US data center firm CyrusOne is bringing many of its on-site data center roles in-house, ending large parts of its current outsourcing agreement with JLL.

The KKR-owned company told DCD this week that it is making changes to its US operations model.

The company is bringing on-site operational roles across its US portfolio, currently supported by JLL, in-house.

As part of the transition, CyrusOne will give impacted JLL workers the opportunity to continue working directly with the company and expects the “vast majority” to apply and transition.

CyrusOne declined to outline how many roles would be impacted. The transition is expected to be completed by August.

The company noted there is a “small portion” of the impacted workforce that is unionized and “fully expects” to honor the existing collective bargaining agreements and “maintain a strong and constructive relationship” with those unions.

Rob Johnson, CyrusOne’s chief business officer, said that JLL had been an “incredibly strong partner for the last four years and done a great job for us,” but CyrusOne had decided it was the “right move” as the current contract was coming up for renewal.

“This change is bringing the teams that are already supporting our facilities closer to the CyrusOne organization,” he said. “These are the same individuals who are performing the work today, at the same sites.”

He continued: “During this period of growth, we see operation as a competitive differentiator. This transition allows us to create a more direct operating model, clearer accountability, and consistency on how we deliver services.”

CyrusOne, which is jointly owned by private equity firms KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners, operates more than 50 data centers across the US and Europe.

In the US, the company operates dozens of facilities across Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, New York/New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, and Texas.

CyrusOne and JLL will continue to work together, with JLL supporting some back-office functions.

Matt Landek, global division president, data centers and critical environments at JLL, said: “We’re thrilled that CyrusOne continues to leverage JLL’s global scale and deep data center expertise to support their operations while the industry experiences unprecedented growth. As AI reshapes digital infrastructure, data centers have become one of the most dynamic and critical sectors, and JLL is proud to partner with industry leaders like CyrusOne to help build the foundation for tomorrow’s economy.”