Compass Datacenters has launched a business unit called Compass Quantum to offer modular data centers delivered with an as-a-service model.

The US firm announced this week it is selling ‘White Space as a Service (WSaaS),' adding incremental local, remote, or Edge capacity in the form of 100kW modular data centers via a pay-as-you-go model.

Compass said its staff perform a full range of installation and operation activities including site selection, site preparation and permitting, installation, monitoring, and operation for each of the modules. The company said the modules can be live in as little as four months.

“Companies want to be able to quickly, cost-effectively add small increments of white space exactly where they need it when they need it – without all the logistical, financial and operational headaches related to distributed IT infrastructure,” said Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenters.

Each module is designed to be Tier Ready and housed within a 160 mph wind rated composite shell and can support up to 12-full-sized racks to provide full data center functionality within a 48’x12’ footprint. It is available in up to 2N redundancy design.

“Our White Space as a Service offering solves all of the most complex and frustrating aspects of deploying distributed digital infrastructure,” said Tony Grayson, General Manager, Compass Quantum. “This is a comprehensive scalable data center and service offering for small capacity requirements anywhere you need it. From downtown in a metro area to the middle of the desert, our team can take care of every step in the process including site selection, permitting and operations. This approach enables our customers to structure this as a straightforward OpEx expense rather than a risky CapEx project.”

Rather than paying upfront, customers will pay an ongoing monthly fee over the term of the contract; they will have the option to buy the module after the initial contract term is over. If the data center is no longer necessary, Compass will recover and refurbish it for deployment elsewhere.

“Compass Quantum’s White Space as a Service model is a perfect fit for organizations like ours that are seeking to rapidly deploy a solution to address a specific need – in our case, maximizing the recent federal investment in broadband infrastructure by deploying facilities that bring neutral interconnection, cloud and content to smaller cities and rural areas,” said Tom Ferree, Chairman and CEO of nonprofit Connected Nation. “Building out internet exchange points in smaller markets with a traditional capex model would be very difficult not only in terms of up-front investment but also in terms of the work involved in that scale of site selection, permitting, facility operations and maintenance. With the comprehensive package that Quantum provides, companies get exactly the IT capacity they need without the headache of managing those challenges. That is invaluable for us as we continue with our mission of closing the Digital Divide for all Americans.”

Compass Data Centers bought Edge data center specialists EdgePoint and BitBox in 2018.