Telx has hired Activ Financial’s top business-development man Shawn Kaplan to lead its financial-services business.

Financial services is a major vertical for the data center services provider, and Kaplan has more than 15 years in marketing, sales and business development in “financial technology” organizations. His resume includes work at Reuters, Telerate and Dow Jones Newswires, according to Telx.

Ron Sterbenz, VP of marketing at Telx, said the company was continuing to expand its competitive capabilities. “Shawn's extensive knowledge and proven track record of success at driving business growth in financial markets makes him a valuable addition to our team,” he said.

Telx – which in September of 2011 was bought by Abry and Berkshire – has data centers in all major US financial-services hubs (New York, New Jersey and Chicago) and has partnered with international companies for footprint in major global markets.

It is targeting the financial-services industry through its Financial Xchange infrastructure platform – a package of services that includes proximity hosting, low-latency connectivity and direct access to the global financial marketplace.

The company has created a dedicated network exchange for financial-services clients in its data centers.