It’s no secret that the largest tech enterprises are located in Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all their data is also there. As leasing space at colocation centers becomes more popular, large and small companies alike are storing their data outside of California. This has driven growth in the colocation market, particularly in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

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This phenomenon does not stop there. As more companies start focusing on reduced latency and user proximity, data centers around the country and around the world are leasing more and more space to the same entities. North America has several Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) where most traffic is routed.

Main Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)

The main hubs include:

Secondary access points include:

Improving Latency

These IXPs were developed to enable network interconnection via exchange access points without using any third-party networks. This was created as a result of population density.

A common exchange point for ISPs to exchange traffic must be designed to handle the volume.

More often than not, they are all built in the same city to get around latency. As these locations are primarily close to industries and major population centers, multiple colocation centers in the area are expected to rise.

Zayo Group, EdgeConnex, and FPL Growing Miami Colocation Footprint

Looking at Miami's colocation, in particular, the area has seen a lot of activity lately.

The Zayo Group built a data center in Miami that includes a high-count fiber ring to connect the DRT data center to the NAP of the Americas. This opens up network access for the main players in the Miami central business district, providing in-building access to 15 major carriers.

EdgeConnex is another Miami colocation provider that is aggressively expanding in the area.

Having recently opened a purpose-built power-dense data center in Miami, it is now the closest physical location to a broadband or wireless data consumer. This enables content such as applications and videos to be viewed quickly, avoiding buffering and other performance-related problems.

Further, Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) has been pre-qualified to build a Miami colocation center.

The company based out of Palm Beach County chose this area due to characteristics such as fiber infrastructure, reliable and redundant access to power, competitive cost structures, and insulation from man-made disasters.

This comes as no surprise: according to Data Center Map, Miami is the most popular colocation location in Florida, with 25 data centers. This is followed closely by Tampa,  which has 19 data centers in the area.

The Bottom Line

As Miami's colocation and national colocation continue to grow, you can consider the colocation market wide open.

As New York City and Silicon Valley are the most expensive data center markets, the rising land and electricity costs are forcing companies to find colocation elsewhere. These days, there is no reason to have everything in one location. Now you can shop around for the best price anywhere in the country or even the rest of the world.

Do you provide colocation in Miami? Or are you a buyer of colocation services? And what trends have you noticed in recent months? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.

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