HENRICO, VIRGINIA, TO JOIN NEW IEIC VIRTUAL SUMMIT, HOST WEBINAR ON THRIVING DATA CENTER MARKET
2020-07-15
Henrico will discuss the locality’s robust data center market and the importance of Internet infrastructure as COVID-19 escalates data demands to historic levels
HENRICO, Va., July 15, 2020—Henrico, Central Virginia’s leading jurisdiction for Internet infrastructure development, announced that it will take part in the upcoming Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC) Virtual Summit Series. The event will feature exclusive talks highlighting how COVID-19 has amplified the need to diversify, strengthen, and prepare Internet infrastructure for times of crisis as well as exponential organic future growth.
Henrico Economic Development Authority (EDA) Executive Director Anthony Romanello will participate in the discussion “Preparation in the Public Sector,” which will be held on July 23, 2020, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT. He joins an expert panel that will reveal how institutions of higher learning, policymakers, and economic development organizations are facilitating opportunity with the Internet. Invited speakers will also discuss how local governments are tailoring programs to attract businesses and promote prosperity, as well as how they are cultivating talent pipelines to support growth.
The following week, the Henrico EDA will co-host the webinar “Henrico’s Thriving Data Center Market,” which will be held on July 30, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT. Guest speakers will address how Henrico is home to the world’s fastest data speeds, which gives a competitive advantage to local businesses and benefits the economy of the entire Mid-Atlantic region. Henrico is unsurpassed in data connectivity in large part due to its access to four undersea cables. The submarine cables give area businesses the means to maintain uninterrupted, lightning-fast global communications even in the face of a global pandemic.
“Daytime broadband consumption is surging by more than 50%, according to a spring study by the data analytics company OpenVault,” said Romanello. “COVID-19 has forever altered the way we work. Companies need a rock-solid point of global connectivity to make communication effortless for their business, their employees, and their staff’s families – and they’re finding it in Henrico.”
The COVID-19-related rise in telecommuting has companies increasingly relying on online collaborative tools like Cisco, Slack, and Google Drive. The market analysis firm Canalys discovered that cloud infrastructure services spending grew 34% in Q1 2020. Moreover, the labor force is teleworking at the same time younger generations are gaming and learning online, and Google has reported 3.7 times more traffic.
Meanwhile, local companies reliant on the Internet to supercharge their business – including seven Fortune 500 companies in the region – have unprecedented access in Henrico. Further, Henrico has attracted the attention of leading tech companies like Facebook, which is investing $1 billion in a data center facility.
“The importance of resilient and diverse Internet infrastructure is clear,” said Vinay Nagpal, a connectivity leader who is also the president of InterGlobix and executive director of the IEIC. “As the digital transformation continues to rapidly unfold around us, the digital world has to be accessible and operational 24/7. The rapid evolution of the interconnection ecosystem in Henrico is a testament to not only the need for additional resiliency of the Internet, but also diversification of the Internet.”
If you are interested in attending the IEIC Virtual Summit Series event “Preparation in the Public Sector,” register now.
If you are interested in discovering why Henrico is the hub of choice for the world’s top data centers, sign up for the webinar “Henrico’s Thriving Data Center Market.”
