World-Class Technology Services
2
Hidden beaches, colorful architecture, pristine reefs, and picturesque plantations; located in the southwestern corner of the Caribbean, Curaçao has it all. But it’s about to get more. Much more. The island continues to gain prominence as a hub of international finance and commerce. And Curaçao Technology Exchange (CTEX) is preparing to be a key enabler of the region’s business boom. “We are building the first tier-IV data center complex in the region,” says Anthony de Lima, CTEX chairman and CEO. “It will be the most advanced, purpose built, high- density technology services facility in the Caribbean and Latin America.” Three catalysts have converged in CTEX’s favor: growth in Latin American emerging markets, advances in cloud computing, and an auspicious locale. More business, more technology needs Business activity in Central and South America has been on the rise for some time. Caribbean nations, at the commercial crossroads between North America, Europe, and Latin America, are experiencing a similar business surge. Despite this growth, there continues to be a lack of high-end technology services. Companies wanting to conduct business in the region have few options for storing their data, accessing advanced technologies, and getting top-notch support. Today, the Caribbean doesn’t have an Uptime Institute-certified tier-IV data center. They exist in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, but many regional companies are concerned with the privacy laws, strict regulations, and high costs that come with them. Others are wary of utilizing South American data centers due to physical security and political instability. “Most companies doing business in the region use data centers in North America or Europe,” de Lima explains. “But when you are moving data and running applications across such distances, there are often bandwidth and latency problems, not to mention the high cost of labor and taxes.” An untapped island refuge CTEX was formed in Curaçao not by happenstance, but through careful planning and an exhaustive search. In the island paradise, de Lima and his team found the perfect location for a tier-IV data center. “The island is situated outside the hurricane belt and major seismic zones,” de Lima says. “And the data center is being purpose-built for 100 percent reliability. It is 197 feet above sea level, and can withstand a Category 5 hurricane and extensive seismic activity. Our clients don’t have to worry about putting their data or technology operations in harm’s way.” Curaçao’s connectivity is also a significant benefit. Six redundant submarine cables link the island to the rest of the world, and more are currently being installed; perfect for reliable, high-speed data transmissions. Part of the Dutch Kingdom, Curaçao is very friendly to international business. The privatization laws are favorable, the taxes are low, there are no import duties on technology equipment, and the island offers unique benefits for expatriate employees. A multicultural populace that speaks English, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese also makes the island an ideal location for transnational commerce. “The location, connectivity, and laws make Curaçao one of the safest locations in the world to house critical information assets,” says de Lima. Ideal location and growing business opportunity spawn the Caribbean’s first and only tier-IV data center. Perspectives and Solutions World-class technology services in paradise Cisco and Intel partnering in innovation Curaçao Technology Exchange CEO Anthony de Lima aims to support the business boom of an entire region Spring 2013 Unleashing IT
-
Upload
cisco-data-center-sdn -
Category
Documents
-
view
360 -
download
1
Transcript of World-Class Technology Services
Hidden beaches, colorful architecture, pristine reefs, and picturesque plantations; located in the southwestern corner of the Caribbean, Curaçao has it all. But it’s about to get more. Much more.
The island continues to gain prominence as a hub of international finance and commerce. And Curaçao Technology Exchange (CTEX) is preparing to be a key enabler of the region’s business boom.
“We are building the first tier-IV data center complex in the region,” says Anthony de Lima, CTEX chairman and CEO. “It will be the most advanced, purpose built, high- density technology services facility in the Caribbean and Latin America.”
Three catalysts have converged in CTEX’s favor: growth in Latin American emerging markets, advances in cloud computing, and an auspicious locale.
More business, more technology needs
Business activity in Central and South America has been on the rise for some time. Caribbean nations, at the commercial crossroads between North America, Europe, and Latin America, are experiencing a similar business surge.
Despite this growth, there continues to be a lack of high-end technology services. Companies wanting to conduct business in the region have few options for storing their data, accessing advanced technologies, and getting top-notch support.
Today, the Caribbean doesn’t have an Uptime Institute-certified tier-IV data center. They exist in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, but many regional companies are concerned with the privacy laws, strict regulations, and high costs that come with them. Others are wary of utilizing South American data centers due to physical security and political instability.
