(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Branch-supported online investment firm Scottrade (www.scottrade.com) is planning a new, 20,000 square-foot data center to be completed in summer 2009, near Scottrade’s birthplace and namesake, Scottsdale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.
According to Scottrade’s Thursday announcement, the new facility will help support corporate growth and serve as a backup to the company’s data center in St. Louis, Missouri, where the company’s headquarters is located. The facility is designed to enhance business continuity, and increase the security, safety and speed of Scottrade’s financial services.
Scottrade’s announcement of a large facility seem contrary to the cost-effective outsourcing of IT, which has been a trend recently accellerated by the credit crisis. However, as demand for hosting services increases, many hosting providers have not had the necessary access to credit to keep up with demand. For instance, Google (www.google.com) stalled construction on its $600 million Oklahoma data center because of the current economic situation.
Scottrade is holding an Open House and Career Fair Monday at a nearby conference center, which will be the first step in filling 30 new senior and mid-level IT positions over the next three years.
“We have eight branch offices in the Phoenix area, and we’re very pleased to expand our presence to bring more jobs to the community,” Scottrade chief technology officer Joan Albeck said in a statement. “This expansion and hiring brings new opportunities for local job-seekers at a time when unemployment is rising and few companies are in growth phases. With its burgeoning technology industry, the Phoenix area has a wealth of talented IT professionals. We look forward to finding the right people to help support our business growth.”
Albeck noted that Phoenix is an ideal location for a data center because it is relatively safe from environmental threats, such as earthquakes, severe storms, flooding and other natural disasters.
