Roundup: ViaWest, QTS, Logicalis, Fortress

Here’s a roundup of some of this week’s headlines from the data center and hosting industry:

ViaWest opens Richardson Texas data center.  ViaWest has announced the grand opening of its new data center facility, Synergy Park, located in Richardson, Texas. This new addition will bring the total number of data centers that ViaWest owns and operates to 22, with a total of 500,000 square feet of raised floor space. ViaWest services will be offered in the new facility, which boasts disaster recovery office space, 24x7 on-site support and access to top network providers. "We are thrilled to debut our new flagship facility in the Dallas area," said Roy Dimoff, Chairman and CEO of ViaWest. "We have a long history and a strong presence in the marketplace and our recent investment in Synergy Park reflects our belief in the growing opportunity in the Dallas area."

Fortress adds $29.1 million in 2nd quarter.  Fortress International Group (FIGI) announced that the company was awarded new contracts totaling $29.1 million during the second quarter of 2011. New facilities management projects were awarded, including a $450,000 annual staffing contract to develop an operating and maintenance plan, a $2.8 million battery service project, a $1.1 million data center maintenance contract, $1.3 million in annual recurring contracts and a $400,000 UPS upgrade. "We achieved strong bookings across all three areas of our business during the second quarter, which has the company well positioned as we head into the second half of the year," said Thomas P. Rosato, CEO of Fortress. "We are particularly pleased with the continued growth of our Facilities Management business, as these recurring revenue customers provide us with stable, predictable revenue and help drive gross margin expansion. We continue to grow our F/M (facilities management) business through a combination of new project awards along with extensions and expansions of current work with existing customers. Technology industry leaders continue to recognize the diverse capabilities and added value Fortress brings to theFacilities Management arena. We have made great progress in the development of our F/M business and this remains a key area of focus for the Company as we move forward."

QTS selected by Barefoot Technologies. QTS (Quality Technology Services) announced that it has been chosen by Barefoot Technologies Corporation, a leading online vacation reservations company, to replace the company's current colocation environment and provide a new cloud-based solution using QTS Virtualized Infrastructure (QVI). QVI is a cloud solution that delivers a fully-managed virtualized IT infrastructure solution with scale, security, visibility and control. "QTS didn't try to sell us a product, but instead helped our company craft a solution that best enabled us to meet the demands of our customers," said Ed Ulmer, vice president of U.S. operations - Barefoot. "QVI offers the benefits of virtualization with the security and control we required, while helping us avoid the need for capital intensive technology refreshes. QTS' custom solution meets our current needs and promises to easily scale to meet our future growth."

Logicalis acquires Netarx. Logicalis Group announced that they have acquired Netarx, a Michigan company that provides IT professional services. UK-based Logicalis has been building a global company and strengthens their U.S. presence with a $34 million acquisition of Netarx, who serves customers throughout Michigan and Arizona. The acquisition will also provide Netarx clients with access to Logicalis’ outsourced services, cloud computing and data center management solutions across the United States.