Build-to-Suit Data Centers: The Best Option You Haven’t Considered

In this edition of Voices of the Industry, Chris Kincaid, Senior Vice President of Design and Construction at Stream Data Centers, explores how build-to-suit data centers may be the answer to your colocation needs. 

The customized solution to your data center dilemma

The growing demands of big data and complex systems increase the need for secure, scalable data center expansion. Thinking through options brings up concerns of privacy, capacity, control, reliability and more. Colocation may be an attractive option on the surface, but will sharing a facility allow you to expand when you need to?

What will protect your data from colocating companies? How can you maintain control when other companies need control, too? Building the data center yourself may solve those problems, but how can you manage costs? How can you focus on your primary business while designing and building a data center? In fact, how do you even start finding the best location, much less how to develop an optimal infrastructure and operating environment?

The fact is, the more time and resources you spend on figuring out physical solutions like capacity, privacy and security, the less time you can devote to your core business — and your customers.

Fortunately, an experienced data center developer can design, build and support a cost-efficient data center that fits your needs. Expert developers like Stream Data Centers understand how to overcome capacity constraints that can result from an increasingly complex IT strategy. With the right partner, you can design, build and support a cost-efficient data center that fits, regardless of how much expansion is needed.

To build or not to build

Finding the right option for increasing data center capacity is largely a matter of strategy. Leasing the space you need from a colocation provider allows companies to own their equipment, while the data center provider manages the staff to operate and maintain the facility — addressing cooling, power, physical security, flood protection and other building-related concerns.

If you build the data center yourself, you acquire property, construct the facility, and equip and operate it. Perhaps you believe that do-it-yourself is the only way to ensure the space, security, control and room-to-grow that your company needs. But unless you are already in the real estate business, you may be in for a struggle. Selecting the best site for a data center much more than finding the optimal location. You need reliable, cost-efficient utilities and fiber, reasonable land and construction costs, moderate taxes and other strategic features. Even if you’ve built your own data centers in the past, you may find that the evolution of digital deployment has changed the game so radically that the time has come to reconsider your strategy.

Build-to-suit data centers are designed and built to fit your needs, customized from the ground up according to your specifications. This option offers you the ability to choose the location, size and design that meets your requirements — using operating expenses rather than capital expenditures. Build-to-suit is the investor-friendly option that gives you the data center you want while conserving capital funds for your core business. You’ll have the space and capacity you need now with the ability to scale up quickly as you grow without paying for space and power you don’t use. And at every step, you maintain security, privacy and control.

A closer look at build-to-suit solutions

The way to meet the challenges of various data center requirements is to maintain a proven stable of supply chain resources. For instance, Stream offers best-in-class data center products that include Hyperscale Data Centers. Ready-to-Fit Powered Shells, Private Data Center suites, flexible colocation environments and build-to-suit data centers that combine our proven design methodology with customer centric solutions to deliver a hybrid product that meets every need. We can easily develop greenfield builds as well as full or partial renovations of existing facilities in less time than the typical operator can do it themselves.

Build-to-suit data centers offer several key advantages

• Design and planning expertise
• A tailored fit
• Data center specialists
• Outstanding security and control
• Faster time to market at lower cost
• Industry knowledge
• Best practices
• Flexibility at every stage

Does your data center fit?

If you’ve outgrown your data center — or feel it stretching at the seams — partner with a developer that is ready to deliver a built-to-suit data center that fits you perfectly. Proven methodology provides the experience to deliver a tailored product that meets your requirements efficiently and cost-effectively.

Chris Kincaid is senior vice president of design and construction, overseeing the development of Stream Data Centers product portfolio of Hyperscale Data Centers, Private Data Center facilities and Ready-to-Fit powered shells. A partnership with Stream means that you’ll get a made-to-order data center that meets your needs today with scalability for the future.