Five 9s Digital Expands in Eagan, Minnesota update from November 2011

Eagan, Minnesota is set to become the state’s next telecommunications hub, as the city has unveiled plans for a 138,000 square foot data center project.  Seven months in the making, the deal with North Carolina’s Five 9s Digital, LLC calls for the construction of a specialized data center/colocation facility called The Connexion which will be open to all telecommunications and internet service providers as well as local and regional companies needing offsite data storage.

“Customers tell us there is a current lack of high quality data center options in the marketplace,” says Five 9s CEO, Doug Hollidge. “In our solution, The Connexion will provide high connectivity, private data suites, route redundancy and environmental efficiencies.”

Since 2005 the Eagan Technology Working Group has been studying the broadband needs of the city.  Due to its cold climate, the Eagan area is ideal for the use of  "free cooling" (using outside air to cool servers), making it nicely suited as a data center location.  The Connexion will also solve the issue of high capacity fiber networks in the area having to funnel through one facility in the region before transmitting to the rest of the world.  XO Communications will be one of the fiber service providers for The Connexion offering high capacity connectivity via an alternate Southern long haul fiber route which will connect to a transwestern fiber link.  This offers other providers another level of redundant service in the region.

The facility is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2012. For more information, visit the Eagan Patch article and Press Release