Carbonite Opens Data Center in China

Online backup provider Carbonite Inc. has opened a data center in Beijing to establish a foothold in the Chinese market, the company said this morning. The company said the facility will eventually support "millions of users."

"China presents a very big opportunity in online backup," said David Friend, co-founder and CEO of Carbonite. "But it's also a market that requires a substantial commitment of resources to be successful. To succeed in this market, we felt it was essential to have a physical presence in China, so we picked Beijing as the site for our first China data center. Having a data center in China allows us to be closer to our Chinese partners, and it allows Carbonite to provide far superior backup performance for everyone in the country."

"We recently released a Chinese version of Carbonite and the addition of our data center in Beijing is a strategic foothold in the largest and fastest growing broadband market in the world," said Keith Cooper, President and COO of Carbonite. "Carbonite is committed to the Chinese market since we are determined to become a global player in the backup industry."

Broadband connections are critical to the success of online backup, which involves the regular transfer of larger files. China recently became the world's largest broadband market with 78 million users, according to data from Point Topic, and is currently adding between 3 million and 5 million new broadband users each quarter.

Carbonite's primary data center is located at One Summer Street in Boston, a carrier hotel operated by The Markley Group. The company recently tripled its space at the building. The company has raised $47 million in funding.