"ByteGrid Holdings, a whole and multi-tenant data center provider, recently announced that it acquired a 70,000-square-foot facility in Aurora, Ill. The Tier III data center sits on a 5.25 acre data center campus in the conveniently located suburb, about 30 miles west of downtown Chicago. ByteGrid acquired the data center, which was originally constructed in 2007, from CNA Financial Corporation affiliate Continental Casualty Company under a sale and partial leaseback agreement. It represents ByteGrid's first foray into the Chicago metro area as the Northern Virginia-based provider seeks to expand its footprint westward.
The facility, erected by CNA in response to heightened capacity and business resilience demand, is generally regarded as one of the top enterprise facilities in the Chicago region. CNA will still remain the primary tenant under the sales agreement and will occupy about 30 percent of the facility. ByteGrid stated that it would convert the data center's 34,000 square feet of raised floor space into a multi-tenant facility. Initially, it will lease 25,000 square feet of space and 6 megawatts of power capacity to enterprise and government sector seekers.
The facility also features redundant 2N uninterruptible power supplies and N+1 mechanical systems. Its resilient and redundant components satisfying PCI, HIPAA and FISMA compliance and physical security standards, according to ByteGrid. On-site office space also allows companies to have meeting areas at their data center, while its slightly removed location isolates the facility from some of the harsh weather-related effects that often pummel Chicago, located on the shore of Lake Michigan.
""We are extremely pleased that CNA selected us to not only be their partner, but also to participate in helping them solve some of their key business challenges,"" said Kenneth Parent, ByteGrid chief executive officer. ""Our blueprint for converting single tenant data centers to multi-tenant data centers is proven as a complimentary strategy for large organizations seeking to optimize IT performance and operating costs in a way that is completely transparent.""
Opportunity Awaits for Chicago Data Center
ByteGrid also announced that the transaction spurred interest among potential tenants in expanding their on-the-ground footprint in the Chicago area, a vital location for many financial services, retail, technology and enterprise firms. The facility's network connectivity assets include several Tier I telecommunications providers and fiber carriers.
""The Chicago market continues to show strong demand and represents a natural next step in our national expansion strategy."" Parent stated. ""The Aurora facility is world-class and well suited for large organizations with the demanding requirements for security and reliability. We are committed to the market and will continue to evaluate additional expansion opportunities here.""
The facility is the latest in a slew of moves by the company, which began to expands its D.C. Metro area footprint in 2012 with a 77,322-square-foot facility in Alpharetta, Ga., and continued last year with the acquisition of a more than 333,000-square-foot facility in downtown Cleveland. The company now offers more than 705,000 square feet of multi-tenant data center space across the country."
