DataBank Chicago (ORD3) — Colocation Data Center

Facility Overview

DataBank's ORD3 facility in Mount Prospect, Illinois represents the company's strategic presence in the greater Chicago metropolitan area's data center market. Located at 800 E Business Center Dr, this colocation data center serves enterprises and organizations requiring reliable infrastructure services in one of the Midwest's most important technology hubs.

As part of DataBank's national portfolio of data centers, the ORD3 facility is positioned to deliver enterprise-grade colocation services to businesses across various industries. DataBank has established itself as a leading provider of hybrid IT solutions, combining traditional colocation services with cloud connectivity and managed services to meet evolving customer requirements.

Geographic and Strategic Advantages

The Mount Prospect location offers several advantages for colocation customers. Situated in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the facility provides access to the broader Chicago market while maintaining the operational benefits of a suburban location, including potentially lower real estate costs and reduced congestion compared to downtown alternatives.

The facility's proximity to O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, makes it particularly attractive for businesses requiring easy physical access for equipment installation, maintenance, and support activities. This location also positions customers well for serving both local Chicago-area users and broader regional markets across the Midwest.

Service Capabilities

While specific technical specifications are not detailed, DataBank typically offers a comprehensive suite of colocation and hybrid IT services across its facility portfolio. These generally include retail colocation options for individual cabinets and cages, wholesale colocation for larger space requirements, and various managed services to support customer operations.

DataBank's approach to colocation traditionally emphasizes flexibility and scalability, allowing customers to start with smaller deployments and expand as their requirements grow. The company's hybrid IT model typically integrates colocation services with cloud connectivity options, enabling customers to build hybrid infrastructure architectures that span on-premises, colocation, and public cloud environments.

Target Market and Use Cases

The ORD3 facility is well-suited for a diverse range of customers, from growing enterprises requiring their first colocation deployment to larger organizations needing regional presence in the Chicago market. The suburban location makes it particularly attractive for businesses seeking reliable infrastructure services without the premium costs often associated with downtown data center facilities.

Organizations in industries such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and financial services - all significant sectors in the Chicago metropolitan area - represent natural customers for this type of facility. The location's combination of market access and operational efficiency makes it suitable for disaster recovery implementations, regional IT consolidation projects, and hybrid cloud architectures.

Chicago Metropolitan Data Center Market

Mount Prospect sits within the broader Chicago metropolitan area data center market, one of the most significant colocation hubs in the Midwest United States. The Chicago market benefits from its central geographic location, making it an ideal point for serving customers across the central United States and providing connectivity between East and West Coast markets.

The region's data center market has experienced steady growth driven by enterprise digital transformation initiatives, cloud adoption, and the need for edge computing capabilities to serve the large population base in the greater Chicago area. Chicago's position as a major business center, with significant concentrations of financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics companies, creates sustained demand for colocation services.

Connectivity and Infrastructure Advantages

Chicago serves as a major telecommunications hub with extensive fiber infrastructure connecting the city to other major markets across North America. The market benefits from the presence of multiple internet exchanges and carrier hotels, providing colocation customers with diverse connectivity options and competitive pricing for bandwidth services.

The suburban locations like Mount Prospect offer particular advantages for certain types of deployments, including lower power costs, reduced real estate expenses, and often superior disaster risk profiles compared to dense urban locations. These factors make suburban Chicago facilities attractive for disaster recovery sites, regional data processing operations, and cost-sensitive workloads.

Competitive Landscape

The Chicago metropolitan data center market includes both major national providers and regional specialists, creating a competitive environment that benefits customers through service innovation and pricing competition. The market's maturity means customers typically have access to a full range of colocation options, from small retail cabinets to large wholesale deployments, along with comprehensive managed services and cloud connectivity solutions.

The presence of multiple providers in the market also supports robust ecosystem development, with various technology vendors, system integrators, and service providers maintaining local presence to support the data center community.