Data Centers

Affordable and reliable power, bandwidth and infrastructure, redundancies, a skilled workforce, water for cooling, affordable real estate, disaster avoidance, state and local incentives, and the list goes on. These and many other reasons are why so many technology-reliant companies are sprouting up in the Greater Omaha area. Yahoo!, PayPal, TD AMERITRADE, First Data and Google in Council Bluffs, among others, all have a significant technology presence in the Greater Omaha area.

And it's not just the technical assets that set Greater Omaha apart. It's also the unmatched quality of life. Greater Omaha and the state of Nebraska have received national attention for everything from the stable business environment to quality educations, an affordable cost of living, cultural, entertainment and recreational amenities and a thriving and vibrant downtown. Bottom line - Greater Omaha is a place to live, work and play.

But don't take our word for it. View this short video or open the brochures above to see and why industry giants, like Yahoo!, have selected Greater Omaha as a preferred location for data center operations.

Technology Presence
The Omaha Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is home to several large data centers and information-assurance operations including:

ConAgra Foods
CoSentry (data center housing)
First Data (payment card processing)
First National Technology Solutions (data center hosting and IT outsourcing)
Google
InfoCrossing (data center hosting)
PayPal
Qwest
TD AMERITRADE
Union Pacific Railroad
Verizon Business
Yahoo!

In addition, the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the national command and control center for strategic forces around the globe, is headquartered on Offut Air Force Base, which is in the Greater Omaha MSA. This sizeable military installation requires a reliable, high-capacity technology infrastructure to maintain operations in support of our national defense. As such, a number of nationally recognized high-tech defense contractors have located here to serve these military operations including Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Booz Allen Hamilton and Boeing, just to name a few.

Infrastructure and Bandwidth
Omaha's leadership in information technology is enabled by one of the strongest telecommunications infrastructures in the nation with access to major north, south, east and west fiber-optic networks, multiple points of presence (POPs) and direct, high-capacity connections.

Utilites
Greater Omaha offers both affordable and reliable electrical power as well as abundant, low-cost water. As the only all-public power state in the U.S., Nebraska uses tax-exempt bond financing and reinvests energy profits back into infrastructure. The result is industrial electrical rates more than 35 percent below the national average. In addition, Greater Omaha operates a three-grid water supply source with six reservoirs and more than 2,200 miles of water mains allowing for plentiful, clean and low-cost water.

Follow these links for detailed utilities information and to learn about Omaha Public Power District and Metropolitan Utilities District's ability to handle your data center needs.

Workforce
The average wage in Greater Omaha for information technology positions is more than nine percent below the national average and with a large, local talent pool available from an existing employer base, Omaha offers both an affordable and abundant workforce.

Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations: Wage Estimates - Mean Annual ($)
Occupation Code	Occupation Title	Employment (Omaha)*	Omaha	U.S.	Wage Differential: Omaha to U.S. (%)
15-0000	Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations	14,320	$69,550	$74,500	-6.6
15-1021	Computer Programmers	1,840	$69,780	$74,690	-6.6
15-1031	Computer Software Engineers, Applications	2,310	$80,400	$90,170	-10.8
15-1032	Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software	2,100	$79,420	$96,620	-17.8
15-1041	Computer Support Specialists	1,780	$41,210	$47,360	-13.0
15-1051	Computer Systems Analysts	2,100	$71,760	$80,430	-10.8
10-1061	Database Administrators	630	$75,520	$74,290	1.7
10-1071	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	1,280	$64,470	$70,930	-9.1
10-1081	Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts	1,270	$68,950	$76,560	-9.9
10-1099	Computer Specialists, All Other	340	$75,870	$78,010	-2.7
Source: May 2009 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Bureau of Labor Statistics *Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately.

In addition to the existing labor shed, there are more than 121,700 college students within a 50-mile radius of Omaha. These students and their future employers benefit from a very strong system of IT programs throughout the area. The following links will provide more information about Greater Omaha's workforce and the 21 colleges and universities in the region.

Limited Risk for Natural Disaster
Located near the geographic center of the U.S., Greater Omaha is well protected from coastal dangers, sits outside of any primary seismic threat zones and is not located along fault lines. Therefore, compared to the rest of the nation, Greater Omaha has a very low probability of, and exposure to, natural disasters.

No risk of landslides, hurricanes, volcanoes and tsunamis and extremely minimal risk of wildfire.
The lowest-rated geography in the nation for earthquake activity.
Minimal risk for flooding based on location and proximity to flood plains. This risk can be virtually eliminated through proper site selection, construction and engineering.
Tornado frequency is lower in the northern plains and Greater Omaha is rated second lowest (on a scale of 1-5) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Storm Prediction Center.
Proximity to “high exposure” targets is less in the Midwest and environmental contamination threats (proximity to hazardous materials) are very limited.

Incentives
Greater Omaha and the state of Nebraska offer some very competitive and attractive incentives for data center projects. Our Incentives Section provides details on the various state and local incentives for locating a data center in Greater Omaha. By coupling these incentives with all the other benefits this community offers, it's easy to see why so many technology-reliant organizations have a significant presence in the Greater Omaha area.