Orion Data Centers has begun operations in Columbia, Mo., providing 24/7 computing services for companies in need of a high availability data center.
Owners Kris Knutson and Todd Salazar have partnered to bring several decades of experience in data center operations and IT services. They saw a need and discovered an opportunity when the data center’s former owner moved its online e-commerce data operations at this facility to another location.
“What we have is unique to Columbia and the region,” said Knutson. “ I didn’t want to see this premier facility, designed to deliver 24×7 e-commerce services, be sold as parts on the wholesale market. ”
Orion Data Centers has partnered with several major vendors to offer customers various computing services typically offered only by large scale data centers that small and midsized organizations often find difficult to afford. Orion Data Centers offers customizable services including co-location space, cloud, custom virtualization, disaster recovery and consulting services with all the necessary redundant systems required for reliability.
“We are excited to get the facility up and running ready for customers,” said Knutson. “We were aware a market existed for this type of service in mid-Missouri, and now we’re learning the market is even more widespread. We have already had conversations with businesses in Kansas City and St. Louis that want a disaster recovery facility located outside their respective metro areas.”
“REDI has been marketing Columbia as a location for data centers since 2007, when a consultant report showed that Columbia scored well in the critical areas of cost of power, disaster risk, and labor availability,” said Stacey Button, REDI president. “The new Orion Data Centers represents the vision of several local entrepreneurs that share that same belief. This acquisition allows Orion Data Centers to establish a footprint in Columbia, and then grow by meeting both current and future demands for data center services. “
