New data center opens for business in Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wis. - Wisconsin Independent Network, a provider of IP solutions, has announced the availability of its new 4,200-square-foot data center in downtown Eau Claire.

The company has completely refurbished a former Sequent Computer/IBM office and data center after moving its headquarters to the location last May.

Data centers, designed primarily for critical business information technology equipment such as computer servers and data storage devices, are in increasing demand as businesses look for secure, fault-tolerant alternatives to building and maintaining their own data processing and data storage sites.

Most data centers are located in larger metropolitan areas like Milwaukee, Madison, and the Twin Cities, but a growing number are being located in smaller communities situated between large markets.

The need for co-located data center service is likely to increase as information-intensive industries, including financial and healthcare firms, try to meet regulatory requirements for retaining and backing up electronic information files in geographically separated locations. As part of his Invest Wisconsin 2.0 package, State Sen. Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield, would provide $2 million in tax credits over two years for companies that build new, environmentally friendly data centers in Wisconsin.

In addition to providing physical space for IT equipment, the WIN data center will operate a 2,500-mile fiber optic network throughout the region. It is designed to securely connect back to the site customers in 50 cities in four Midwestern states.

The center's first tenant is Airstream Communications, an Internet service organization that is a sister company of WIN. Both organizations are part of Communications Management Group, LLC, which is owned by 31 independent telephone companies.

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