Source: Financial Post
Global enterprise software company SAP AG is opening its first Canadian data centre in the Toronto area as more Canadian businesses look to cloud-based software.
Infrastructure for the data centre, based in Markham, Ont., is being built and it will be ready by the end of 2014, SAP said Wednesday.
“We’re seeing more and more Canadian companies moving their business into the cloud as they continue to adopt innovative technology as part of their growth strategy,” said Bob Elliott, SAP Canada managing director, in a statement.
“Our customers range from government agencies to healthcare and financial services companies and almost all of them have strict data security requirements and need this information to reside in Canada.”
Demand for public cloud-based services among Canadian businesses is growing, with spending on the sector worth $1.6-billion this year, according to IDC Canada. Of that amount, $1.49-billion is spent on software, while $131-million is spent on infrastructure, such as data centres. By 2018, that figure is expected to more than double to just over $3-billion, IDC said.
SAP Canada currently employs more than 2,000 people in Canada, and has labs in Montreal, Toronto, Waterloo and Vancouver.
SAP earlier this year opened data centres in Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.
The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and is home to 1.1 million residents and 42,000 business establishments, making it one of Canada’s largest municipalities and the second largest business centre in the Province of Ontario.
Comprised of nine local municipalities, York Region is a premier business location in Canada. The Region is home to operations of 14 Fortune 100 companies, four of Canada’s top 10 corporate R&D investors, Canada’s second largest Information & Communications Technology (ICT) cluster and global industry leaders in Life Sciences, CleanTech, Financial Services and Advanced Manufacturing.
As Canada’s fastest growing large municipality, York Region has one of the most educated and diverse workforces in North America, the lowest commercial property taxes in greater Toronto and an exceptional quality of life attracting top global talent.
York Region’s local municipalities include the City of Markham, the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Aurora, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Town of Georgina and the Township of King.