance and security they demand. This is why many are choosing private clouds over public clouds,” said Philbert Shih, Founder and Managing Director of Structure Research. “Underneath the hood, data center infrastructure is a primary building block that supports a sophisticated stack of enterprise-grade gear running on high-capacity networks and drawing large quantities of power. Legacy infrastructure does not always do the trick. So building from the ground up, with updated technologies and advanced redundant design to meet these complex requirements, has increasingly become table stakes.”

The new facility includes advanced security features that provide 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week surveillance. From on-site security guards, dual checkpoints, and numerous layers of biometric security, including fingerprint and iris scanners, SingleHop’s new facility delivers the an unparalleled peace-of-mind for customers. Additionally, SingleHop’s new facility features software-defined networking, designed for both capacity and security, which facilitates faster time to market for private cloud solutions. The all-Cisco network includes security technologies from Alert Logic and Radware in its design in order to protect all customer servers from DDoS attacks and other electronic threats.

A $30M, 10-year investment, SingleHop’s new Chicago-area data center is in a new, carrier-neutral Digital Reality Trust campus. The data center is the company’s largest and most sophisticated. Some of the core features of the new data center include: 

• Highly redundant (N2) core electrical and environmental systems
• Approximately 13,000 square feet of whitespace with adjacent space for expansion
• Capacity for up to 20,000 servers
• On-site network operations center staffed 24x7

Data Center Availability and Early Customer Success
SingleHop currently has data centers strategically located in Chicago, Phoenix, and Amsterdam. The new Franklin Park data center is now live and currently hosts infrastructure for many category-leading companies including the Federal Savings Bank of Chicago, Kingsway Financial Services, CareTree, Aleyant Systems, Flex Rental Solutions, Catchpoint Technologies, Belly Card, as well as technology partners such as Metro Data Center, Avant Communications, and X4 Solutions.

For more information,visit http://library.singlehop.com/assets_marketing/data_sheets/chicago-3-dc_details.pdf

About SingleHop
SingleHop, a leading global provider of hosted IT infrastructure and cloud computing, brings together a unique combination of enterprise-class technologies from industry-leading vendors, and a proprietary automation engine, to deliver a customized cloud infrastructure experience for enterprises of all sizes. Their powerful portal and award-winning automation platform make it simple to design and support the optimal cloud environment. Their service includes full-life cycle, white glove support, instantly scalable solutions, and comprehensive integrated security. SingleHop serves more than 4,000 customers in more than 124 countries with data centers across the United States and Europe.