Can Indiana Data Centers Get Funding for Expansion?

There has been much written about data center funding and tax incentive plans which are available in states such as Minnesota, Colorado, and Montana. 

The State of Indiana also offers a number of programs to companies who want to establish data center facilities as well. This might explain why Indiana is currently ranked number one in the Midwest in terms of high tech employment growth.

Indiana data center service providers have benefitted from incentives such as funding and tax incentives including:

• Data Cave (Columbus) - At 80,000 square feet, Data Cave is a data center that provides technology solutions, such as colocation, offsite backup, and network management and managed security services.
• Lifeline Data Centers (Indianapolis) - The location was the Eastgate Consumer Mall. This Lifeline Data Centers facility is huge with a 450,000 square foot data center. It also has 200,000 square feet of office space.
• Indiana Data Center (Fort Wayne) - In northeastern Indiana, the Indiana Data Center built a wireless network infrastructure. They connected four large communities including Fort Wayne, Auburn, Angola, and Columbia City.
• TLS.NET (Columbus) - A national, privately held Internet Services Provider, data center, and Web-based software developer.
• n|Frame (Indianapolis) - n|Frame delivers services through a sophisticated data center and cutting-edge Business Continuity and Recovery Centers.

There are a number of programs offered through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation division of the government for companies either expanding into the state or needing to augment their technology infrastructure. Some of these programs include:

• TECH (Technology Enhancement Certification for Hoosiers) – A program for existing Indiana companies who have a need to expand their technology infrastructure and skillset. (You have to like the acronym too!)
• Indiana Certified Technology Parks - Supports the attraction and growth of high tech businesses into the state of Indiana, if a business is certified as a technology park, there are tax rebates which can be re-invested back into the technology park.
• TechPoint - Indiana’s statewide technology trade group which lobbies government and promotes technology growth and educational opportunities in the state.

Data Cave was able to secure $225,000 in tax credits and was offered $36,500 in training grants. The City of Columbus was also provided a $50,000 grant to improve its fiber optic cable network in the area which benefits more than just Data Cave, but businesses all over the City of Columbus.

It’s not just corporate data centers which benefit from State of Indiana funding programs. Indiana University built a data center six years ago which was over 80,000 square feet and received funding from both commercial organizations such as HP, local architect firm Ratio Architects, and DC-based architect firm the Smith Group.

If you are a company in the Midwestern United States and are seeking assistance to fund the construction or expansion in Indiana, there are multiple opportunities which are provided by both government and commercial interests.

Have you found a funding program for Indiana data centers which we have missed? Tell us about it in the Comments section below.

And to read about more tips like these, be sure to download your free guide to Lead Generation Best Practices for Colocation Data Centers.