State Of The Data Center Market

The data center market is consolidating, with many of the large operators and industry-leading cloud providers looking to acquire physical facilities. While some companies in the cloud space are deciding they don't need to own physical data center facilities to compete, some of the tier-two cloud service providers are putting themselves on the radar with a small number of strategically placed data center locations.

For nearly 20 years, Global Communication Networks Inc. (GCN) has been advising carriers, cloud and service providers, and enterprise clients to build out their data center footprints around the world. GCN, based in Pompano Beach, Fla., focuses on data center consulting, project management, and helping its clients add vendor-neutral networking and voice services, and cloud computing solutions. While large, industry-leading cloud providers are among GCN's biggest clients, the company is also seeing an uptick in smaller cloud service provider customers.  

S. Chris Palermo (pictured), president and CEO of GCN, shares his views on the state of the data center market – who's buying, selling, and building – the opportunity for tier-two cloud service providers, and the importance of being a channel-friendly cloud service provider.