Ascent Acquires Data Centers in Atlanta and Toronto

Data center provider Ascent recently shifted its growth strategy to Greater Atlanta and Toronto with the acquisition of two enterprise-grade facilities made possible by a partnership with TowerBrook Capital Partners and raising $3.3 million, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

The newest additions to the St. Louis-based company’s portfolio are aimed at cloud and edge deployments with plug-and-play data center space the company says is immediately available.

“Similar to other data center owners, this customer was reevaluating its real estate portfolio and operational needs," CEO Phil Horstmann said in a statement.

The Atlanta data center (ATL1) currently offers up to 8.1 MW of critical power and can be expanded to 14 MW. The Toronto facility (TOR1) is expected to have up to 4.8 MW of critical power available in the second quarter of this year with the overall site capable of expanding up to 75 MW.

In Dallas, the threats of severe weather and the need for impenetrable facilities forced Ascent to create facilities in that market capable of withstanding EF5 tornadoes with up to 360 mph winds. That called for 15-inch reinforced concrete walls, a 13.5-inch reinforced concrete roof and an 8,000-pound blast door at the dock area.

While Atlanta may not be in tornado country, it’s certainly vulnerable to hurricanes and will require a similar environment. While demand remains steady in the Atlanta market, the area is seeing slower overall growth than other top US markets, according to a recent report from CBRE. However, the report suggested that demand from non-local companies for wholesale space to support secondary and disaster-recovery deployments will likely remain steady, which fits right into Ascent's wheelhouse.

Meanwhile, as the business and financial hub of Canada, home to the Toronto Internet Exchange, base for nearly 90,000 businesses, and home to five of the nation's largest banks, Toronto is fast becoming a data center mecca.

See also: 2016 Was a Record Year for Data Center Acquisitions, but 2017 Will Be off the Charts