IBM to Build Largest Cloud Data Center in Asia

IBM announced on Tuesday it is collaborating with China-based Range Technology Development to build a cloud computing data center in Langfang City in Hebei province.

The 6.2 million square foot data center will be the largest cloud computing center in Asia, says IBM.

"This new facility will leverage IBM's data center innovation and resources to provide a cost-effective solution while providing the flexibility to meet the unpredictable changes in IT demand -- whether it is from changes in IT technology or new business models such as cloud computing," says Steven Sams, vice president of IBM site and facilities services.

IBM expects the facility to help companies across China with enterprise-wide strategic outsourcing services, business continuity and disaster recovery as well as advanced capabilities in cloud computing.

Expected to be completed in 2016, the data center will also support Langfang City's development and professional website hosting for smarter transportation, e-government services and administration systems, as well as host health care projects.

According to statistics from International Data Corporation, the market for China's data centers was valued at $667.1 million in 2009 and is projected to grow an additional $1.9 billion over the next five years.

IBM has been active in the cloud based data center space around the world, including its recently LEED Gold certified data center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The company has also opened several cloud computing centers throughout Asia, including Seoul, Hanoi, Toyko, and Beijing.

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How To Choose The Best Cloud Web Hosting

If you’re considering jumping into the cloud server hosting pool, then welcome to the new frontier. You will be joining the pioneers of the new wave of web hosting technology. Cloud server hosting allows for more flexibility in your plan, faster computing and website request speeds, and more reliability without worry of server crashes preventing your website from staying up on the world wide web.


But how do you go about choosing a cloud web hosting company? Cloud hosting is not quite the same as shared-server hosting. There are many differences including pricing, bandwidth usage, and scalability. Here are a few things you should consider when choosing your cloud web hosting company.

Pricing Flexibility

Your website may be just a small business website, or a major online destination with thousands of hits per day. Regardless of your website size, why should you pay for web space bandwidth that never gets used? It’s like paying for those unused minutes with your cell phone plan.

Dig deep into how your cloud hosting company charges for their service. Can you get more computing power during your peak hours? Can you scale back during off-peak hours? A cloud host with a flexible pricing can give you the best deal for your money.

Scalability

You may only need a single CPU now with limited memory and disk space. But will your cloud host allow you to grow with your website growth? Find out if your cloud host will allow you to scale up with the number of CPUs, amount of RAM, and total disk space for when you need it.

Support Availability

Just because cloud server technology is more reliable doesn’t mean you don’t need support once in a while. When things go wrong you need immediate help to assure that you do not lose revenue should your website go down. Check with your cloud host and get assurances that they will be available 24 hours a day for your technical support needs. Find out of the company has received any awards for their support levels.

Web Tools

Cloud hosting does have some similarities with shared server hosting. One such similarity is the web tools that your cloud host provides you. Check to see if your cloud host provides tools to help you build a website, supports the popular scripting languages, offers eCommerce tools, and provides a reliable and easy cPanel hosting for easy and total access to your web account.

Eco-Friendly

One of the biggest movements in web hosting is the move toward “Green” technology. A large web server facility can use as much electricity as a small town. Hosting companies are aware of this problem, and are working to find solutions. Many have purchased alternative energy certificates to promote wind energy. Also, many hosting companies form energy use policies that save energy through server configuration and server structure to ensure that no electricity goes to waste.

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