IBM announced the opening of its latest data center in Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this week. The facility will provide the gamut of IT services, from application virtualization and infrastructure cloud to disaster recovery and standard IT outsourcing.

Mexico has been an important market for IBM. The company has been operating in the country for 85 years, and the $30m data center project is only part of a US$70m investment it is planning to have made in Mexico during 2012.

Hugo Santana, president and general manager of IBM Mexico, said the company wanted to support the country’s and its clients’ development and capabilities. “Supported by long-term experience in data centers, we are proud to be able to offer to Mexican companies new opportunities to innovate and achieve greater competitive advantage.”

The Guadalajara data center will be connected to the company’s brand new IT Outsourcing Services Command Center in Mexico City, opened in June.

At Phase I, the data center occupies about 6,500 sq ft. IBM has the option to expand it to four times its current size.

It features a set of modern management tools, including 3D tools for IT infrastructure planning and modeling, as well as real-time virtual access to monitoring tools. IBM is offering clients predictive analytics to help prevent downtime, as well as analytics to help use data center resources efficiently.

The facility will be one of about 400 data centers IBM has built around the world to provide IT services.