IBM to Open Data Center in Scotland in January

Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

IBM plans to open a new data center by early next year in Scotland intended for medium-size businesses, the company said Friday.

The data center will be located in the city of Greenock where IBM already has services-related facilities. The center will have efficient cooling, backup diesel generators, 24-hour security as well as resilient Internet connections, IBM said.

Companies can either put their own back-office hardware in the center or use IBM's equipment. Tenants can either manage their own equipment or have IBM do basic management and monitoring.

IBM contends businesses could save money using the new facility by not having to maintain their own data centers.

IBM will spend £2 million (US$3.52 million) on the design and building of the data center, according to an IBM spokeswoman. It is scheduled to open in January 2009.