Comarch to locate 32,000-square-foot data center in Mesa
Comarch for improving business efficiency will build its 32,000-square-foot, North American Data Center on three acres at Ellsworth Road and Prairie Avenue in Mesa (AZ). Comarch expects to begin construction in June of 2021 and start operations in mid-2022.
Investing in its own infrastructure is part of Comarch's strategy and is related to the plans to expand its business on the American market, where the company has been implementing IT projects since 1999.
Comarch currently provides data center services for clients from North and South America in rented spaces in Chicago and Columbus, as well as in Montreal and Toronto. When the US facility is launched, all of these servers will be moved to Mesa. Comarch already has its own server rooms in Poland (Krakow and Warsaw), as well as in France and Germany.
The data center in Mesa will be used to host infrastructure and applications, support and maintenance, IT project delivery, business development, consulting services, and the delivery of mission-critical IT systems.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Comarch’s first US facility to Mesa,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said. “Their renowned systems and IT solutions join the growing trend of technology-based companies finding opportunity and a talented workforce in our city.”
Comarch expects to begin construction in May of 2021 and start operations in mid-2022. The data center will be used to host infrastructure and applications, support and maintenance, IT project delivery, business development, consulting services, and the delivery of mission-critical IT systems.
Comarch was founded in 1993 by Professor Janusz Filipiak, a tenured scientist at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, Poland. Since then, the company has built an international network of subsidiaries. Today, the Comarch Group has kept its family roots and now employs over 6,500 employees in more than 30 countries around the world. Comarch specializes in providing IT solutions to various industries such as telecommunications, retail, banking and insurance, airlines, fuel, utilities, and healthcare.
As its first building in the US, this data center will act as Comarch’s flagship building. Comarch has been operating on the American market since the end of the 20th century when the company opened its branch in Washington. The launch of the office in America was part of Comarch's long-term strategy of building a global brand. The company currently has offices in New York and Rosemont. American companies that have opted for Comarch systems and services include JetBlue airlines, Enterprise Rent-A-Car car rental, and TrueValue hardware store chain, among others.
The Mesa data center will also serve South American customers. Many companies already store data in server rooms that Comarch leases in the USA and Canada. Hosting services are used by: Despegar, a leading online travel company in Latin America, or YPF, a global energy company.
Comarch has worked closely with architects to ensure that the design is architecturally efficient, appealing, and positively received in the region.
“We chose Mesa due to it progressing as an up-and-coming technology region, reasonable energy prices, existing infrastructure, lack of natural disasters, and business business-friendly opt-in processes which reduced timelines for go-live,” said Louis Rossi, Comarch’s director of business development for North America. “The Mesa Office of Economic Development team was also a positive factor as they created a support system to make it easier to navigate an otherwise complicated endeavor for an international company.”
“Mr. Rossi hit the nail on the head as to why technology-oriented companies are choosing Mesa as their new home,” District 6 Councilmember Kevin Thompson stated. “The staff in Mesa has done a great job in attracting and marketing our community, and it is not only a win for our citizens but our neighboring communities and the region.”
The general contractor of the data center will be The Weitz Company. The total cost of Comarch's investment in building the new center will be approximately USD 22 million.