BETHESDA, Md. — OptiGlobe, the leading provider of mission critical Internet data center services in Latin America, announced the opening of its first advanced Internet data center (IDC) in São Paulo, Brazil. The opening marks OptiGlobe’s entry into the Latin American market and kicks off its aggressive plans to build data centers in 13 major Latin American cities by the end of 2002.
OptiGlobe offers customers a full range of in-region hosting, collocation, IP connectivity, Tier 1 peering, managed services, and provides the highest level of security and redundancy of all systems for mission critical needs. The company launched its IDC in Sao Paulo with 31 customers and a sales pipeline of US $12 million.
“We modeled our infrastructure after the best-of-breed IDCs in the United States and staffed it with the best IT people in Latin America and the U.S. to build a solid infrastructure that services this region’s Internet data needs,” said Scott Puritz, chairman and CEO, OptiGlobe. “OptiGlobe’s IDCs are positioned to meet the growing demands of our corporate customers, whether it be a need for increased hosting space, bandwidth or managed services.”
OptiGlobe’s launch strategy calls for a singular focus on the ripe Latin American market. According to industry expert International Data Corporation, e-commerce spending in Latin America is expected to nearly double to US $1.1 billion in the next year and demand for hosting and collocation is expected to surge to a projected US $13.6 billion by 2010 in OptiGlobe’s target markets.
To date, OptiGlobe has invested over US $100 million to build the largest and most robust IDC in Brazil and in all of Latin America. The building can host up to 9,000 servers, enough servers to run one-half the Internet traffic in Brazil. Each center is equipped with a diverse power grid, multiple cold water sources, multiple fiber optic conduit banks, guaranteed power supply, security and fire systems — a combination that is impossible for individual businesses to duplicate. Each center also has highly-trained engineers and technical teams who offer unmatched levels of expertise 24/7.
“OptiGlobe brings a new level of reliability, security and expertise to the Latin American market, making outsourcing mission critical applications a safe and cost-effective decision for major companies in the region,” said Rance Hesketh, country manager, OptiGlobe Brazil.
OptiGlobe’s plans for 2001 include a fully-funded deployment of state-of-the-art data centers in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico. Construction of more than 1.5 million square feet (139 400 m2) of data center space has already begun in these markets.
OptiGlobe’s IDCs offer a wide range of customer benefits including:
Carrier-Neutrality OptiGlobe’s carrier-neutral offering lets customers choose high-speed Internet connections from all the major telecom providers for cost, reliability and diversity benefits. Currently, the Sao Paulo facility has in excess of 13 gigabits of redundant capacity spread over 12 telecom carriers-making it the most highly connected building in Brazil.
Scalability As customers grow, OptiGlobe is positioned to meet their needs for increased hosting space, bandwidth and managed and professional services. The centers are designed in three phases to expand to a total of 312,000 square feet (28 990 m2).
About OptiGlobe
OptiGlobe, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., with operations based in Latin America, is building the region’s most extensive network of world class Internet data centers to provide businesses with new levels of performance and reliability for their mission-critical Web hosting, managed services and Internet connection needs. By 2002, the company plans to invest more than US $1.5 billion in 13 Internet data centers in Latin America, with immediate expansion plans for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; and Mexico City, Mexico. To date, the company has raised approximately US $315 million in equity capital plus more than US $400 million in vendor financing commitments for its expansion plans. Investors include: Telecom Partners, Norwest Ventures, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., First Union, Bank of Boston, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, CIBC, Mellon Bank, EMC, AES, Banco Santander and Votorantim Venture Capital.
