Web hosting infrastructure provider iWeb Group (iweb8.com) pronounced on October 2, 2007 it will open an 850 cabinet equivalent collocation data center in Montreal, Canada. Scheduled to open in December, the facility will be the company's third data center in Montreal.

"A fundamental component of our strategy is to grow the collocation segment of our business," said Eric Chouinard, president and CEO of iWeb. "The cumulative collocation hosting capacity of our two current data centers has always been limited, as they are both primarily dedicated server hosting facilities. The addition of this strictly collocation hosting data center will enable us to diversify our revenue base, extend our footprint in the Montreal marketplace and target a broader customer base."

Like iWeb's existing two data centers, the new 22,700-square-foot facility will be equipped with uninterruptible power supplies, emergency diesel back-up generators and power equivalent cooling, but with all these systems reaching the N+1 level of redundancy in this case. The facility will be protected by a sophisticated, multi-layer security system that includes video surveillance, secured access and biometric identification sensors, as well as iWeb's complete suite of value-added services, such as 24-hour emergency technical support, ping monitoring and managed security back-ups.

Since the facility was previously used as a data center, the basic infrastructure necessary to operate a collocation hosting data center is already installed. During the following months, iWeb will work to upgrade the facility to meet the company's strict operational standards. The company has entered into a lease agreement for up to 30 years, and has options to purchase the building at regular time intervals.