IBM announced a cloud resiliency and disaster recovery center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, on September 22, 2014. The company described it as a site combining cloud-based and traditional recovery capabilities; contemporary reporting said it was IBM Business Continuity and Resiliency Services’ largest single-site U.S. investment. That “largest” description did not mean four million square feet of data center floor.
What IBM announced in Research Triangle Park
IBM’s September 22, 2014 announcement described the center as a place where customers could combine cloud resiliency with traditional disaster recovery. IBM also said physical security features were part of the facility and that a team would monitor developing disaster events 24 hours a day, seven days a week, mobilizing as needed. These were IBM’s launch-era descriptions, not independent assessments of the site’s performance. IBM’s announcement
What “largest” meant—and what the facility contained
Data Center Knowledge characterized the center as IBM Business Continuity and Resiliency Services’ largest single-site investment in the United States. Its report distinguishes the larger site, described as about four million square feet, from the data-center floor itself.
| Measure | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Overall site | About 4 million square feet, according to Data Center Knowledge’s 2014 report; this is not the data-center floor area. |
| Raised-floor data center space | 72,000 square feet, according to Data Center Knowledge’s 2014 report. |
| Tape pool | 8,000 square feet, according to Data Center Knowledge’s 2014 report. |
| Customer recovery suites | 10 equipped suites, according to Data Center Knowledge’s 2014 report. |
Data Center Knowledge’s facility report provides the measurements and the distinction between the site and raised-floor data-center space.
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How IBM described the recovery approaches
The announced facility was intended to bring cloud recovery and traditional disaster recovery together. IBM’s release said its cloud resiliency services could reduce recovery from what it called the then-industry-standard 24–48 hours to minutes. This was IBM’s claim in 2014; it is not a current benchmark, a measured result for every customer, or an independently verified performance figure. The announcement does not provide comparable independent timing data for traditional recovery.
Monitise was named as the first customer
IBM identified Monitise, a mobile banking and payments company, as the center’s first customer. Monitise executive vice president of technology Adam Banks said the partnership would support consistent customer service as the company expanded globally, with a cloud resiliency plan intended to protect real-time services. IBM vice president Mike Errity described the work as an example of enterprise partnership and innovation. These statements reflect the companies’ launch announcement, not independently verified customer outcomes. IBM’s announcement
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Is the North Carolina center still operating?
The available information does not establish whether the specific Research Triangle Park facility remains in operation or whether it retains the features described in 2014. IBM’s current disaster recovery page describes broader services spanning response through full restoration, but that general service description does not confirm the status of this particular center. IBM’s current disaster recovery services page
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