JONESBORO, Ark. – (October 13, 2021) – Ritter Communications, the mid-South region’s largest privately-held fiber broadband provider, held an event on Tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of the company’s $8 million multi-user data and cloud storage facility. The 8,544 SF Ritter Communications Data Technology Center opened in September 2020. The Data Technology Center is the first service provider-grade data center to serve mid-South businesses and the only one of its kind in the region.
The Ritter Communications anniversary event featured a ribbon cutting, private tours of the secure facility and an evening networking opportunity. Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver spoke at the event. "Technology is the future of this community. Ritter Communications thought outside the box and built a technology stronghold right here that has set the foundation for our community’s growth. Jonesboro is fortunate to have a neighbor like Ritter Communications and their dedication to fostering an environment where enterprise can thrive,” said Copenhaver.
“The new Ritter Data Technology Center is a one-of-a-kind facility. I’ve had the privilege of seeing other facilities and none hold a candle to this, said Mark Young, Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “When you think of the term “state-of-the-art,” after your tour of the Ritter Data Center you will have a picture in your head of what that looks like. This investment by Ritter Communications helps us in our effort to bring business to our community and I want to thank Ritter Communications for that.”
The Data Technology Center allows customers to maximize existing technology investments and avoid incremental capital investment expenditures by leveraging Ritter’s highly reliable, secure, carrier-class co-location data center services. The data center is supported by a Network Operations Center (NOC) staffed by systems engineers 24/7/365. The facility is equipped with redundant generators with dual fuel sources, advanced fire-suppression technology, multiple diverse fiber entrance facilities to protect against fiber cuts or outages, clean-room air filtration, and biometric building security. To meet customer demands for data security, the facility is HIPAA, Payment Card Industry (PCI) and System and Organization Controls (SOC 2) Type 2 compliant. Annual SOC Type 2 examinations specify controls in effect, test operating effectiveness and governance, evaluate risk assessment and mitigation efforts, policies and procedures physical and logical access, systems operations, and monitoring regimens.
Customers can relocate their owned IT equipment to within the data center, or utilize virtual infrastructure (IaaS) provided by Ritter, or elect a combination of both strategies. This provides customers with flexibility and supports rapid scale-up of IT computing and data storage/backup capabilities that could otherwise be challenging for customers’ internal IT departments. The center is also carrier-neutral, meaning customers can choose to have their data transported to and from the facility using either dedicated Ritter fiber, another provider, or both for redundancy.
Construction on the Data Technology Center began in the spring of 2019 and despite the pandemic, was completed on schedule. Camfil APC, Central Bank and St. Bernards Healthcare are among the charter customers to use the Ritter Communications Data Technology Center.
The Ritter Communications Data Technology Center is open and fully operational, serving customers with state-of-the-art technology and cloud solutions. To learn more about the new Ritter Communications Data Technology Center, visit the Ritter Communications Data Technology Center webpage on ritterbusiness.com. More information about Ritter Communications and its services is available on the company’s website, rittercommunications.com, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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About Ritter Communications: Ritter Communications is the largest privately held telecommunications service provider in the Mid-South, offering world-class broadband fiber, telecom, video, cloud and data center services. The company has grown rapidly over the years, investing millions recently in technology infrastructure and is now serving over 100 communities and more than 45,000 customers in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Tennessee. Headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Ritter Communications invests heavily in the communities it serves by deploying proven, best-in-class infrastructure and technology, while coupling it with a world-class customer-focused experience. For more information visit RitterCommunications.com.
Media Coverage:
Arkansas Business - https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/137707/ritter-communications-shows-off-8m-data-center-in-jonesboro
City of Jonesboro - https://www.facebook.com/cityofjonesboroar/posts/241206881367872
Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce - https://www.facebook.com/JonesboroChamber/photos/a.10150316211328855/10159222546508855
