Equinix Acquires Dutch Data Centre Firm

Equinix, Inc. an international carrier-neutral data centre and Internet exchange services provider has acquired Dutch data centre firm Virtu Secure Webservices B.V. The deal will provide Equinix with data centre operations in the cities of Enschede and Zwolle, and by mid-2008, in Amsterdam.

The move follows the 2007 acquisition of European colocation provider IXEurope and demonstrates the competitive positioning the company is intent on building in the European marketplace. Founded in 1999, Virtu is a provider of data centre services in the Netherlands with more than 400 enterprise, systems integrator and government customers include IBM, TUI/Thomson, Netherlands Department of Finance and Ten Cate.

Virtu operates data centres in Enschede (1,200 net sq. m.) and Zwolle (500 net sq. m.), and it is currently building out a 3,000 net sq. m. centre in Amsterdam that is expected to be open for customers in mid-2008. The Enschede centre is approximately 40% utilised and Zwolle, which recently opened, will be at 80% occupancy once all signed contracts are fully installed. The Amsterdam site, which is currently under construction and was acquired by Virtu through a lease agreement, formerly served as a data centre for ING Bank.

The company believes that an increasing number of multinational corporations are selecting the Netherlands as a base for serving the European market. Amsterdam also benefits from the presence of AMS-IX, the largest Internet exchange in Europe, which makes it an important hub for the networks serving the continent. Equinix says it intends to invest a total of USD 48 million in the acquisition of Virtu, the anticipated capital expenditures associated with the build-out of the Amsterdam site and the assumption of debt.

This transaction is not expected to negatively impact Equinix’s previously announced 2008 revenue and EBITDA guidance.

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