24 Jun 5Nines Data Services: downtown Madison’s new data center
Physically and virtually, 5Nines sits on hot property
MADISON – If location is everything, then 5Nines Data Services has some hot real estate. 5Nines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Matador Consulting, located at Network222, is downtown Madison’s only data center and shares a wall with a major Internet bandwidth provider, Norlight Telecommunications.
Founded in 2003, 5Nines’ proximity to Norlight’s point of presence (POP) has created advantages for its customers in both cost and speed, such as a DS3 connection and lack of local loop charges. Brookfield-based Norlight is an upstream provider with network connections to major metropolitan areas.
“Our location is a huge advantage for customers in data centers. There’s essentially limitless bandwidth,” said Rylee Wedekind, partner of Matador Consulting. “It’s like real estate: You’re buying property that is close to the Internet provider.”
5Nines is marketing itself to small and medium-sized businesses, which Wedekind believes is a different market than what larger data center providers, such as Berbee, cater to.
And it’s working.
Recently, the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative chose to co-locate their wide-area network and servers at 5Nines. The group, which seeks to strengthen and enhance the quality of rural health care through networking and shared services, sought increased bandwidth
“RWHC now has a DS3 Internet bandwidth connection with direct access to Norlight’s POP which allows our members to share information more quickly,” said Larry Clifford, RWHC director of product and member development, in a statement. “By co-locating our network equipment and servers at 5Nines, we have been able to reduce our members’ costs, which is always a great consideration in health care.”
The facility currently fulfills the duties of any data center, including co-location and hosting, said Jay Thomas, vice president of 5Nines. But in the future, the company plans on offering other services, such as application services via the Internet and remote storage.
He added the center is designed for growth, developing over the next two to three years.
“It might look like overkill today, but if somebody wants to come and fill up our racks, we don’t have to turn them away,” Thomas said.
With its grand opening slated for July, 5Nines’ has been installing environmental and security controls. Most recently, the company installed 20-ton air conditioner and soon, biometric locks will be added. Additionally, the center is connected to Madison Gas & Electric’s downtown dual power grid via a 30-kVA uninterruptible power supply, significantly reducing the chance of electrical problems.
New equipment and location aside, 5Nines perhaps benefits most from the staff expertise of its parent company, Matador.
“They both compliment each other. Matador is knowledge and 5Nines is equipments. It’s a natural balance for two technology companies,” Wedekind said.
________
Kristin V. Johnson is the Associate Editor of WTN. She can be reached at kristin@wistechnology.com.