Which web hosting companies and related businesses operate the largest number of servers? Rackspace announced they had hit the 50,000 mark recently, and DatacenterKnowledge took the opportunity to determine who is in the same league. Three web hosting companies lead the pack: 1&1 Internet (55,000), Rackspace (50,038), and The Planet (48,500). They are followed by Akamai Technologies, OVH, SBC Communications, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and SoftLayer.
1&1 Internet recently launched a new green data center in Lexena, Kansas. The new facility provides space for 40,000 servers and makes it possible to have equal latency for both the East and West coasts by being in the middle of major traffic areas. The company said Kansas City is one of the safest locations to have a data center because the risk of black/brownouts is minimal. 1&1 will also be purchasing purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)to match the electricity used at the datacenter.
We talk to Mr. Thorsten Ziegler, Head of 1&1's new U.S. Data Center.