Compass Datacenters, the Dallas-based provider, has announced new pricing plans for its wholesale data centers. Compass is finding that its original concept of a standard 1.2MW facility is now insufficient for new prospects, many of who want cloud solutions, and is now offering updated more flexible and more efficient designs.

Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is reduced, by as much as 50 percent from its previous offering, to a range of 1.1 to 1.25 in all markets with no water consumption. This has been achieved by introducing indirect airside economization, column-free raised floor area options in 10,000 to 16,000 square foot increments and no cooling units on the floor, with power available in 1.2MW increments. 

Keeping moving

Compass has been finding it hard to compete merely on price against the big US players such as Digital Realty. By adding a high-capacity option to its original specification Compass is effectively undercutting them. While Compass is making it clear it is reducing the cost of its data centers it is also careful to say that it will be working hard to add value to its offering.

Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass said: “In the past, wholesale space was cheaper, but it came with a lot of tradeoffs, compromises and pricing gimmicks like charging separately for office space. We started Compass to offer customers a real alternative to that model by incorporating the most desired mission critical features like Tier III constructed facility Uptime certification, a hardened building and future proofing via simultaneous high and low density support — combined with an array of personalization options, within a single package.”

By adding more personalization Compass is accepting that the one-size-fits-all data center build is becoming a thing of the past as cloud providers are moving to larger premises, the telcos are divesting themselves of their data centers and the growing demand for edge and micro-data centers squeezes providers in the middle such as Compass. 

Bo Bond, Managing Director at Jones Lang LaSalle said: “Enabling customers to select their facility size and power density, personalize it to meet their requirements and have it delivered in six months, are capabilities that make Compass an attractive alternative to MTDC’s for any company seeking a new data center.” Bond said that he saw Compass as now strong competition to the larger providers in the major markets such as Dallas and Atlanta

All of this is in addtion to Compass Data Centers’ famous pledge to give customers $100,000 if their data center is not built on time.