CLARK FREEPORT – Executives of the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines have cited Clark for its ideal environment for electronic-business, data storage and protection.
Owing to its natural characteristics and existing facilities, industry leader ePLDT has chosen Clark to invest P1.3-billion in its new Vitro Data Center Clark.
Envisioned to support the region’s thriving business communities and planned IT hubs in Central Luzon, the disaster-resilient data center is the 9th such facility in the Philippines launched by ePLDT.
“This (referring to Clark) is a very appealing site especially for enterprises in other parts of the country that requires not just disaster recovery but rather a site that which they can replicate their IT environment in an active set up,” said Nerisse Ramos, ePLDT Group chief operating officer.
She also underscored proximity to Manila and Freeport security as Clark’s value propositions.
“Since Clark is only 90 kilometers away from the central business district in Manila, the coming over here to local their production site is not as difficult as going to Cebu. While this facility is already secure by itself, Clark by its set up has a natural security this since this is an ecozone,” Ramos said.
“Many companies in various sectors have been looking to expand their operations north of Manila and Vitro data Center Clark provides them with the best support facility to grow their presence in the region,” Ramos added.
“With the robust and secure facility operated according to global standards, combined with a growing and highly capable workforce, players in these industries particularly the IT-BPO and finance industries will find doing business in Central Luzon a sound strategic choice,” she said.
Unlike Metro Manila, there is no known earthquake fault directly underneath Clark Freeport. Clark’s backdrop of hills and high elevation make itself safe from onslaughts of severe tropical storms and floods. It is also known for its well-paved and wide road network, including the access to the Subic seaport via the SCTEX.
Eric Alberto, ePLDT president said aside from geographical advantage of the new data center facility, it is also just a few minutes away from the Clark International Airport making it an ideal hub for foreign enterprises to collocate their back-up infrastructure.
Vitro Data Center Clark is the first Rated-3 data center facility outside Metro Manila, based on the TIA-942 standards. This certification is given to data centers that are concurrently maintainable in design, which means each component that is part of the distribution path can be removed, replaced or serviced on a planned basis without any disruption in the client’s ICT capabilities.
Vitro Data Center Clark further complements the Vitro data center network which is already present in eight other locations including Makati, Pasig and Davao. By year end, the 10th Vitro Data Center will be inaugurated in Cebu.
Leading the unveiling ceremony aside from Alberto and Ramos were ePLDT Group Chief Technology officer Dave Simon, FVP and head of PLDT-Smart Enterprise Groups Jovy Hernandez, VP and head of Disruptive Business group Nico V. Alcoseba and PLDT VP for Communications Ramon Isberto.