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In the second of our “8 Megatrends” series, we sat down with Jim Reinhart, COO, QTS, to find out how the profile of the colocation buyer has changed as the market has evolved.
QTS provides secure, compliant data center, hybrid cloud and managed services, and owns, operates or manages more than five million square feet of data center space and supports more than 1,000 customers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Given this extensive scope, Jim has witnessed the evolution of colocation needs and the changing profile of the buyer. As technology today impacts all functions, the data center has moved from the fringe to being the foundation of business. So, while IT leaders are still decision makers, now, the c-level and leaders from the lines of business are involved in colocation buying as well, according to Jim.
“The CFO is looking at technology to mitigate risk; the CEO sees it as part of business strategy. Marketing and sales view it as a growth enabler,” he says. “A colocation model supports all these perspectives and frees up the enterprise to focus on its core business rather than running a facility.”
New Colocation Buyer
With the shift in the data center’s profile, has come a shift in colocation buyer profile as well. The conversation has gone from focusing mainly around space and power, to a broad-based IT discussion about business, according to Jim.
Buyers have questions around a wider-range of solutions like cloud, security, managed services and hybrid offerings, for example. To that end, QTS has streamlined the new conversation by simplifying it —offering bundled solutions to help buyers find the best fit for them faster. There’s still plenty of flexibility and once customers hone in on the solution package that meets their needs, products and services can be customized from there.
Even more, QTS’ holistic approach starts from the initial engagement and concentrates on the relationship, according to Jim. He says, “Our work with customers is about much more than price and uptime. We get to know each one individually and care about their business successes and beyond.”
QTS specializes in financial services, healthcare, high tech, e-commerce and government. “By focusing on the most demanding industries and challenges, we can solve any customer’s unique challenge,” Jim says. “With the major shifts to mobile, IoT and cloud, enterprises need integrated infrastructure to support them. By staying ahead of these trends, we help meet the business requirements of today and the future.”
To learn more about the new colocation buyer profile and hear about QTS’ colocation and customer approach, watch this video interview with Jim.
Learn more about these important data center megatrends.