Knology extends data center services to business customers

Knology Business Services, a regional cable operator that was acquired by WOW! in July, unveiled a set of data security center services for its business customers on Wednesday.

Like other large cable MSOs, particularly Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and BrightHouse, which made acquisitions of NaviSite and Telovations, Knology made its entry into the data center game by purchasing E Solutions.

Since it already has a strong set of business services including voice, data services (both traditional cable modem and fiber-based Ethernet) and video, offering data center services is a logical move for the service provider. As a result of the acquisition, E Solutions' customers can take advantage of Knology's existing business services.

As one would expect, Knology Business offers all the typical table stakes requirements that come with a data center service including 24/7/365 on-site support, N+1 redundancy, systems management and redundant network infrastructure.  

Business customers that subscribe to E Solutions Data Center will also be protected from any unexpected power failures, Internet outages and security issues that might threaten their day-to-day operations, said Knology.

To provide another level of redundancy, the E Solutions Network Operations Center (NOC) routinely completes remote backup services and makes sure that critical data is always available.

"One of our core beliefs and values is that of accessibility," said Danny Maguire, commercial sales manager of Knology Business Pinellas, in a release announcing the new service. "We give business owners a distinct competitive advantage by providing them continuous, secure access to the information they require to succeed within the marketplace."

From a larger trend perspective, Knology's movement into the data center is indicative of two trends.

While not every business is going to migrate all of their data into the cloud, more of them are looking for ways to outsource various non-essential functions such as e-mail to a third party cloud provider. According to a recent Oppenheimer & Co. report, enterprise cloud spending will grow at a CAGR of 87 percent by 2016.  

But it's also a sign that the cable industry players that are already actively providing higher speed connectivity, including Ethernet, can use cloud and data center services to further their bond with the business community that's looking for alternative providers.  

For more:
- see the release

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