"Canada is quickly becoming the newest data center hub in the industry, as a growing number of service providers look to locate facilities in the country. This summer, a number of companies announced plans for Canadian data center projects, including CenturyLink, Salesforce and SAP Canada.
CenturyLink's Toronto Data Center
In early July, CenturyLink announced the launch of its newest Canadian data center in Toronto. According to Data Center Knowledge, the new facility comes in addition to the company's other Toronto data center, as well as its structure in Vancouver.
The new data center is being built in response to growing client needs across the country, and especially in the Toronto area. Many customers in the region are concerned about data privacy and are seeking out facilities that are within Canadian borders.
""There's lots of demand for cloud in Canada,"" said Richard Seroter, CenturyLink's director of product management.
Salesforce Announces Plans for Two New Canadian Data Centers
Another organization expanding its service footprint in Canada is Salesforce, which announced at the Salesforce1 World Tour plans for two new facilities in early July.
Datacenter Dynamics reported that the new Toronto data centers would provide customer relationship management resources for the company's rising level of Canadian clients. Currently, Gartner research shows that Salesforce is the leading provider of cloud-based CRM solutions in the country.
The new data centers come as part of Salesforce's efforts for further expansion across the globe. Additionally, the facilities will also help support the company's growing network, currently boasting 20 independent software vendors that utilize Salesforce solutions to store and deliver enterprise applications.
""Canada is a critical part of our global strategy and our plans for Canadian data centers reflect that,"" noted Salesforce EVP Mike Rosenbaum. ""More leading Canadian companies are asking Salesforce to connect with customers in a whole new way.""
SAP Canada Opens First Ontario Data Center
The Canadian branch of SAP also announced a Canada-based data center project, noting that it had opened its first facility in Markham, Ontario. According to Channel Buzz, the new data center joins the company's other 15 global structures, and has plans for further expansion in the near future. So far, the organization has launched new data centers in Australia, Tokyo and Japan and is looking to establish a Brazilian facility later this year.
""This speaks volumes to our commitment to the cloud,"" noted SAP Canada managing director Bob Elliott. ""We've invested in our partners in Canada in our ecosystem ahead of the revenue coming in, and that's the only thing that has been close in terms of the level of investment."""
