ViaWest Enters MN With New Data Center In Chaska

ViaWest, a Denver-based infrastructure-as-a-service company, announced Wednesday the official opening of a new data center in Chaska.
 
The company manages 27 data centers in six states and provides cloud, security, and IT system services. It was founded in 1999 and has over 300 employees.  The Chaska facility is ViaWest’s first data center in Minnesota.
 
On-site engineers and service staff will manage the new 70,000-square-foot facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will offer a range of space options for clients from private suites to cabinets with multi-zone security. Additionally, a raised floor and fault tolerant design will help protect the facility from natural disasters.
 
“We would like to thank ViaWest for choosing Minnesota for their expansion that will mean more than $60 million in new private investment for the state, as well as new, high-quality jobs added to our workforce,” Katie Clark Sieben, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, said in a statement. “Our goal is to make Minnesota the heart of the data center universe, and businesses like ViaWest are helping us move closer to that goal.”
 
In October, Twin Cities Business reported that there has been a recent increase in development plans for Minnesota data centers. Some industry experts said at that time that the Twin Cities were “under-served” by modern data centers.
 
More recently, on Wednesday, Twin Cities Business reported on a new cooling technology from 3M, which would help large-scale data centers operate more cost-effectively. Rochester-based LiquidCool Solutions is also developing its own electronic cooling equipment.