Understanding the Evolution of the Data Center Industry

When you say your “data is in the cloud,” it's not at the end of a rainbow. It’s in a data center. Data centers are an old concept set on a hyperscale. Businesses, especially corporate facilities, used to have a data center onsite, whether spanning a floor of building or a few servers stuck in the closet by the stairs. Yet as security needs of sensitive data increases, businesses turn to data center companies to manage those needs and ensure fast-paced deployment in one place.

And there is a high probability that place is Northern Virginia. Data centers operating in Prince William County benefit from densely packed fiber backbones and a massive network of data centers across the region that currently move an estimated 70% of the world’s internet traffic daily.

This International Data Center Day, PWCDED celebrates the evolving technology behind the data center industry by sharing a story from our own backyard at Iron Mountain’s Manassas campus:

Prince William County is advantageous for data center companies to consider because of a competitive tax rate, affordable and abundant electricity with rapidly expanding renewable power options, and competitive construction costs. In 2021, data centers generated $79 million in tax revenue for the county.

Need more information? Here are a few great resources to learn more about the data center industry in Prince William County:

• Access the Data Center FAQ from the Prince William County Planning Office
• Understand the economic impact with the Prince William County Economic Development Fact Sheet.
• Consider the career workforce implications with the NOVA Community College Data Center Operations certification.