DATA CENTERS FIND GREATER OMAHA
A GREAT FIT

Many factors are taken into consideration when determining the best location for a data center and these factors are why Greater Omaha is home to some of the most recognized names in the technology sector. Organizations including Yahoo!, Google, First Data Resources, Verizon and PayPal, among others, all have a significant presence in Omaha.

“Low power costs, low real estate costs, plenty of bandwidth, a productive workforce and the quality of life all made Omaha the preferred location for this data center,” said Scott Noteboom, director of data center engineering and operations for Yahoo!

“From an infrastructure standpoint,” stated Noteboom, “Omaha more than met our requirements by offering access to multiple carriers with redundant paths to all the major Internet points of presence across the country.

“In the mid-1990s, during the technology boom, there was an infrastructure build-out with billions of dollars spent on laying fiber across the country. A lot of that fiber ended up going right through Omaha. That’s what helped turn Omaha into a core Internet city.”

Once fully deployed, Yahoo!’s 100,000-square-foot data center in Greater Omaha will have more than one hundred thousand computers servicing functions from e-mail to front page and everything in between.

Other technology-focused organizations also rely heavily on Omaha’s infrastructure and resources to keep their operations running smoothly. In fact, the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the national command and control center for strategic forces around the world, operates its Global Innovation and Strategy Center (GISC) out of Omaha. The GISC is a hardened, ultra-high-security data center where complex war-fighting scenarios are played out with some of the most sophisticated technology in the world. Therefore, the USSTRATCOM military installation requires a reliable, high-capacity technology infrastructure to maintain operations in support of our national defense.

While technical considerations weigh heavily on where to locate a data center, they certainly aren’t the only considerations. Other valuable differentiators that Omaha provides include an educated and affordable workforce, collocation opportunities, available real estate, a nationally recognized quality of life and access to a full range of local data center vendors and suppliers.

“One thing that surprised me about Omaha was the higher productivity of the workforce,” Noteboom added. “I attribute that to the quality of life. It’s an affordable place to live. People can buy a house and do all the things they look for in life; and the entertainment and cultural opportunities are top-notch.

“In a nutshell, Greater Omaha meets all our big city needs, yet still has a strong community vibe to it. It’s hard to describe. There’s just a very intimate and caring feeling and quality about this area that’s very real. That really makes a difference.”