“Most companies doing business in the region use data centers in North America or Europe,” de Lima explains. “But when you are moving data and running applications across such distances, there are often bandwidth and latency problems, not to mention the high cost of labor and taxes.”
An untapped island refuge
CTEX was formed in Curaçao not by happenstance, but through careful planning and an exhaustive search. In the island paradise, de Lima and his team found the perfect location for a tier-IV data center.
“The island is situated outside the hurricane belt and major seismic zones,” de Lima says. “And the data center is being purpose-built for 100 percent reliability. It is 197 feet above sea level, and can withstand a Category 5 hurricane and extensive seismic activity. Our clients don’t have to worry about putting their data or technology operations in harm’s way.”
Curaçao’s connectivity is also a significant benefit. Six redundant submarine cables link the island to the rest of the world, and more are currently being installed; perfect for reliable, high-speed data transmissions.
Part of the Dutch Kingdom, Curaçao is very friendly to international business. The privatization laws are favorable, the taxes are low, there are no import duties on technology equipment, and the island offers unique benefits for expatriate employees. A multicultural populace that speaks English, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese also makes the island an ideal location for transnational commerce.
“The location, connectivity, and laws make Curaçao one of the safest locations in the world to house critical information assets,” says de Lima.
Ideal location and growing business opportunity spawn the Caribbean’s first and only tier-IV data center.
Perspectives and Solutions
World-class technology services in paradise Cisco and Intel partnering in innovation
Curaçao Technology Exchange CEO Anthony de Lima aims to support the business boom of an entire region
Spring 2013Unleashing IT
Building a world-class data center
De Lima didn’t want to build any data center. He sought to deliver a tier-IV data center with “unparalleled technology capabilities that enable business to be conducted in ways never before imagined.”
Four massive, 57,000 square foot complexes are currently being constructed to achieve this vision. VblockTM Infrastructure Systems—with integrated technology from Cisco, EMC, Intel, and VMware—form the technical foundation of the company’s business-class cloud solutions. CTEX is also utilizing Cisco® Carrier Routing System (CRS), Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, and Cisco Nexus® 7000 and 5000 Series Switches.
“We want to provide customers with the most advanced data center services and the most secure, reliable cloud environment in the region,” de Lima says. “With a unified infrastructure that has been pretested and validated, we can focus on delivering high-end IT services instead of worrying about hardware and software details.”
The company will offer world-class colocation, security management, archival, disaster recovery, and managed services. Companies can take advantage of a private or multitenant cloud, managed by CTEX or by their own personnel. Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud software streamlines cloud provisioning and administration. With more than a dozen standard server models, CTEX and its customers can select their operating system and configuration of choice, and the software quickly and automatically provisions the environments and payment structure.
“We want our customers to focus on running their business, not IT,” de Lima explains. “With state-of-the-art infrastructure and automation tools, they can access secure, on-demand services from any location. We’re taking the guesswork out of configuring and managing cloud environments.”
De Lima is particularly excited about the disaster recovery services his company will offer. In addition to remote data backup, CTEX has office space—with server and desktop provisioning, a full communications suite using Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and Cisco TelePresence® capabilities—for clients who need to keep their business running during a crisis.
“Our customers need safety and security for their data, and the ability to scale up or down quickly and without a lot of capital investment,” says de Lima. “In delivering these capabilities, we have an opportunity to help shape the Caribbean and Latin American region, and its value in a global, digitized economy.”
More information:
To speak with a Cisco cloud expert about intelligent automation and ITaaS, contact us at: [email protected]. To hear how others are using Vblock™ Infrastructure Packages, visit the Resource Center at: www.UnleashingIT.com.
This article first appeared online at www.unleashingit.com, available after subscribing at www.unleashingit.com/LogIn.aspx.
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco, the Cisco logo, ASR 9000 Product Family, Nexus, and TelePresence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1305)
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
From vision to reality: De Lima is building the Caribbean’s first tier-IV data center from scratch
Spring 2013Unleashing IT
