In some of our other blogs, we talked about the importance of strategically choosing who you peer with based on the available communities of peers and where that IX resides — we even touched on the benefits of our home state of Nebraska. Still, there’s plenty of value to this centralized hub to be unpacked, especially in relation to the idea of data gravity.

When it comes to building an ideal connectivity framework that’s scalable, robust, and optimized for opportunity, data gravity is the best asset to have on your side. This begs the questions: How do you find it? Can it really be as easy as finding its geographic location on a map? Ultimately, probably not. But there are some location-based indicators that are important to consider in the pursuit of data gravity — and we’re not shy to say that a lot of those indicators point right here to Nebraska.

Let’s dig in.

A Data Gravity Introduction

Over on our 1623 Farnam data center page (the home of our IX), we talk a lot about the power of data gravity. Before we jump into Omaha’s benefits, let’s start by defining what data gravity is.

There are some conflicting perspectives on data gravity out there, and many may say that data gravity is the opposite of helpful — some say it can reduce mobility by making data harder to move across the footprint. However, we have a bit of a different perspective. To us, data gravity is a positive force of attraction that helps organizations ensure their data center and connectivity locations are positioned for growth into the future. After all, connectivity and robust capability is often dependent on the peers and partners present at any facility — so everyone wants to go where those peers and partners are gravitating to. In short, data gravity is a principle that describes a ‘the more organizations connect into this IX or data center, the greater the value is, which in turn drives ecosystem growth’ phenomenon. The result is more connectivity potential and all the subsequent benefits that come with that: greater speed, efficiency, reach, and more.

Data gravity and connectivity potential aren’t determined by the popularity of a given hub — in fact, many robust epicenters of connectivity are turning up outside of traditional IT hubs like Silicon Valley or Northern Virginia. As it turns out, Omaha, Nebraska (and our IX in particular) is rich in data gravity.

Let’s explore why.

How did OmahaIX Strike Connectivity Gold?

Requirements for shuttling data efficiently extend from the core all the way to the edge and back again. Of course, as low latencies have become more important, the edge has become a frontrunner in the discussion about networking optimization. It’s for these reasons that secondary and tertiary markets like Omaha are finding that their connectivity growth potential is on the rise. More and more organizations need to find ways to route their data in a tailored way and connect into business locations, partner platforms, clouds, and other data centers that don’t align with traditional high-traffic metro hubs.

When it comes to Nebraska in particular, connectivity gets its leg up from the fact that it sits in the middle of the U.S. — that means equally fast opportunities to reach the largest number of destinations across the U.S. Our facility in particular is the interconnection point for the country’s largest carriers’ east/west and north/south routes, and it also is a secure center for onramps to the world’s biggest cloud providers. Those are pretty strong foundations when you’re looking to build a robust connectivity fabric. Add in access ​​to 50 network companies for local, regional, national, and international reach, and you have an advantageous hub that anyone would want to link up to. This is why our ecosystem has seen constant expansion — and why our peering ecosystem has seen the value they get from peering with us increase over time.

Ultimately, data gravity is a force that’s at the forefront of building connectivity architectures, and everyone should know where to go to find it. In this pursuit, no stone should go unturned (even an unassuming locale like Nebraska), because the benefits are vast and future-proofed.

To learn more about OmahaIX and the advantages of peering, click here.