IBM announced a $1.2 billion project in January to build 15 SoftLayer datacenters around the world. One of thosse is scheduled to go online today in Toronto. This is the fifth of a scheduled 15 this year, and is the first SoftLayer datacenter in Canada. It will deploy more than 15,000 servers.
IBM claims more than 1,000 clients for these services in Canada, and not just the usual suspects. In addition to financial services, insurance, retail and public sector organizations as, the company will serve startups who participate in the SoftLayer Catalyst Program. The roster of these companies includes Mnubo, Epilogger, Brika, Greenoffon, Zilyo, TeachIt, maegan and kiwiwearables.
IBM says Catalyst also has established relationships with several Canadian accelerators and incubators, including GrowLab, Communitech, Ryerson University Digital Media Zone (DMZ), JOLT, FounderFuel, Extreme Startups and TheNext36 as well as those affiliated with the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE).