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Cervalis Opens State's Largest Data Center In Norwalk

NORWALK, Conn. -- Data storage company Cervalis celebrated the opening of Connecticut's largest data center in Norwalk with a ceremony on Thursday, April 10.

Norwalk officials, state officials and Cervalis representatives cut the ribbon on the new data center in Norwalk.

Norwalk officials, state officials and Cervalis representatives cut the ribbon on the new data center in Norwalk.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
This is the  communications room at the new Cervalis data center in Norwalk.

This is the communications room at the new Cervalis data center in Norwalk.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
These are the computer servers for Cervalis's initial customers at its new data center in Norwalk.

These are the computer servers for Cervalis's initial customers at its new data center in Norwalk.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

The center contains computer servers to host corporate and personal websites, as well as manage cloud data storage for businesses. The 168,000 square-foot facility features 75,000 square feet of data center space and 30,000 square feet of work area recovery space. It is the company's second site in Fairfield County, and more than three times the size of the data center in Stamford. Cervalis also has data centers in New Jersey and New York.

Michael Boccardi, Cervalis president and chief executive, said that businesses rely so much on information and being able to have access to their information at all times.

"I believe the presence of this building here in Connecticut is really very important for the growth of the state," Boccardi said. "We need to be here. Every single company needs IT, every single company needs to have their data secure and protected. Every single company does not need to spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousand or millions of dollars to build their own data center. Their money is best spent on what the core of their business is."

He said that during disasters, its important that companies know that their data is secure and that they can access it through data centers like Cervalis.

"During Hurricane Sandy we had 13 different companies, probably five or six hundred people throughout the Tri-State region, in our buildings operating their business as if it never happened."

Catherine Smith, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, said that the new data center opening in Norwalk shows that companies are recognizing that Connecticut is a good place to do business.

"It's so helpful when companies like this declare that Connecticut works for them  and really make the decision to grow their business here in the state," Smith said.

"We are very aggressive about bringing businesses to Connecticut and growing those businesses and doing what we need to do to affect that business climate in a  positive way," said State Sen. Bob Duff.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said that data and infrastructure are so important to business, and that businesses that lose their data have a 75 percent chance of going out of business within three years.

"So it's truly important the service that you provide," he said to the Cervalis representatives. "I know you're going to be drawing a lot of business to Norwalk."

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