Brightlio Blog

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known for its industrial heritage, has emerged as a strategic hub for colocation services. Pittsburgh colocation offers numerous benefits driving growth in data center services. These include a unique blend of robust infrastructure, a strategic location, reliable energy resources, and meaningful cost advantages. Join us as we explore the many advantages of colocation in Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Has a Diverse and Growing Economy

Once dominated by steel, Pittsburgh’s economy has undergone a remarkable transformation. This diversification includes sectors like healthcare, education, finance, and technology. Over the last 10 years, over $10 billion has been invested in technology companies in Pittsburgh, according to the Rand Corporation. About 18% of Pittsburgh’s employment is in technology and science, greater than the national average. This broad and growing economic base provides data center providers with a robust customer ecosystem.

Pittsburgh is a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. These areas rely heavily on large-scale data center services. “If data science were a country, Pittsburgh would be the capital,” according to Dr. Rebecca Nugent, Professor of Statistics and Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

When American Tower launched its edge data center in Pittsburgh, it pointed to Pittsburgh’s growth in AI and robotics as a specific reason for the expansion. “The city’s emerging artificial intelligence and robotics industry will also heavily rely on the low-latency environment edge facilities provide,” said Whitney Pesot, Product Manager at American Tower.

Pittsburgh Delivers Cost-Effective Colocation Services

Compared to other major tech cities like San Francisco or New York, Pittsburgh stands out for its significantly lower living and operating expenses. Pittsburgh was named as the most affordable housing market in the world in 2022. It also routinely makes various affordability list for US cities.

This economic advantage extends to colocation services, where businesses can benefit from reduced overhead costs. Lower real estate prices, affordable utility rates, and overall lower staffing and maintenance expenses make Pittsburgh an economically attractive option for data centers. Lower operating costs for providers leads directly to more affordable data centers services for customers.

Pittsburgh’s access to affordable and diverse energy sources is key to its cost-effectiveness. Traditional and renewable sources, including natural gas and wind power, bolster the region’s energy market, leading to competitive energy prices. For data centers, which typically consume a lot of power, this results in lower energy costs, enabling more budget-friendly operations.

Finally, Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania offer various tax incentives and business-friendly policies specifically designed to attract and support technology and data center operations. These incentives can include tax credits, exemptions, and grants, significantly reducing the financial burden on businesses and making it a cost-effective location for establishing colocation services.

Pittsburgh Offers a Strategic Location for Connectivity

Pittsburgh’s strategic location at the intersection of various network routes makes it a prime spot for colocation services. This positioning ensures superior connectivity and high-speed internet access, which is crucial for businesses relying on fast and reliable data transmission. The city’s geographical centrality in the Northeast United States provides easy access to major markets, including New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C., facilitating broader reach and efficient business data flow.

Nova Place, formerly the Allegheny Center Mall, has been transformed into a carrier hotel. Colocation and connectivity providers, including Databank, Expedient, Crown Castle, and XO, all have a presence here. Metro connectivity providers offer 100 Gig fiber communications networks to major markets like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Northern Virginia. This makes Pittsburgh a rapidly growing connectivity hub.

Pittsburgh Enjoys a Reduced Risk of Natural Disasters

One of the significant benefits of the Pittsburgh region is its low susceptibility to natural disasters. Unlike coastal cities or regions prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods, Pittsburgh’s inland position and stable geological landscape make it an ideal location for data centers. This reduced risk is a huge advantage for businesses seeking uninterrupted operations, as it minimizes potential downtime and data loss associated with natural catastrophes. Pittsburgh’s stable environment ensures continuity and security of operations, providing businesses with peace of mind as their critical data infrastructure is less likely to be disrupted by natural events.

Pittsburgh’s climate also plays a crucial role in its suitability for colocation services. The moderate temperatures reduce the cooling requirements for data centers, leading to significant energy and cost savings. This climate efficiency benefits the environment and offers economic advantages to businesses by lowering operational costs.

Pittsburgh Data Center Providers We Recommend

If you are looking for Pittsburgh data center services, below are a few of our favorite providers in the area. Contact Brightlio for colocation pricing from these and other trusted providers.

Expedient

Expedient, a national colocation provider, has its headquarters in Pittsburgh. They operate two data centers in the city: One of the North Shore and one in the South.

Why we recommend Expedient:

• Expedient is committed to the city, with their headquarters and two data centers located here.
• Expedient has a dense data center footprint in secondary markets in the Northeast and Midwest. These include cities like Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. This makes them a great partner for edge data center services.
• They offer flexible colocation options, including partial rack and 1U colocation.
• They offer other cloud and managed services including VDI, enterprise cloud, and security.

Databank

Databank is a global data center provider. Their Pittsburgh colocation facility, PIT1, is located in the NOVA Place carrier hotel. It offers 30,000 square feet of raised floor data center space, and 1.9 MW of critical power load.

Why we recommend Databank:

• Their Pittsburgh data center is located in the region’s major carrier hotel. The carrier-neutral site has 26 onsite carriers and access to all major public cloud providers.
• Databank has a national colocation footprint, including in markets like Atlanta, Miami, Austin, New Jersey, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This makes them a great fit for a national colocation or disaster recovery strategy.
• Databank holds multiple compliance certifications, including FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST, and ITAR.

Brightlio Delivers Pittsburgh Colocation Solutions

If you are looking for data center services in Pittsburgh, PA, Brightlio can help. We partner with the best providers in the region. We deliver solutions from a single rack unit, to private cages. In addition to colocation, we also offer network connectivity, cloud, unified communications, value-added resale, and advisory services. This allows us to deliver a complete technology solution for your business.

Brightlio is committed to being your most trusted and responsive IT solutions provider. Contact us today to get started on your Pittsburgh data center quote!