"Softlayer (IBM's latest aquistion and provider of IaaS) announced Monday that it will build its newest Global Data Center in Hong Kong. The center is expected to go live in Q1 of 2014, and will be the company's third outside of the U.S. following Singapore and Amsterdam.
This data center will be the company's 14th, and will differ from the traditional IBM business model of large-corporation based support, and will focus more on Softlayer's 21,000 individual customers and cloud-based businesses.
According to George Karidis, COO, of Softlayer:
""Many of our customers operate globally and they may not have an operation in Hong Kong, but their customers are based in the region and they need to provide the same quality of service,"" and Karidis went on to say ""current customers include gaming companies like 6Waves in Hong Kong, as well as other technology-driven companies like WhatsApp, Yelp, Citrix, Intel and Ogilvy.""
Another reason Softlayer chose Hong Kong for its latest center's location is the areas' Start-Up friendly atmosphere. Softlayer, a company driven by Tech startups, started an accelerator program named ""Catalyst."" Launched two years ago, the program, offers free mentoring and referral services for tech startups to help them connect with potential investors or partners.
""Operating as a tech startup is at the DNA of Softlayer,"" said Karidis. ""We do not charge any fees or shares, but it is a program to build a community and support system for tech entrepreneurs.""
In fact, the data center's first full-time employee in Hong Kong will be a part of the Catalyst team. Softlayer is also planning to hire a team of 20 to 25 people to operate the local data center, which is expected to host 8,000 to 15,000 servers."